Articles and other determiners, Apuntes de Idioma Inglés

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Articles and other

determiners

I n g l é s E s c r i t o I

Olga García Guijarro

Alejandro Gómez de la Muñoza

Paloma Gutiérrez Romero

Daniel López Bastante

Index

• Basic information....................................................................................................................................
  • Determiners
  • The use of articles
• Countable and uncountable nouns
• Talking about things in general...............................................................................................................
• Talking about things in particular: A / the - Some, any or no article
• Special rules and exceptions
  • Common expressions without articles
  • Saxon genitives (possessives)
  • Nouns as adjectives............................................................................................................................
  • Man and woman
  • Radio and television
  • Musical instruments
  • All and both
  • Illnesses
  • Numbers
  • Seasons
  • Positions
  • Exclamations
  • Ships
  • Geographical areas
  • Place-names
    • Exceptions
  • Special Styles
• Main rules

This is a list of English uncountable nouns which might lead foreign students into error: health, weather, English, advice, information, travel, progress, research, news, luggage, furniture, knowledge, hair, toast. None of these words, therefore, can be used with the indefinite article or take plural forms ( news is a plural only in form, not in meaning).

Some expressions, however, can be used to quantify or divide uncountable nouns. Here follows a list of the most useful ones:

1. A lot of words can be both countable and uncountable, with different meanings or uses (e.g. iron, an iron; coffee, a coffee ).
2. Some plural words have no singular (e.g. trousers, scissors ).

The complete rules for the use of articles with countable and uncountable nouns are:

a) a / an can only be used with singular countable nouns (a ca t). b) the can be used with all kind of nouns ( the cat, the cats, the water). c) Plural nouns and uncountable nouns can be used with no article ( cats, water ), but singular uncountable nouns cannot.

A / an The No article Singular countable A cat The cat Plural countable The cats Cats uncountable The water water

A very important point: singular countable nouns must always have an article (or another determiner like my, this ). We can say a cat, the cat, this ca,t my cat, but not cat. There are some exceptions in expressions with prepositions like by car, in bed. Do not leave out the article before the names of professions.

It's nice weather. (…a nice weather.)

Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen. Not: *A water...)

My father's in very good health.

I speak very good English.

Can you give me some advice? (Or: ...a piece of advice.)

I need some information. (Or: ...a piece of information.)

I live travels.

 a piece of news, advice, information, furniture, luck, chalk, iron, chocolate, toast, etc.  a loaf bread.  a clap of thunder.  a kilo / pound / etc. of flour, etc.

 a pint / litre of beer, water, milk.  a lump of sugar, earth, etc.  a spoonful of sugar, medicine, etc.  a sheet of paper.  a great deal of money, enthusiasm, etc.  a slice of bread, cake.

Alice is studying to be a doctor. (...to be doctor.)

Talking about things in general

When we want to talk about things in general (e.g. all music, or all literature ) we usually use a plural or uncountable nouns with no article.

When we use an article with a plural or uncountable noun, the meaning is not general, but particular. Compare:

Note that society is usually used without an article when it means ' the society that we are living in' , and space has no article when it means ' the empty space between the stars'.

Most (when it means 't he majority of' ') is used without an article.

Some expressions are 'half-general' - the middle between general and particular. If we talk about eighteen-century music or poverty in Britain , we are not talking about all music or all poverty, but they are still rather general ideas (compared with the music we heard last night or the poverty that I grew up in ). In these 'half-general' expressions, we usually use no article. However, articles are often used when the noun is followed by of. Compare:

Carrots are my favourite vegetable.

I love music, poetry and art.

He likes cars, girls, food and drink. (Not particular cars or girls - he likes them all.)

The cars in the garage belong to the girls who live next door. (Particular cars and girls.)

She loves life. (A very general idea - she loves everything in life.)

He is studying the life of Beethoven. (A particular life).

Books are expensive. (All books.)

Move the books off the chair and sit down. (Particular books.)

Society turns people into criminals and then locks them up.

Man has just taken his first steps into space.

Most birds can fly.

eighteen-century art the art of the eighteen century

African butterflies the butterflies of Africa

Talking about things in particular: A / the

When we talk about particular thing (not things in general), there is an important difference between the articles.

1) The has a 'definite' meaning. We say the car, the girls , when our listener already knows which car, which girls, we mean, and when we are telling him which car, which girls we mean.

We use the with words like sun, moon, stars - if we talk about the sun, it is obvious which one is meant (there is only one); and when we say the stars , it is the same (we mean all the stars).

2) Things can be particular (not general), but 'indefinite'. If we say Pass me a piece of bread or Let me buy you a drink , the piece of bread or the drink are not definite - it could be any one of several pieces of bread, any one of several kinds of drink. If we say I met a friend of yours yesterday , it could also be any one of several - the listener does not know which one. In cases like these, we do not use the. With singular countable nouns, we use a / an.

With uncountable and plural nouns, we express this 'indefinite' meaning by using either some / any or no article.

We also use a / an when we say that a person or thing is a member of a particular class or group. or when we say what people or things are like.

Shut the door!

I had trouble with the car this morning.

How did you like the film?

Those are the girls who live next door.

I've lost a button.

Shall we go and see a film?

There's a letter for you.

Could I have a p stamp, please?

I've got a headache.

Would you like some cheese?

I haven't got any problems.

We need beer.

I think we've got mice.

She's a doctor.

Asailor is a man who works is ships.

'What's that?' - 'It's an adjustable spanner.'

You're a beautiful girl.

No article is used with uncountable and plural words in this case; some and any are not used.

When we mention something for the first time, we will probably use an indefinite article (or some or no article with uncountable and plurals), because our listener knows nothing about it. But when we mention the same thing again, it becomes definite (because now he knows which one we mean).

Some, any or no article Uncountable and plural nouns can often be used either with some / any or with no article at all, without much difference of meaning.

Some / any are mostly used when we are talking about uncertain, indefinite or unknown numbers or quantities. Compare:

There is a special use of the strong form of some with singular countable nouns.

What's that?' - 'It's petrol.'

They're original Russian icons.

You're fools.

A man came up to a policeman and asked him a question. The policeman didn't understand the question, so he asked the man to repeat it.

Would you like (some) cheese?

Didyou buy (any) screws?

You've got some great jazz records.

You've got beautiful toes.

Is there any more beer in the fridge?

We need beer, sugar, butter, eggs, rice and toilet paper.

She's going out with some footballer.

There's some man at the door for you.

His got some plan for changing the world.

Radio and television

When we talk about radio and television in general, we do not use articles.

Musical instruments

We normally use the definite article in expressions like play the guitar, learn the piano. Note the difference in the use of articles between the languages of classical music and jazz / rock.

(The definite article is not used with the names of games. compare play the piano, play the guitar, play chess, play football )

All and both

Articles are sometimes dropped after all and both.

Illnesses

The names of illnesses are usually uncountable, and we talk about them with no article.

Other aches ( toothache, earache, etc) apart from a headache are uncountable, with no article, in British English.

Numbers

The indefinite article is used in a hundred, a thousand, a million, a billion, etc.

Note the use of the article in expressions like sixty pence a pound, seventy miles an hour, forty hours a week.

It's easier to write plays for television than for radio.

Articles are used in the expressions listen to the radio, on the radio, but not in watch television, on television.

with Alfred Brendel at the piano.

with Eric Clapton on guitar, Phil Collins on drums...

All (the) eight students in the class passed the exam.

Both (the) children are good at maths.

We can say all year, all week, all day, all night, all summer, all winter , but not * all hour or

• all century.

I've been waiting for you all day.

I think I've got measles.

She's had appendicitis.

I've got a cold.

Seasons

We can say spring or the spring, in summer or in the summer, etc. There is very little difference between the expressions with and without the article. The article is usually used in in the fall (US).

Positions

In certain constructions, the names of positions that people can occupy are used without articles.

Note (i) the name of the position is the complement, not the subject of the sentence (you cannot say

• Chairman came to lunch, with no article) (ii) these are 'unique' positions - there is only one Queen of England,

only one captain of the team.

Do not drop the indefinite article before the name of a profession or job in other cases. We say He's a

doctor or I don't want to be a secretary.

Exclamations

We don't leave out a / an in exclamations after what.

Ships

The definite article is used in the names of ships.

Geographical areas

We often use the with the words country, sea, seaside and mountains, even when we don't say which sea, or which mountains, etc. are meant.

I'm going to the country for a week.

I love the mountains, but I hate the sea.

Elizabeth II, Queen of England.

They elected George chairman.

Henry was made captain of the team.

What a lovely dress!

The Titanic; The Queen Mary.

Main rules

If the rules for the use of articles seem too complicated, just remember these three:

1) Do not use the (with plural and uncountable nouns) to talk about things in general.

Life is hard. (Not: *The life is hard.)

2) Do not use singular countable nouns without articles.

the car a car but not *car

3) Use a / an to say what people's professions or jobs are.

She's a bank manager. (Not: *She's bank manager.)

Most mistakes with articles are made through breaking one of these rules.