Linguapress English Grammar
Indefinite & definite articles in English
Articles
belong to
the larger category of words known as determiners.
Unlike other common types of determiner (numbers,
demonstratives,
quantifiers),
articles cannot stand alone. They must be
followed by a noun.
When are articles needed, and when are they not needed?
The
basic rules:
Basically,
the rules for using articles in English are quite simple: ► When a noun is used in a "defined" or restricted
context, a determiner is
required – most commonly
the definite article.
► When
a singular concrete noun is used in a non-defined context, an
indefinite
article is required.
►The zero article situation: when
a generalisation is implied, either with an abstract noun (always in
the singular) or a count noun in the plural, no
article is used. In other words, the
absence of an article always implies a generalisation.1. The Definite Article
How simple English is !! There is only one definite article, and that is "the"; the only difficulty is knowing when to use it, and when it is not needed.Before it is possible to choose the right article to place before a noun, it is first necessary to determine the nature or category of the noun that is being used.
As in other languages, nouns in English can be divided into two distinct categories, called: count nouns and non-count nouns .
1. Count
nouns are nouns referring to items that can be counted,
for
example:
One car, two pencils, three people, four guitarists, five hotels etc.
These nouns can be used in the singular or the plural
In the singular, count nouns must be preceded by a determiner:
The dog is happy. (or This dog is happy, etc: but not: Dog is happy )
I'm reading my book or I'm reading the book ; but not: I'm reading book
In the plural, they require a determiner if they refer to specific things, they require no article if they are generalisations.
2. Non-count nouns are nouns referring to abstractions, substances or generalisations, for example:
Oxygen, health, money, heat, astronomy
In the singular, non-count nouns generally require no article because they almost always imply a generalisation..
The plural is even easier: non-count nouns can NOT usually be used in the plural.
One car, two pencils, three people, four guitarists, five hotels etc.
These nouns can be used in the singular or the plural
In the singular, count nouns must be preceded by a determiner:
The dog is happy. (or This dog is happy, etc: but not: Dog is happy )
I'm reading my book or I'm reading the book ; but not: I'm reading book
In the plural, they require a determiner if they refer to specific things, they require no article if they are generalisations.
2. Non-count nouns are nouns referring to abstractions, substances or generalisations, for example:
Oxygen, health, money, heat, astronomy
In the singular, non-count nouns generally require no article because they almost always imply a generalisation..
The plural is even easier: non-count nouns can NOT usually be used in the plural.
For
more detail see Count &
non-count nouns
THE BIG
QUESTION concerns plural count nouns: Generalisation
or
not?
Sometimes it
is not easy to decide if a plural
noun is being used as a generalisation,
or in a restrictive context :
often
the speaker or writer can choose. Look at these two sentences:
a) Tomatoes
are red
b) The tomatoes are ripe
In example
(a), the writer is clearly implying
a generalisation on the
noun groupb) The tomatoes are ripe
"tomatoes":
i.e. All tomatoes .
In example
(b), he is referring to a restricted
or defined category of the noun:"the
tomatoes",
i.e. the tomatoes here in front of us are ripe.... (but not all
tomatoes are ripe)
In cases
like these, one therefore has a choice;
but the choice is not always completely free, as it often depends on context.
Is it more important or more logical to imply a generalization, or a
limitation? Deciding whether it is best to use an article in such cases is a skill that has to be mastered!
1.2 Articles and quantifiers
Although articles are determiners, and the general rule is "A noun is only preceded by one determiner", there are cases where the definite article can be preceded by a secondary determiner in the form of a quantifier.Examples:
a)
Some
of the
tomatoes
are red
b) Both of the children are very tired.
c) Three of the machines were out of order.
►For
more on this see : Numbers,
Quantifiers, Some
and Any, Each
and every, Both
either and neither,
All and whole,
and other related pages b) Both of the children are very tired.
c) Three of the machines were out of order.
2. The Indefinite Article
English has two indefinite articles, a and ana is used before nouns starting with a consonant or a semivowel
an is used before nouns starting with a phonetic vowel
Examples: a dog, a cat, an apple, an orange, an uncle, but a university (because the word university starts with phonetic [ju:], which is not a vowel).
Indefinite articles can only be used with count nouns. They are used when a count noun in the singular refers to a non-specified or non defined entity.
Examples:
a) There's a train (= unspecified) coming in 5 minutes. It's the train (= specified) for London.
b) Look! I can see a hotel over there ! (= a non-identified hotel) It's the hotel (= specified) we're looking for !.
a) There's a train (= unspecified) coming in 5 minutes. It's the train (= specified) for London.
b) Look! I can see a hotel over there ! (= a non-identified hotel) It's the hotel (= specified) we're looking for !.
There is no indefinite article in the plural. The word "some" is occasionally said to be a plural indefinite article, but really it is a quantifier (like many, few, etc.).
See dedicated page: Some and any
By definition, plural nouns referring to non-specified entities are generalisations, therefore need no article. Related pages:
- Nouns ,
- Quantifiers,
- Possessives and
- Noun groups
Copyright
information.