Class 04 – WRITING SKILLS - ARTICLE USAGE

Sounds:
Rule 1 – Use a when a singular countable noun is indefinite and the article
is followed by a consonant sound.
Rule 2 – Use a when a singular countable noun is indefinite and the article
is followed by a vowel sound.
*Note: It is not the letter but the sound that determines whether a or an
should be used. Words that begin with the letters eu (as in Europe) or the
letter u (as in use) sometimes have the sound of yoo.

Plurals and Uncountables:

Rule 3 – Do not use a or an with plural nouns.
Rule 4 – Do not use a or an with uncountable nouns.

Rule 5 – Use a for single letters and numbers that begin with a consonant
sound.
Rule 6 – Use an for letters and numbers that begin with a vowel sound.

Rule 7 – Use a to mean “for each” or “per” when the noun begins with a
consonant sound.
Rule 8 – Use an to mean “for each” or “per” when the noun begins with a
vowel sound.

Being Specific:
Rule 9 – Do not use the with indefinite nouns.

Rule 10 – Do not use the with there + be. All nouns, plural and singular,
are indefinite if they occur after there + be. This means you can use the
indefinite articles or no article at all.
Rule 11 – Use the when the noun has already been mentioned.
Rule 12 – Use the when the noun that follows is already known.

Rule 13 – Use the when the noun is made definite by a prepositional

phrase.
*Exception: do not use the when the prepositional phrase does not make
the noun definite. (ex: I’d like a cup of soup).

Rule 14 – Use the when the noun is made definite by an adjective clause
or an adjective phrase.
*Exception: do not use the when the adjective clause or the adjective
phrase does not make the noun definite. (ex: I want a pen that works).

Rule 15 – Use the when the noun is the only one that exists.

Rule 16 – Use the in special names, titles and epithets.

Generalizing:
Rule 17 – Do not use an article when generalizing about abstract nouns.
* Note: abstract nouns are nouns that you cannot see, touch or feel. As
uncountable nouns they do not take a or an.

Rule 18 – Do not use an article when generalizing in the plural. When you
generalize about a noun, it is indefinite, so the cannot be used, and plural
nouns never take a or an.

Rule 19 – Do not use an article with the name of streets, avenues, roads,
lanes, or boulevards.
Rule 20 – Do not use an article with the names of universities or colleges.
*Exception: Use the with names of colleges and universities that contain
the word of.

Rule 21 – Use the when generalizing about an entire class of musical

instruments.
Rule 22 – Use the when generalizing about an entire class of animals.
*Exception: Use a, an, or the if the sentence can mean either the general
class of animals or any one of the animals.
Rule 23 – Use the when generalizing about an invention.

Rule 24 – Use the with plural names.

Rule 25 – Use the with family names followed by a noun.

Rule 26 – Use the with the names of rivers, oceans, seas and deserts.
Rule 27 – Do not use any article for the names of single lakes, mountains,
islands, or canyons.
Rule 28 – Use the with the names of hotels, motels, theaters, bridges and
buildings.
Rule 29 – Use the with the names of zoos, gardens, museums, institutes
and companies.
Rule 30 – Do not use an article for the names of stadiums, malls, or parks.
Rule 31 – Use the with nouns for military institutions, such as the army,
the navy, the air force, the marines, the military, as well as the fire
department, the police, etc.

Comparative and Superlative Forms:

Rule 32 – Use the with the superlative degree.
Rule 33 – Do not use the with the comparative degree.
*Exception: Use the with the comparative degree for double comparatives
or when the adjective in a comparison is used as a noun. (the more I
study, the more I learn); (I have to books. The better is the most expensive
one.)
Rule 34 – Use the with ordinal numbers and other ranking words like next
and last.
*Exception I: Do not use an article with ordinal numbers or other ranking
words when listing ideas.
*Exception II: Do not use the with ordinal numbers when referring to
names of prizes.
*Exception III: Do not use the with next or last when they refer to specific
times like next month, last Christmas, next Tuesday, and last year.
Rule 35 – Do not use articles when referring to numbers or letters in a list.

Of countries and people:

Rule 36 – Do not use an article with the names of countries, cities, or
states.
*Exception: Use the in the names of countries that contain the words
united, union, kingdom or republic.
Rule 37 – Use the to express the plural of nationalities that have no other
plural form.
Rule 38 – Do not use an article with the names of languages or religions
that have not been made definite.
*Exception: Use the when the word language is used right after the name
of the language or when the word religion is used after the adjective for
(or name of) the religion.
Rule 39 – Use the with abstract adjectives (adjectives that act as nouns to
describe a group of people).

Time and Space:

Rule 40 – Use the for compass directions if they follow prepositions like to,
in, on, at, or from.
Rule 41 – Do not use an article if a compass direction immediately follows
an action verb like go, travel, turn, look, sail, fly, walk or move.
Rule 42 – Use the with large periods of historic time like the 1900’s, the
Stone Age, the Dark Ages, the Cambrian Period, etc.

Rule 43 – Use the with in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening.
Rule 44 – Do not use an article for at night.

Body and Health:

Rule 45 – Use the for body parts that have been touched by an outside
object.
Rule 46 – Do not use an article with the name of diseases.
*Exception: Use the with the flu and the measles.

Specific Usage:
Rule 47 – Use the with the word same.
Rule 48 – Use a when the words few and little are used with the words
only or just.
Rule 49 – Do not use an article with forms of go in expressions such as go
to bed, goes to school, went to college, go to jail, etc.
WRITING SKILLS - ARTICLE USAGE
Instructions: Write an article in the space provided. If no article is
needed, write ø in the space.

1. Dr. Finley has ______ degree from ______ University of ______

Americas in Mexico.
2. ______ snail moves only ______ few inches ______ hour.
3. For ______ centuries, ______ people have used ______ horse as
______ beast of burden.
4. ______ Canadians, like ______ Americans, speak ______ English.
5. ______ College of Design is located in ______ New York city.
6. Phillip ______ Fair was a handsome man.
7. ______ first, hypothesize. ______ second, test. Finally, evaluate.
8. ______ calorie is ____ unit of ______ heat.
9. ______ Urals are a major range of ______ mountains in Europe.
10.He has been living for more than twenty years in ______ U.S.
11.______ Manila is ______ city in ______ Philippines.
12.______ more I eat Thai food, ______ more I like it.
13.______ Mount Fuji, ______ extinct volcano, is ______ highest
mountain in ______ Japan.
14.______ storm struck ______ coast of Sumatra. ______ storm caused
considerable damage.
15.Dickens was one of ______ greatest ______ British authors of all
______ times.
16.______ eulogy is usually ______ speech about someone deceased.
17.I would love to have ______ newer car than this one.
18.She is working nights so as to make ______ little extra money.
19.______ wheel is circular in shape.
20.______ Ice Age is divided into many periods.
21.She was not home when I went over ______ last Thursday, so I
went back ______ next day.
22.______ snow ______ and ice are forms of ______ water.
23.To ______ east of my house lies ______ noisy factory.
24.______ European cars are usually ______ reliable machines.
25.______ Venus is ______ bigger planet than ______ Mars.
26.I remember ______ melody of that song, but I do not seem able to
recall ______ words.
27.______ glass is made from ______ sand.
28.______ camera was invented in ______ nineteenth century.
29.One of ______ most famous deserts is ______ Sahara.
30.He received ______ honorable discharge from ______ army.
31.I need someone to translate from ______ French to ______
Javanese.
32.At ______ Fort Pierre, ______ South Dakota, ______ Missouri River
is dammed.
33.He has a copy of ______ Venus of Milo on his wall.
34.I cannot remember who won ______ Gold Medal in that
competition.
35.It is ______ honor to have ______ university degree.
36.______ Lebanese speak ______ Arabic.
37.When preparing the soup put the potatoes in ______ last.
38.There was ______ fire in ______ 32nd Street café ______ last night.
39.______ English language uses ______ words from many other
languages.
40.Of Mice and Men is not as thick ______ book as Moby Dick.
41.My last name begins with ______ C.
42.______ oxygen has eight protons.
43.After the game, they washed their shirts but ______ dirt did not
come off.
44.______ late 1800’s were the years of ______ Wild West in ______
U.S.
45.There is ______ interesting movie playing at ______ Valley Art
Theater.
46.We really enjoyed ______ time we spent on ______ Alamo Lake.
47.The library can only afford ______ hundred books at ten dollars
______ copy.
48.I read ______ book on biology ______ last week.
49.She lives in a place where there are ______ long cold winters.
50.All ______ fish in that river died.
51.______ Air Bus is made by ______ European company.
52.Usually ______ snakes are hated and feared.
53.Almost all of ______ words he wrote were misspelled.
54.Today is not as windy ______ day as it was yesterday.
55.What ______ honor it is to meet you.
56.______ next month I will take a series of exams.
57.I prefer ______ apples to ______ oranges.
58.In 1988 Mr. Glenn wrote ______ book and ______ next year he
published it.
59.I am glad that you had such ______ wonderful experiences here.
60.I hope to get numberless gifts ______ next Christmas.
61.I saw ______ horrible accident on ______ highway last week.
62.______ unemployment is a growing concern.
63.______ police usually call ______ unknown man “______ John
Doe”.
 64.You cannot buy ______ happiness.
65.______ easier the test is, ______ happier I will be.
66.______ whales breathe ______ air.
67.Do you know where ______ Cottage Lane is?
68.______ hungry are asking for ______ bread.
69.Is ______ grapefruit juice ______ popular drink in your country?
70.______ store is on______ northwest corner of ______ Main Street
and Elm Road.
71.______ pig is ______ intelligent animal.
72.There are ______ penguins in Antarctica but not at ______ North
Pole.
73.They are tearing up ______ street in front of my house.
74.India ink is ______ special kind of ink.

Grammar Exercise

In this first section, conjugate the verbs accordingly.

The internet (to transform) the way people work and

communicate. It has (to upend) industries, from entertainment to
retailing. But its most profound effect may well be on the biggest decision
that most people make—choosing a mate.

In the early 1990s the notion of meeting a partner online (to

seem) freakish, and not a little pathetic. Today, in many places, it is
normal. Smartphones have put virtual bars in people’s pockets, where
singletons can (to mingle) free from the constraints of social or
physical geography. Globally, at least 200m people use digital dating
services every month. In America more than a third of marriages now start
with an online match-up. The internet (to be) the second-most-
popular way for Americans to meet people of the opposite sex, and is fast
catching up with real-world “friend of a friend” introductions.

Digital dating is a massive social experiment, (to conduct) on

one of humanity’s most intimate and vital processes. Its effects are only
just starting (to start) to become visible.

Meeting a mate over the internet is fundamentally different from meeting

one offline. In the physical world, partners (to find in the
passive voice) in family networks or among circles of friends and
colleagues. Meeting a friend of a friend is the norm. People who (to
meet) online are overwhelmingly likely to be strangers. As a result, dating
digitally offers much greater choice. A bar, choir or office might have a few
tens of potential partners for any one person. Online (there to
be) tens of thousands.

This greater choice—plus the fact that digital connections (to

make in the passive voice) only with mutual consent—makes the digital
dating market far more efficient than the offline kind. For some, that is
bad news. Because of the gulf in pickiness between the sexes, a few
straight men are doomed never to get any matches at all. On Tantan, a
Chinese app, men express interest in 60% of women they (to see),
but women are interested in just 6% of men; this dynamic means that 5%
of men never receive a match. In offline dating, with a much smaller pool
of men to fish from, straight women are more likely (to couple
up) with men who would not get a look-in online.

For most people, however, digital dating (to

offer) better outcomes. Research (to find) that
marriages in America between people who meet online are likely to last
longer; such couples profess to be happier than those who met offline.
The whiff of moral panic (to surround) dating apps is vastly
overblown. Precious little evidence (to exist) to show that
opportunities online are encouraging infidelity. In America, divorce rates
climbed until just before the advent of the internet, and have fallen since.

In this next section, fill in the blanks with the correct article. No article is
also an option.

Online dating is particular boon for those with very particular

requirements. Jdate allows daters to filter out matches who would not
consider converting to Judaism, for instance. A vastly bigger market
has had dramatic results for same-sex daters in particular. In America, 70%
of gay people meet their partners online. This searchable spectrum of
sexual diversity is a boon: more people can find intimacy they seek.

There are problems with the modern way of love, however. Many
users complain of stress when confronted with brutal realities of the
digital meat market, and their place within it. Negative emotions about
body image existed before internet, but they are amplified when
strangers can issue snap judgments on attractiveness. Digital dating
has been linked to depression. The same problems that afflict other
digital platforms recur in this realm, from scams to fake accounts: 10% of
all newly created dating profiles do not belong to real people.

This new world of romance may also have unintended consequences

for society. fact that online daters have so much more choice can
break down barriers: evidence suggests that the internet is boosting
interracial marriages by bypassing homogenous social groups. But daters
are also more able to choose partners like themselves. Assortative
mating, the process whereby people with similar education levels and
incomes pair up, already shoulders some of blame for income
inequality. Online dating may make effect more pronounced: education
levels are displayed prominently on dating profiles in a way they would
never be offline. It is not hard to imagine dating services of future
matching people by preferred traits, as determined by uploaded genomes.
Dating firms also suffer from inherent conflict of interest. Perfect
matching would leave them bereft of paying customers.

The domination of online dating by a handful of firms and their

algorithms is another source of worry. Dating apps do not benefit from
exactly same sort of network effects as other tech platforms: a
person’s friends do not need to be on specific dating site, for
example. But feedback loop between large pools of data, generated
by ever-growing numbers of users attracted to an ever-improving product,
still exists. The entry into the market of Facebook, armed with data
from its 2.2bn users, will provide clues as to whether online dating will
inexorably consolidate into fewer, larger platforms.

But even if market does not become ever more concentrated, the
process of coupling (or not) has unquestionably become more centralised.
Romance used to be distributed activity which took place in a profusion
of bars, clubs, churches and offices; now enormous numbers of people
rely on a few companies to meet their mate. That hands a small number of
coders, tweaking algorithms that determine who sees whom across
the virtual bar, tremendous power to engineer mating outcomes. In
authoritarian societies especially, prospect of algorithmically
arranged marriages ought to cause some disquiet. competition offers
some protection against such a possibility; so too might greater
transparency over the principles used by dating apps to match people
up.
Yet such concerns should not obscure good that comes from the
modern way of romance. right partners can elevate and nourish each
other. The wrong ones can ruin both their lives. digital dating offers
millions of people a more efficient way to find a good mate. That is
something to love.

Modern Love – The Economist

Composition
At least on paper, Germany’s armed forces are deeply involved in a
reordering of NATO’s military structures which are designed, in a
measured way, to respond to Russian assertiveness. Some 650 German
soldiers are stationed in Lithuania, leading a multinational “tripwire” force
which would be in the front line of any Russian incursion. The Bundeswehr
and its two armoured divisions are taking shape as the linchpin of a new
European defence order, with Dutch, Czech and Romanian units under
German command. That, at least, is the theory. But as memories of the
cold war fade, the willingness of German citizens to pay for their own
defence, let alone anybody else’s, seems ever diminishing.
Why Germany Needs a Better Army – The Economist

Taking due consideration of the above text, write a 400-450 words text
on Germany’s role in the current international order.