NOUN AND ARTICLE USAGE

Key Points:
1. What is Noun?
2. Lists of Nouns
3. Countability of the Noun: Countable and Uncountable (count and non-count)
4. Definition of article
5. Types of article: Definite and Indefinite
6. General rules of using articles
7. Rules of using Definite and Indefinite articles (how and when to use it)
8. Articles with Noun
9. Zero article (omission of articles)
10. Exercise

1. What is Noun?
A noun is a word that represents a person, place, or thing. Everything we can see or talk
about is represented by a word. That word is called a "noun." You might find it useful to
think of a noun as a "naming word."

Often a noun is the name for something we can touch (e.g., "lion," "cake," "computer"), but
sometimes a noun names something we cannot touch (e.g., "bravery," "mile," "joy").

2. List of Nouns
The following list of nouns should help you understand nouns a little better.
Remember that nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas.
Nouns can be classified according to what they refer to.

• Nouns that are really names are called proper nouns. Proper nouns usually refer to a
particular named person or thing.

They include:
• the names of specific people.
Anna Dickinson John Lennon
Lucy White Mrs Merton

• geographical items.
Spain Mount Everest
China England
The Thames Paris
Covent Garden Balcombe Road

• days of the week, months, and annual Church festivals.

Thursday June
Christmas Easter
 • patented goods and trade names.
Hoover Persil
Jaguar Samsung

• newspaper and magazine titles.

The Times Vogue
The New Scientist Time Out
• shop, cinema and theatre names, buildings.
The Odeon New Look
The Royal Mews Nationwide

• titles (the polite or professional labels that we give to people).

Doctor JohnsonSir George Hardie
Professor James President Hollande

A person’s title is usually placed before his or her name. Proper nouns and titles are always
written with an initial capital letter.

• All the other nouns that refer to things or species are called common nouns.
I put the tennis balls in that basket there.
My brother and sister visited my mother.
The anger that John felt was overwhelming.

>> Common nouns can be divided into the following groups, according to their meaning:

 Abstract nouns. These refer to intangible items.

honesty anger
idea time
ugliness behavior

 Concrete nouns. These refer to tangible items.

pig granite
table butcher
brother sugar
A concrete noun may refer to a living thing (animate nouns) or a physical object
(inanimate nouns).

 Collective nouns. These refer to collections of people or animals.

a herd of cows
a swarm of bees

Nouns may also be classified according to the words with which they are used, that is:
a. whether or not the noun gives us information about singular and plural number.
b. the other words that can be used in the same noun phrase.
This gives us a useful distinction between countable nouns and uncountable nouns.

 Countable nouns refer to things that we can count: one cat, two cats, seventeen cats,
and so on. They have singular and plural forms, which are shown by the spelling.
They must be used with a determiner if they are singular.
Dogs ran wild in the streets.
The dog is loose again.
Fetch a chair for Maddy, will you?
We’ve bought six new chairs.

 Uncountable nouns refer to:

a. things that are not normally thought of as countable.
John asked me for some advice.
Anna gave us some more information about her work.
Homework occupied much of Sonia’s evening.

b. qualities or abstract ideas.

Our knowledge of outer space is increasing daily.
Trevor gave evidence at the trial.
Anger is a normal human emotion.

 Uncountable nouns do not usually have a plural form. They are followed by a
singular verb. They are not normally used with the indefinite article. (You cannot
talk about ‘an advice’ or ‘a money’.) When it is necessary to think of an item as
countable it has to be used with a partitive noun.
• He bought seven sheets of cardboard.
• Let me give you a piece of advice.

Some examples of the commonest uncountable nouns are: advice, anger, beauty,
behaviour, conduct, despair, evidence, furniture, happiness, homework, information, safety,
knowledge, leisure, money, news, progress, research.

 Verbal nouns (Verbal nouns), which are formed from the present participle of verbs,
can also be used as uncountable nouns.
• Why don’t you try walking to work?
• Brian was told to stop smoking.
• The ringing in his ears continued.

Note that nouns that are uncountable in English may be countable in other languages.

 Mass nouns
These are nouns that refer to a substance that can be divided or measured but not
counted, e.g. sugar, water. They do not usually have an indefinite article in front.
• Meat is usually more expensive than cheese.
• Sugar is quite cheap.
 Mass nouns only take a plural in special cases. They can be counted when they refer
to:
a. a particular type or types of the substance.
• There was a buffet of bread and rolls, cheese, cold meats and tea or coffee.
• Ros brought out a tempting selection of French cheeses.
• The principal sugars are glucose, sucrose, and fructose.

b. a serving of the substance.

• Two teas, please.
• He went up to the bar and ordered two lagers.

c. Mass nouns are often used together with a partitive noun.

• There are only two pieces of furniture in the room.
• There are three portions of meat in this special pack.
• Five pints of lager, please.

 Partitive nouns
Partitive nouns are commonly followed by of. They are used when we need to talk
about a part of a mass noun or when we need to count the quantity of something that is
referred to by an uncountable noun or a mass noun, especially when it is necessary to talk
about:
a. measurements and quantities with mass nouns.
three pieces of toast a slice of cheese
a bit of fluff two spoonfuls of sugar

b. individual items with uncountable nouns.

• Two pieces of furniture needed major repairs.
• We needed several lengths of string.

c. a collection of countable nouns.

• The road was blocked by a flock of sheep.
• He has a small herd of dairy cows.
• There was a crowd of football supporters on the bus.
• A couple of cats were fighting.

Many collective nouns can be used as partitive nouns.

 Nouns that have both countable and uncountable uses

Most nouns are either countable nouns or uncountable nouns. Some nouns, however,
behave like countable nouns in some sentences and uncountable nouns in other sentences.
They usually have different meanings depending on how they are used.

For example time, light, history, space, laugh, and grocery have more than one
meaning.
• Time passed slowly.
• She did it four times.
 • Light travels faster than sound.
• The lights in this room are too bright.
• The rocket was launched into space.
• There are plenty of empty spaces on the shelves.

Some nouns that are countable nouns in other languages are used only as
uncountable nouns in English, e.g. information, advice.
• He received all the necessary information.
• I don’t need your help.

Some nouns are used only in the plural form, even when we are talking about one
item, e.g. trousers, clothes, jeans. We can use a partitive noun with of when referring to a
single item.
• These trousers need cleaning.
• Put the scissors back when you have finished with them.
• I need a pair of pliers.
• Liz gathered up a bundle of clothes.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Before you look at the list, I'd like to point out that each noun fits into more than one
of the categories below. For example, the word train is a common, concrete, countable,
singular noun.

List of Nouns
 Common Nouns name people, places, or things that are not specific. They are not
capitalized unless they are in a place in the sentence that requires a capital letter
(such as the first word in a sentence). man, mountain, state, ocean, country, building,
cat, airline
 Proper Nouns name specific people, places, or things. They begin with a capital
letter. Walt Disney, Mount Kilimanjaro, Minnesota, Atlantic Ocean, Australia, Empire
State Building, Fluffy, Sun Country
 Concrete Nouns name nouns that you can perceive with your five senses. (Your five
senses are the sense of sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch.) house, ocean, Uncle
Mike, bird, photograph, banana, eyes, light, sun, dog, suitcase, flowers
 Abstract Nouns name nouns that you can't perceive with your five senses. love,
wealth, happiness, pride, fear, religion, belief, history, communication
 Countable Nouns name nouns that you can count. These kinds of nouns can be
singular or plural. bed, cat, movie, train, country, book, phone, match, speaker, clock,
pen, David, violin
 Uncountable Nouns name nouns that you can't count. These kinds of nouns can't be
made plural. milk, rice, snow, rain, water, food, music, luggage
 Compound Nouns are made up of two or more words. These words may have no
space between them (closed compounds), a space between them (open
 compounds), or a hyphen between them (hyphenated compounds). tablecloth,
eyeglasses, New York, photograph, daughter-in-law, pigtails, sunlight, snowflake.
Sometimes two or three nouns appear together, or even with other parts of speech,
and create idiomatic compound nouns. Idiomatic means that those nouns behave as
a unit and, to a lesser or greater degree, amount to more than the sum of their parts.
Example: six-pack, five-year-old, and son-in-law, snowball, mailbox, etc.
 Collective Nouns refer to things or people as a unit. You may treat these as singular
nouns or plural nouns depending on what aspect of the noun you want to highlight.
bunch, audience, flock, team, group, family, band, village
 Singular Nouns name one person, place, thing, or idea. cat, sock, ship, hero, monkey,
baby, match
 Plural Nouns name more than one person, place, thing, or idea. They end with the
letter -s. cats, socks, ships, heroes, monkeys, babies, matches
 Possessive Nouns show ownership, and we use apostrophes to create them. (They
are strange because they actually function as adjectives!) Mom's car, Beth's cat, the
student's book

Seeing a list of nouns is a great way to learn what nouns are, but sentence diagramming
can teach you what nouns do. Did you know that nouns perform many different jobs in our
sentences? Below, you'll find sentence diagrams for seven of the noun jobs.
Are you wondering what a sentence diagram is? Sentence diagramming is a visual
way to show how the words in a sentence are related to each other. Since nouns can do
many things in a sentence, the way they are diagrammed depends on the way that they are
acting in each sentence.

1. Nouns can be subjects.

Subjects tell us whom or what a sentence is about. Every sentence needs a subject. 
 The students happily studied grammar.

The noun students is in the subject slot of our sentence diagram.

2. Nouns can be direct objects.

Direct objects receive the action of transitive active verbs.
  
The students happily studied grammar.
The noun grammar is in the direct object slot of our sentence diagram.

3. Nouns can be indirect objects.

Indirect objects tell us to whom or for whom the action of the verb is done. 
 They taught their friends grammar.

The noun friends is in the indirect object slot of the sentence diagram.

4. Nouns can be objects of prepositions.

Objects of prepositions are nouns that come after prepositions in prepositional
phrases.
 Their friends smiled with glee.

The noun glee is in the object of the preposition slot in the sentence diagram.

5. Nouns can be predicate nouns.

Predicate nouns are nouns that come after linking verbs. They rename the subject of
the sentence.
 They were grammar champions!

The noun champions is in the predicate noun slot of the sentence diagram.
 6. Nouns can be objective complements. 
Objective complements are nouns that complete the direct object.
They elected my uncle mayor.

The noun mayor is in the objective complement slot of the sentence diagram.

7. Nouns can be appositives.

Appositives are nouns that rename other nouns.
My friend Marianne likes cupcakes.

We diagram appositives in parentheses after the noun that the appositive is

renaming. Since the noun Marianne is renaming the subject friend, it's in the subject slot of
the sentence diagram. 

Functions of Nouns

Nouns can be used as a subject, a direct object, and an indirect object of a verb; as an
object of a preposition; and as an adverb or adjective in sentences. Nouns can also show
possession.

Subject: The company is doing great. Roses are the flowers of love.

Direct object: I finally bought a new mobile.

Indirect object: Max gave Carol another chocolate.

Object of preposition: Roses are the flowers of love.

Adverb: The train leaves today.

Adjective: The office building faces the mall.

Possession: The lion’s cage is dangerous. My brother’s daughter is adorable.

Common problems with count and uncount nouns

 Substances as count or uncount nouns?
 Substances are usually uncount nouns:
Would you like some cheese?
Coffee keeps me awake at night.
Wine makes me sleepy.

but they can also be used as count nouns:

I'd like a coffee, please. = I'd like a [cup of] coffee.

May I have a white wine? = May I have a [glass of] white wine?
They sell a lot of coffees. = They sell a lot of [different kinds of] coffee.
I prefer white wines to red. = I prefer [different kinds of] white wine to red.
They had over twenty cheeses. = They had over twenty [types of] cheese.
This is an excellent soft cheese. = This [kind of] soft cheese is excellent.

 Nouns with both a count and an uncount form

Some nouns have both a count and an uncount form. Their meanings are closely
related:
George had hopes of promotion.
We should always have hope.
There's a danger of avalanches on the mountain.
Some people enjoy danger.

 Nouns with two meanings

Some nouns have two meanings, one count and the other uncount:
Can I have a glass of water?
I cut myself on some glass.
Is English a difficult language?
Linguistics is the study of language.
The Times is an excellent paper.
It's made of paper.

Other nouns like this are:

business industry property wood
power time work hair

 Uncount nouns that end in –s

Some uncount nouns end in –s. They look like plural count nouns, but they are not.
Nouns like this generally refer to:
a. Subjects of study: mathematics, physics, economics, etc.
b. Activities: gymnastics, athletics, etc.
c. Games: cards, darts, billiards, etc.
d. Diseases: mumps, measles, rabies, etc.

Why Should I Care about Nouns?

Most native English speakers can form noun phrases and noun clauses without giving
the grammar a second thought. So, if the truth be told, understanding how they function
isn't particularly useful unless you're required to teach them or to compare them with
similar structures in a foreign language you're learning.

That said, here are three common issues associated with nouns.

(Issue 1) Only use capital letter with a proper noun.

Don't give a common noun (e.g., "dog," "brochure," "mountain") a capital letter just
because it's an important word in your sentence. Only proper nouns (e.g., "Dexter," "The
Summer Brochure," "Ben Nevis") get capital letters.

>>Read the Instructions carefully. ("Instructions" is a common noun. It doesn't get a capital
letter.)

(Issue 2) Treat a collective noun as singular, but go plural if the context dictates.
It is normal to treat a collective noun as singular. However, if the context highlights
the individuals in the group, you can treat a collective noun as plural.

The group arrives before the audience.

(Here, the verb is "arrives" not "arrive" because "group" is treated as singular.)

The group were out of time.

(Here, the verb is "were" not "was" because "group" is treated as plural. This might be
preferable if the context puts the focus on the group's individuals.)

To avoid making a decision on whether to go singular or plural, add a term like

"members of" and force the plural.
The members of the group were out of time.
(The word "members" becomes the head noun of the new noun phrase.)

(Issue 3) When a noun phrase is the subject of a verb, ensure subject-verb

agreement with the head noun.
The Spitfire's 9-yard belt of bullets give us the term "the full nine yards."
(The head noun in this noun phrase is "belt." All the other words in the noun phrase
are modifiers. As "belt" is singular, the verb "give" is wrong. It should be "gives.")
Do not be tricked into agreeing the verb with the nearest noun (here, "bullets").

When a noun phrase is the subject of a verb, the head noun governs the verb.

3. Countability of the Noun: Countable and Uncountable (Count and Non-count)

Countability means that the noun can be made plural, e.g. book/books. This is
something you can check in a learner’s dictionary of English. Generally, a noun may be a
person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns are also classified as either count nouns or non-count
nouns. It is important to understand this classification in order to appropriately describe
(or modify) nouns within sentences.
 a. Count Nouns
A noun is considered to be countable, or a count noun, when it is possible to
literally count how many of the noun exists and a quantifying number may be assigned to
that noun.
Count nouns may be:
 Names of persons, animals, plants, insects, and their parts: a girl or 5 girls; a bird or
2 birds; a tree or 3 trees; a bug or 10 bugs; a leg or 4 legs.
 Objects with a definite shape: a computer or 2 computers; a ball or 6 balls; a car or 3
cars.
 Units of measurement: a pound or 2 pounds; an ounce or 5 ounces.
 Words of classification: a phrase or 3 phrases; a word or 6 words.
 Some abstract words: an idea or 2 ideas; a plan or 3 plans.
Examples:
“There are twenty chairs in the classroom.”
The noun “chair” is countable because you are able to count how many chairs are in
a classroom.
“There are twenty-four hours in a day.”
The noun “hour” is countable because you are able to count how many hours are in
a day.
To check if the noun is a Count Noun, ask yourself:
 Can the noun be counted or quantified by a number?
Ex. Noun: “Study” Answer: Yes! “Two studies were conducted.”
 Does the noun have both a singular and plural form?
Ex. Noun: “Flower” Answer: Yes! “Flower” is singular and “Flowers” is plural.
 Can the word “many” be used before the noun to modify it?
Ex. Noun: “Cup” Answer: Yes! “Many cups of sugar were used to make the cake.”
 Can the word “one” or the articles “a” or “an” be used to modify the noun?
Ex. Noun: “Pig” Answer: Yes! “One pig was rolling in the mud.” OR “A pig was rolling
in the mud.”
If you answer yes to these questions, then the noun is a Count Noun!

b. Non-Count Nouns
A noun is considered to be uncountable, or a mass noun, when it is impossible to use a
number to represent how many of the noun exists. Instead, a mass noun is quantified by
using a word that signifies an amount (e.g., cup, pound, foot), which is then followed by the
preposition “of” prior to the mass noun.

Non-count nouns may be:

 Materials, food, metals, and natural qualities: wood, bread, iron.
  Names of liquids, gases, and substances made of many small particles: oil, coffee,
oxygen, sugar, salt, cement, gravel.
 Names of languages: English, Spanish, Latin, French, Sanskrit, Chinese.
 Most gerunds: looking, burning, swimming, running.
Gerunds are “–ing” words that look like verbs, but are used as nouns in sentences.
Examples:
 The noun “wood” is uncountable because a number cannot be used to represent
how much wood was split and stacked.
Incorrect: “50 woods were split and stacked for the wood stove.”
Correct: “A cord of wood was split and stacked for the wood stove.”
 The noun “food” is uncountable because a number cannot be used to represent how
much food was donated.
Incorrect: “There were 100 foods donated for a local charity event.”
Correct: “There were several pounds of food donated for a local charity event.”
 The noun “cement” is uncountable because a number cannot be used to represent
how much cement was used to make a side walk.
Incorrect: “Twenty cements were used to make the side walk.”
Correct: “A bag of cement was used to make the side walk.”

To check if the noun is a Non-count Noun, ask yourself:

 Does a word signifying an amount need to be used to modify the noun?
Ex. Noun: “Flour” Answer: Yes! “A cup of flour was used in the recipe.”
 Does the word “of” need to be used before the noun in order to modify it?
Ex. Noun: “Coffee” Answer: Yes! “I usually drink a cup of coffee in the morning.”
 Does the noun have only a singular form?
Ex. Noun: “Smoke” Answer: Yes! “Smoke” is singular and does not have a plural
form.
If you answer yes to these questions, then the noun is a Non-count Noun!

4. Definition of Article
Articles ("a," "an," and "the") are determiners or noun markers that function to
specify if the noun is general or specific in its reference. Articles can also be viewed as
words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. In other word, article is able to identify
and, sometimes, modifies noun. It appears before the noun it accompanies and acts as
adjective because it describes the nouns that it precedes.

5. Types of article: Definite and Indefinite

Definite = Specific = The
 It's used when the speaker talks about a specific object that both the person speaking
and the listener know: The car over there is fast; The president of the United States is
giving a speech tonight.

Indefinite = General = A / An
The article a / an is used when we don't specify the things or people we are talking
about: I met a friend; I work in a factory in New York; I borrowed a pencil from a passenger
sitting next to me.

When we speak of something or someone for the first time we use a or an, the next
time we repeat that object we use the definite article the.
 I live in a house. The house is quite old and has four bedrooms.
 I ate in a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant was very good

6. General rules of using article

a. Place the article before the noun.
e.g., the house, the cat, a dog, a book
b. Place the article before the adjective when the noun is modified by an
adjective.
e.g., the purple house, the black cat, a white dog, an open book < Correct
the house purple or a dog white < Incorrect
c. Do not add an article when the noun has a possessive pronoun ( my, his, her,
our, their) or a demonstrative pronoun (this, that).
e.g., my house, her book, that house, this book < Correct
the my house or the this book < Incorrect

7. Rules of using Definite and Indefinite articles (how and when to use it)
a. Indefinite Article
>> Measurements and rates also take the indefinite article: Three times a
week

>> A and an are indefinite articles and are used to indicate a single item.
- Think of a and an as meaning any or one among many.
e.g., a book (any book) a dog (any dog) a cat (one cat) a house (one among many
houses)
> Take a pencil. (Take one pencil.)
> I won a hundred dollars. (I won one hundred dollars.)

>> Do not use a or an with a plural noun.

- Think of a plural, indefinite noun as meaning all.
 e.g., Students should study hard. (All students should study hard.)
> Incorrect: “They talked about a good restaurants.”
> Correct, Unspecific reference: “They talked about a good restaurant to visit.”
> Correct, Specific reference: “The talked about the good Italian restaurant on
Main Street.”

>>Use a as an unspecific reference before a consonant.

> He likes to read a book. (She likes to read any book, not a specific one.)
> That was a funny story. (That was one of many funny stories.)

>>Use a when the word following it starts with a consonant sound.

 a book, a hospital, a leg, a one-inch pipe, a youth
 “Riding a bike is one way to exercise and have fun at the same time.”
“Bike” is the noun in this sentence and starts with a consonant sound.
 “A ukulele looks like a small guitar.”
“Ukulele” is the noun in this sentence and starts with a consonant sound.
Note: The “you” sound in “ukulele” is considered as a consonant sound.
 “According to folklore, gold is found at the end of a rainbow.”
“Rainbow” is the noun in this sentence and starts with a consonant sound.

>> Use an as an unspecific reference before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).

 an apple, an opera, an eagle, an idea, an SOS (the s here is an es sound)

>> Words that begin with u or h can have either a vowel or a consonant
sound.
Make the choice based on the sound of the first word after the article, even if that
word is not the noun.
 a union, a uniform (use a when the u sounds like the y in you)
'university' starts with the vowel 'u', it is not pronounced as such. It is pronounced
as a consonant sound /ju:.niv3:.si.ti/
 an unbelievable event, an umbrella, a unique umbrella
 Use an when h is not sounded: an honor, an hour, an honest person
 a hotel, a history book, a historian
 an historian, an historic event (NOTE: words like historic can take either a or
an)
 Use a before a sounded h, a long u, and o with the sound of w. e.g., a hat, a
house, a union, a uniform, a one-hour appointment

b. Definite Article
 The definite article the is used when the noun is either singular or plural, and has
already been identified. Ask yourself:
“Is the noun I want to use referring to a noun specifically mentioned or described
previously in my paper?” If the answer is yes, then use the.
OR
“Am I using the noun in a general sense? If the answer is yes, then use a or an.

Example: “Will and Bradley went pumpkin picking in early October. Just before Halloween,
they decided to make pumpkin pie out of the pumpkins.”
In this sentence, the noun is “pumpkins.” The definite article the is used because the reader
knows Will and Bradley are making pumpkin pie out of the pumpkins they picked when
they went pumpkin picking. These are specific pumpkins, not just any pumpkins.
On the other hand, when using a more general use of the noun “pumpkin,” use the article a
Example: “Everyone at the party made a dish to pass for either dinner or dessert. Tori made
a pumpkin pie to share for dessert.”
In this example, the noun “pumpkin” is used in a general sense. The indefinite article a is
used because “pumpkin” is not a specific pumpkin and begins with a consonant sound, not
a vowel sound.

>> Use the with both singular and plural definite nouns.
e.g., the house, the houses, the business, the businesses

>> Use the to identify things, places, ideas, or persons that represent a specific
or definite group or category
(to identify specific or definite nouns: nouns that represent things, places,
ideas, or persons that can be identified specifically)
e.g., The students in Professor Smith’s class should study harder.
The automobile revolutionized travel and industry. (the automobile identifies a
specific category of transportation)

Exception to the rule: Use the definite article the when referring to geographical locations.
Examples: “I spent my entire winter break in the Caribbean.”
“My favorite place to camp is in the Adirondacks.”

Example proving both the rule and the exception:

“Niagara Falls is a popular tourist spot located in the Northeast.”
“Niagara Falls” is a singular proper noun referring to a specific place and therefore does not
need an article, but the definite article is needed in the sentence when referring to the
geographical location of the tourist spot.
Most proper nouns do not use an article. However, some do.
 A proper noun names unique person, place, or thing (New York City, Walt
Disney, The United States of America)
Correct: “I went to New York City.”
Incorrect: “I went to the New York City.”

 An exception is the proper nouns with “of” as part of the name:

the Fourth of July
the University of Virginia
the United States of America
the President of Mexico
the Statue of Liberty

 Plural proper nouns use the:

the Chicago Bulls
the Johnsons
the Blue Ridge Mountains

 A proper noun that names a group (a collective noun) also uses the:
the Commonwealth of Virginia
the United Arab Emirates
the Society of Friends

 Some geographical features use the:

the Gobi Desert
the Atlantic Ocean
the Pyramids
the Amazon

 But other geographical features do not use the:

Lake Superior
Albemarle County
Route 29
Mount Vesuvius

>> Use the as a specific reference to a common noun or something that is one of
a kind.
 Give me the book on the table. (Identifies a specific book)
 The sun rose at seven o'clock. (Identifies something that is one of a kind)
 >> Use a or an to introduce a noun the first time it is mentioned, and then the is
used afterwards whenever the noun is mentioned.
> I bought a sandwich for lunch. I shared the sandwich with my friend
> I bought a book last week. The book is about trees. (You have just mentioned the
book, so you both know which one.)
 We went to a wedding yesterday. The bride wore a lovely dress.
(You have not mentioned the bride before, but you both know she is connected to the
wedding.)
 “Cat scratches may lead to a skin infection or even Cat Scratch Fever.”
The phrase “cat scratches” is made up of two nouns that are used to refer to a general
category and therefore does not need an article.
 “We went to the mall to buy clothes.”
The noun “clothes” is used in the sentence as a general category and does not require an
article before it. On the other hand, the noun “mall” is used to denote a specific place, and
therefore the is required in the sentence.

>> Some things are taken to be common knowledge in English and therefore
take the definite article:
Decades – He was born in the 1920s.
Currencies –The dollar is getting stronger against the pound.
Superlatives and ordinals – The second book in the series is the best.
Oceans, seas and many rivers –The Nile flows into the Mediterranean.
Plural or ‘united’ countries – The Maldives are much smaller than the United
States of America.
Adjectives used as nouns – The poor will always be a challenge for the rich in any
country.
Many organizations –The World Health Organization has a detailed definition of
health.
A scientific categorization – The zebra is native to Africa.
A symbol – The Merlion is a symbol of Singapore.
Unique people, places or things – The prime minister said she would call a
conference on changes affecting the earth’s climate
Unique adjectives – The same people always take the only parking spaces available.
Other word patterns which take ‘the’:
Specific nouns modified by a relative clause – The paintings (which are) in the
gallery
Specific nouns followed by ‘of’. This is a very common pattern - The use of this
procedure
Plural nouns preceded by ‘of’ – e.g. Some of the paintings were interesting.
 Common error: You cannot write most of paintings or none of paintings.
It is either most of the paintings (definite) or most paintings (general).
Most of the paintings in the exhibition were landscapes.
(definite – we know which specific paintings – they are in the exhibition)
Most paintings nowadays (general – not specific paintings)

8. Articles with Noun

It is often difficult to decide whether an English noun needs an article before it, and, if
so, which article (a/an/the) to use. The main things to consider when choosing an article
are whether or not the noun is countable, and whether it is definite. Countability means
that the noun can be made plural, e.g. book/books. This is something you can check in a
learner’s dictionary of English. Whether a noun is definite or indefinite depends on
whether you and your reader or listener both know what you are referring to.

When you have to decide whether to use an article, and which article to use, consider
this chart:
 I bought a book – book is a singular, countable noun; therefore it has to have an
article. Your reader does not know which book you are referring to, therefore it is
‘indefinite’.
The book I bought is interesting - book is again a singular, countable noun; therefore it
has to have an article. In this case, we know which book you are referring to (the book you
bought), so it takes a definite article.
I like the books you gave me – books is a plural noun. It is used in a definite sense (we
know which books – the books you gave me), so it takes a definite article.
I like books – books is a plural noun. It is used about books generally, not specific
books, so it takes no article.
Blood is thicker than water – blood and water are singular, uncountable nouns. They
are used in a general sense, therefore they do not need an article.
I bought two books – you do not need an article, because you already have the word
two.
I bought some books – you do not need an article, because you already have the word
some.
How do you know whether you need an article and which article to use?
A single, countable noun must have an article if there is no other number, determiner
or possessive (e.g. two, our, this). If the noun is plural, an article may not be necessary. Look
first at your noun:
our house – you do not need an article, because you already have the possessive our.
this year – you do not need an article, because you already have the determiner this.
car – you need an article, because this is a singular countable noun with no
determiner already.
trees – you may need an article, depending on whether the noun is definite or not.

For example:
Trees are usually green – no article is needed, because you are talking generally and
the noun is not definite, i.e. you are not talking about specific trees.
The trees in the park are green – the article is needed because you have specified
which trees you are talking about.
 The can be used with uncountable nouns, or the article can be dropped entirely as
mentioned above.
1. "The two countries reached the peace after a long disastrous war" (some specific
peace treaty) or "The two countries reached peace after a long disastrous war" (any peace).

2. "He drank the water" (some specific water- for example, the water his wife brought
him from the kitchen) or "He drank water." (any water)

It is unusual to use a/an for uncountable nouns. You can't say "I'd like a milk"
a/an can be used only with countable nouns.
1. I'd like a piece of cake.
2. I lent him a book.
3. I drank a cup of tea

9. Zero Article (article omission)

1. Do not use an article with countries, states, counties or provinces, lakes and
mountains except when the country is a collection of states such as "The United
States".
> He lives in Washington near Mount Rainier.
> They live in Northern British Columbia.
> They climbed Mount Everest.
2. We do not normally use an article with plurals and uncountable nouns to talk
about things in general.:
We do not need an article if a noun is plural or uncountable and it is not definite.
> Women generally live longer than men.
> Articles are difficult to use.
> Paint is hard to remove.
> He writes books.
> She likes sweets.
> Do you like jazz music?
> She ate bread with butter in the morning

Exercises

1. Grammar Exercise - Definite and Indefinite Articles

Do the exercise below on definite and indefinite articles

Choose the correct definite or indefinite article: "the", "a", "an" or "x" (zero article).
1. I bought … pair of shoes.
2. I saw … movie last night.
3. They are staying at… hotel.
4. Look at… woman over there! She is a famous actress.
5. I do not like … basketball.
6. That is … girl I told you about.
7. …. night is quiet. Let's take a walk!
8. … price of gas keeps rising.
9. John traveled to … Mexico.
10. Juan is … Spanish.
11. I read … amazing story yesterday.
12. My brother doesn't eat … chicken.
13. … love is such beautiful thing.
14. I live in apartment. … apartment is new.
15. I would like …. piece of cake.
16. I was in … Japanese restaurant. …. restaurant served good food.
17. Sara can play …. guitar

2. Grammar Exercise - Definite Article Zero Article

Definite article (the) or zero article (X)

1. Did you get married after leaving …. university ?

2. I was at …. train station when you called me.

3. I left … work at six o'clock pm.

4. They are opening … new shops here.

5. She was returning from … school when I met her.

6. She has a strong alibi. She was at … cinema at the moment the crime was committed.

7. Are you going to …. beach this afternoon?

8. He went to …. prison for domestic violence.

9. The kids are sitting at …. table eating cereals.

10. Are you at … home?

3. Try this exercise, putting a/an/the in the blanks. If there should be no article, then
place a (*) in the blank. The answers and explanations follow.
 Mr. Coleman was (1) ___ very fastidious person. He lived three (2) ___ streets away
from us, in (3) ___ small house with (4) ___ beautiful garden. Having taken early retirement
from his (5) ___ job as (6) ___ button counter, he now had plenty of time to worry, and this
he did very successfully. He often spent sleepless nights trying to figure out how he could
successfully cook both sides of (7) ___ omelette without it breaking, or how he might
achieve better access to (8) ___ tins at (9) ___ back of his cupboard. (10) ___ most of his home
was exceptionally neat and tidy, but several loose cables behind (11) ___ television set
bothered him, and he never quite knew what to do with (12) ___ empty plastic bags.
Then, one day, his life changed, and he began to experience some relief from his
anguish. It seemed that other people underwent similar mental trials, for (13) ___ new
catalogue appeared on his doorstep. (14) ___ catalogue contained solutions for many of his
problems, and for others which had not yet given him any cause for concern. There was
(15) ___ set of three egg timers, for example, shaped like (16) ___ chickens and designed to
emit (17) ___ clucking sound at (18) ___ end of three, four and five minutes respectively. In
this way he could cook (19) ___ eggs to suit each of his friends individually, and then keep
them warm with (20) ___ specially designed covers which went with the timer, marked ‘3’,
‘4’ and ‘5’ for identification purposes. And (21) ___ catalogue contained many other
wonderful ideas, such as (22) ___ toaster which could be adjusted to produce different
degrees of brownness on (23) ___ four slices toasted simultaneously, and (24) ___ photo
frame that rotated pictures at (25) ___ touch of (26) ___ invisible button, so that visiting
relatives would never be offended by not seeing their pictures on display, unless, of course,
they all turned up together – Mr Coleman eventually solved this problem too by ordering
four frames.
(Adapted from Haisley, J 2008, The Good Samaritan, Ginninderra Press, Adelaide)

4. Directions: Fill in the blank with the appropriate article, a , an, or the , or leave the
space blank if no article is needed.

1. I want ____ apple from that basket.

2. ____ church on the corner is progressive.

3. Miss Lin speaks ____ Chinese.

4. I borrowed ____ pencil from your pile of pencils and pens.

5. One of the students said, "____ professor is late today."

6 Eli likes to play ____ volleyball.

7. I bought ____ umbrella to go out in the rain.

8. My daughter is learning to play ____ violin at her school.

9. Please give me ____ cake that is on the counter.

10. I lived on ____ Main Street when I first came to town.

11. Albany is the capital of ____ New York State.

12. My husband's family speaks ____ Polish.

13. ____ apple a day keeps the doctor away.

14. ____ ink in my pen is red.

15. Our neighbors have ____ cat and ____ dog.