__PRACTICE WITH ARTICLES AND DEMONSTRATIVES ‘Ask yourself these questions when checking ticles ("a;" “an,” “the”) and emonstratives (“this “these.” “that.” “those”. 4. Is the indefinite article (*a” or “an") used correctly? (A) “A™ is used before a consonant sound, and “an” is used before a vowel sound. (B) The Fetter “u” can have a consonant or vowel sound. a university BUT an umbrella (C) The letter “h” 6 sometimes mnt pronounced hore pur an hour 2. Should an indefinite article be used? se “a” or “an™ (A) before singular count nouns when the noun is mentioned for the first time I see a house. (B) when the singular form is used to make a general statement about all people ‘or things of that type (see item 3B on puge 166), A-concert pianist spends many hours practicing. (All concert pianists spend ‘many hours practicing.) (C) in expressions of price, speed, and ratio, 60 miles am hour four times a day “A” or “an” are not used (D) tefore plural nouns. Flowers were growing along the riverbank, (B) before noncount nouns, I wanted advice. 3. Should the definite article (“the”) be used? “The” is used (A) before a noun that has already been mentioned. I saw a man. The man was wearing a hat. or when it is clear in the situation which thing or person is referred to. The books on the shelf are first editions. I went to the bank. (a particular bank) (B) before a singular noun that refers to a species or group. ‘The tiger lives in Asia. (Tigers, as a species, live in Asia.) (©) before adjectives used as nouns. The children collected money to donate to the institution for the deaf, (the deat” = deaf people)(D) when there is only one of something. ‘The sun shone down on the earth. ‘This is the best horse in the race. (B) before a body part in a prepositional phrase that belongs to the object, in the sentence, Someone hit me on tl ora body part in a prepositional phrase that belongs to the subject of a passive sentence, 1 was hit on the head, (“I" is the subject of the passive sentence, Therefore, itis my head that was hit) Note: A possessive adjective, rather than the article “the,” is usually used with body parts head, ("Me” isthe object. Thus, it is my head that was hit.) hit my head. CT" is neither the object of this sentenee nor the subject of a passive sentence. ‘Therefore, a possessive adjective is used.) (F) Some proper names use “the”; others do not. “The" is usually used with canals, deserts, forests, oceans, rivers, seas, and plurat islands, lakes, and mountains. the Suez Canal the Black Forest the Hawaiian Islands the Atlantic Ocean “The ig not usually used with planets and singuiar islands, lakes, mountains, and parks. Mars (Central Park Lake Michigan Venus Fiji Island ‘Mount Rushmore (G) “The” is usually used when the name of a country or state includes the word “of,” the type of government, or a plural form, the Republic of Ireland the United Kingdom the Philippi (H) “The” is not usually used with the names of other countries and states. Japan Brazil Germany the names of continents. Arica Asia Europe the names of cities Chicago Mexico City Hong Keng 4. Which article, if any, should be used? (A) The expression “a number of” means “several” or “many” and takes a plural verb, ‘The expression “the number of” refers to the group and takes a singular verb, A large number of tourists get lost because of that sign. The number of lost tourists fas inereased recently. (B) The following nouns do not always take an article: prison school college church bed home court jail sea Look at how the meaning changesExample bed No article: Jack went to bed. of sleep.) Jack went to sleep. “Bed” refers to the general idea With “ihe”: Tack went to the bed. (Jack walked over to a particular bed. The bed is referred to as a specific object. He may or may not have lain down and gone to sleep.) Wah “a”: Jack bought a bed. (ack purchased an object called a bed.) (C) Alficles are not used with possessive adjectives (“my.” “your,” ete.); possessive Pronouns (mine,* “yours,” etc.); or demonstratives (“this “that.” “these.” and “those") This is my coat, Where’s yours? That watch is broken, Note: In the following question, the demonstrative “this” is not used as part of the noun phrase “the book.” Is this the book you wanted’? “This” is the subject of the sentence. “The book” is the complement of the sentence, ‘They are beside each other because of the subjectiauxiliary inversion in the question form, They are not used together as a single phrase (see item | on page 207). (D) Noncount nouns are used without an article to refer to something in general, ‘Sometimes an article is used to show a specific meaning. People all over the world want peace. (= peace in general) ‘The peace was broken by a group of passing children. (“The peace” refers to peace at a specific time and place.) ‘The imparting of knowledge was the job of the elders in the community, rnowledge in general) Ihave a knowledge of computers. specific type of knowledge) 5. Are the demonstratives (“this,” “that,” “these,” and “those”) used correctly? (A) The demonstrative adjectives and pronouns are for objects near the speaker, this (singular) these (plural) and for objects far away from the speaker. that (singular) those (plural) (B) Demonstratives are the only adjectives that agree in number with their nouns. ‘That hat is nive. ‘Those hats are nice. (C) When there is the idea of selection, the pronoun “one” (or “ones") often follows the demonstrative. A want a book. I'll get this (one). If the demonstrative is Followed by an adjective, “one” (or “ones") must be used. I want a book. I'll got this big one.Exercise S6 Exorcise $7 Identifying the need for articles Write the comect article ("a." “an.* or the"). If no anicie is neoded, write @. Example An advanced free-trade vone is currently under development inthe United Arab Emirates You should write“ of government, the blank because the name ofthe country includes its type |. The Babylonians were the rst to divide a day into twenty-four hours, sixty minutes, anda minute into sixty seconds hour into (Of the approximately twenty thousand mecoorites discovered on Earth, only thirteen have been identified as originating from —__ Murs. 3. In many countries there is an ongoing debate about whether, and in what way, early childhood education can prepare childen for school. 4, Robin Hood supposedly stole from __rich 5 tuntold number of people perished while attempting to cross Death Valley. 6. Venice is only city in the world completely fee of the automobile Checking articles If the underlined aetice is wsed incorrectly, cross ton and write the comrect aril Example 4 island in th Pacific Ocean was used forthe experiment, AM You should write “an” inthe blank because “island” begins with a vowel sound 1. Countless tourists throng to the Grek islands. ‘The tomato originated in Cental America 3. The steam engine was develope in an eighreenth cenury 4. The Russia has @ very diverse culture, “Auniversity education is a requirement for many highly paid positions 6. Bacteria exist everywhere in the nature,Exercise $8 Checking demonstratives Circle the letter of the demonsrative that correctly completes the sentence. Example ___tooks are the ones I bought at the sucton ® tis @® Thee ‘You should circle letter (B) because the demonstrative must agree in number with its noun, The plural “these” is used with the plural noun “books.” 1 itwas reported that interest entes would be ent, and___ mows lifted the stoek market. (A) that B) those 2. The dodo was fist sighted around 1600 on Maurtins, bot unfortunately bird became extinct eighty years later, @ this (B) these 3 fish tastes best when baked in butter @) This B) These 4 physics courses offered at night school are mainly for non-science majors. @® That ®) Those ‘5, Only in the park are__batfalo protected. a) that (B) those 6 two rings here on my left hand belonged to my great-grandmother. A) Those (B) These Correcting articles and demonstratives Const any sentence that contains an ror i the underlined pas. Examples Going wo sshoo! forthe firs tine canbe traumatic Eiderly sometimes nod specil care, The elderly “The first sentence is comet. For the sevond sentence you should write “Tue” before the word “elderly” becouse “the” is needed when an adjective is used as « noun, “The elderly” means “elderly people.” 1. Those brick house isthe niverof the two. twice the year. 2. Staff evaluation procedures are completed at 3. Arched roofs were built fora frst time twenty-five handved years ago. 4, Poswar women hal more opportunites o find the work then they had hc inte prewar days. 5, The general always listened to advice from his staf 6. Since beginning of the age of computers techrological advances have increased tenfold 7. Jackson Pollock's feer technigues raised painting to new levels of the improvisation, 8, ‘The boy took his sister by the hand,