1

1.UsingArticles

English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.

• the = definite article

• a/an = indefinite article

For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I mean any book rather than a specific book.

Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies, but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.

"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. For example, "I would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific one in mind.

2

2.IndefiniteArticles:aandan

"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group. For example:

"My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This refers to any dog. We don't know which dog because we haven't found the dog yet.

"Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific policeman; we need any policeman who is available.

•"When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo, but there's only one we're talking about here.

Remember, using a or an depends on the sound that begins the next word. So...

a) a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog.

b) an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan.

c) a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle.

d) an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour. e) a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse.

Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a group:

I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.) Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as

Irish.) Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of

people known as Buddhists.)

3

3.DefiniteArticle:the

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group. For example:

• "The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.

• "I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about a particular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.

• "I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only one elephant at the zoo.

4.CountandNon‐countNouns

The can be used with non-count nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.

o "I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water" (any water).

o "He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

o "A/an" can be used only with count nouns. o "I need a bottle of water." o "I need a new glass of milk."

There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.

Do not use the before:

1. names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia; however, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States

2. names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami. 3. names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.

4

4. names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes.

5. names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn.

6. names of continents (Asia, Europe). 7. names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains

like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands.

Do use the before:

o names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific. o points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole. o geographical areas: the Middle East, the West. o deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the

Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula.

6.OmissionofArticles

Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:

• Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm hospitality.")

• Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball • Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer

science

5

EXERCISES Choose the appropriate article or 0 article:

1) I like________ blue T-shirt over there better than________ red one.

2) Their car does 150 miles_________ hour.

3) Where's_________ USB drive I lent you last week?

4) Do you still live in ______ Bristol?

5) Is your mother working in ________ old office building?

6) Carol's father works as________ electrician.

7) The tomatoes are 99 pence________ kilo.

8) What do you usually have for_________ breakfast?

9) Ben has _________ terrible headache.

10) After this tour you have _________ whole afternoon free to explore the city.

11) My grandmother likes _______flowers very much.

12) I love__________ flowers in your garden.

13) See you on___________ Wednesday.

14) I always listen to ___________ radio in the morning.

15) Alex goes to work by_________ bus.

16) Don't be late for ________________school.

17) Listen! Dennis is playing ____________trumpet.

18) We often see our cousins over ___________ Easter.

19) She has never been to ___________ Alps before.

20) What about going to Australia in ____________February?

6

EXPRESSINGQUANTITY

There are many expressions used to express large amounts in English. In general, 'much' and 'many' are the standard quantifiers used to express large quantities.

• 'Much' is used with uncountable nouns: o There is much interest in learning English around the world. o How much money do you have? o There isn't much butter left in the refrigerator. o

• 'Many' is used with countable nouns: o There are many people who use the computer every day. o How many students live close to the school? o There aren't many books on that shelf.

The following expressions are often used in place of 'much' and 'many', especially in positive sentences.

a lot of lots of plenty of a great deal of a large number of the majority of

These expressions can be combined with 'of' in the sense of 'most', 'many' or 'much'.

o A lot of people enjoy listening to jazz. o A great deal of time is spent understanding these issues.

Note that 'much', 'most' and 'many' does NOT take 'of'.

• Most people enjoy listening to some type of music. (NOT: Most of people...) • Much time is spent understanding math. (NOT: Much of time is spent ...)

7

Formal/Informal

'A lot of / lots of / plenty of' are generally used in informal situations:

o There will be a lot of food at the party. o There's plenty of time to finish your homework.

'A large amount of / a great deal of / a large number of / a majority of' are used in more formal situations, such as written business English and presentations.

o There is a great deal of pressure to finish this project on time. o There are a large number of individuals who prefer to do banking online.

Countable/Uncountable

'A lot of / lots of / plenty of' are used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

o There's a lot of juice in this jug. o There are plenty of opportunities to learn online. o There are lots of people who like chess.

'A large amount of / a great deal of' are used with uncountable nouns such as 'water, money, time, etc.'

o There's a large amount of work to be done on this project. o There isn't a great deal of time to finish this report.

'A large number of / a the majority of' are used with countable nouns such as 'people, students, investors, etc.'

o The majority of investors are interested in low-risk opportunities. o A large number of our pupils continue their studies at university.

8

Afewandfew,alittleandlittle

These expressions show the speaker’s attitude towards the quantity he/she is referring to.

A few (for countable nouns) and a little (for uncountable nouns) describe the quantity in a positive way:

o “I’ve got a few friends” (= maybe not many, but enough) o “I’ve got a little money” (= I’ve got enough to live on)

Few and little describe the quantity in a negative way:

o Few people visited him in hospital (= he had almost no visitors) o He had little money (= almost no money)

9

EXERCISES

In the following sentences, fill in the gaps with one of the following quantifiers:

much, many, a lot of, most, a little, little, a few, few:

1. It seems to me that we haven't had__________ assignments in English this term.

2. How_______________ material can we be expected to read in one week?

3. I've unfortunately had________________ headaches already because of stress.

4. Our yard looks awful this summer. There are too _____________ weeds.

5. I didn't use_____________ fertilizer last spring, and that has made a difference.

6. Also, I've paid very _______________ attention to how __________ rain we've had.

7. I'm afraid it's rained___________________ times this summer, and that is why the grass is turning brown and dying. Farmers are very upset.

8. How______________ good would it do if we watered the plants ourselves? .

9. ____________________ of the advice I have ever received from so-called "experts" has been useless.

10. They said that just _______________ help could make a big difference.

11.______________ people know as much about computers as Tomas does.

12. It does us _________________ good when the banking system collapses.