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Alan
OVERVIEW We use a or an with singular countable nouns only.
A and an are indefinite articles. We use them to
talk about one of something when we assume that
1 COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
the listener 1 reader doesn't know which specific
We use uncountable nouns to talk about things we thing (but see Section 2.6):
think of as a mass, rather than countable individual A car drove past. (= we don't know exactly
things. We use them with singular verbs. which car)
It may not be immediately obvious whether nouns
are countable or uncountable (see Section 2), and The
some uncountable nouns in English are countable We use the with countable nouns (singular or plural)
in other languages. Logic and grammar seem to and uncountable nouns:
produce contradictions. Here are a few examples: A man is coming round tofix the television.
Uncountable Countable LetS sit on the grass over there.
rice lentils The is the definite article. We use it to talk about a
bread 1 macaroni four potatoes specific example of something we think is known
advice a few suggestions to both ourselves and the listener 1 reader:
knowledge ideas The cars were parked illegally in the city centre. (= we
news 1 information these facts know which cars and which city)
hair a wig
N o article
money a dollar
marketing an advertisement To talk about things generally, we use uncountable
luggage two suitcases or plural nouns without a l an or the:
f2u 1 cancer 1 measles a cold 1 a headache 1 Money doesn't necessanly bnng happiness. It S easy
a heart attack to blame minorities for al1 the problems of society.
strawberry jam a tra@ jam Paperclips were a bnlliant invention.
In these examples we are talking generally, and not
f Ic that really hair \ thinking of an individual item or example.
We never use a 1 an with nouns which are used
uncountably:
He shows an impressive understanding of the pnnciples
of marketing.
3 OTHER DETERMINERS
Other determiners such as my, your, his, etc., this,
that, these, those, have a similar function to the and
Many nouns can be countable or uncountable make the meaning specific:
depending on the context (see Section 2): Your happiness is of great concern to me.
Uncountable Countable (= happiness specific to you) Those holidays we
He's a danger to Bntain is a multi-racial had in the South of France were the best. (= specific
society. society. holidays) That money was meant for paying the
I never eat lunch. He's grown fat through eating phone bill. (= a specific sum)
so many business lunches.
Work is starting to Beethoven's later works are
take over my lije. startlingly ongrnal.
Singular countable nouns must always have a 1 an,
2 AIAN, THE OR N O ARTICLE? the or another determiner:
X X
A 1 an are determiners. Determiners are words we
J W h y don't you pul1 up a c)bair and sit down?
use before a noun to show whether the noun is
specific or general, singular or plural, etc. (For other
determiners, see Unit 9).
3 GENERAL OR SPEClFlC - ADDING THE
SECTION 1 We can use the with uncountable and countable
nouns, including the abstract nouns above, to refer
Using the or no artide to a specific example of something. To make clear
which specific example we are referring to, we may
1 THE WlTH NOUNS THAT ARE ALWAYS have to add a qualiSing clause with of (or another
SINGULAR preposition), a relative clause, or an adjective:
We nearly always use the with some singular nouns General Specific
because we consider there is only one in existence: 1 like all kinds of music. The music of Skalkottas is
the sun the moon the Earth the air virtually unknown
the ozone layer the past the future the countryside outside Greece.
the EU the UN the seaside the world 1s there life ajer death? It was afilm about the life
the Vietnam War the presidency the Government of a polar explorer.
This category also includes superlatives because We mustfight forfreedom. 1 was allowed thefreedom
there is usually only one thing or group that is of the house and garden.
superlative: Truth is the first victim We'll never know the truth
He's the best accountant in town. of war. about what really happened.
It's one of the noisiest bars in town. You learn from experience. The terrible experience was
something he never got over
She ought to be in jail- The society which they set
she S a danger to society. out to create was based on
Logic is not always a reliable guide. We talk about mutual trust.
the atmosphere and the environment. But we usually Sometimes the qualiSing clause is implied rather
think of nature in a general sense and so omit the. than stated explicitly. This is especially true of truth:
Although we talk about the universe, we consider 1 promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and
space as infinite and we use it without the: nothing but the truth. (= about what happened)
X X .
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