Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The absence of a determiner before plural countable nouns generally has the same significance as
the presence of a or an before singular countable nouns.
When used in general statements, plural countable nouns are usually not preceded by determiners.
The plural countable nouns in the following general statements are underlined.
e.g. Musicians must practise a great deal.
Newspapers can contain valuable information.
Larches are conifers.
A general idea can often be expressed either by means of a singular countable noun preceded
by a or an, or by means of a plural countable noun not preceded by a determiner. For instance, in
each of the following pairs of sentences, both sentences in the pair have the same meaning.
Musicians must practise a great deal.
A musician must practise a great deal.
See Exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Plural countable nouns are generally not preceded by a determiner when referring to something not
mentioned before.
e.g. Branches blocked our path.
Clouds were gathering overhead.
Suddenly we saw buildings in front of us.
In these examples, the plural nouns branches, clouds and buildings are not preceded by
determiners. It is assumed that the branches, clouds and buildings have not been referred to
previously.
c. Naming a profession
When a sentence such as the following is used to name a profession practised by two or more
people, the name of the profession is in the plural and is not preceded by a determiner.
e.g. They are doctors.
My friends are electricians.
We were chefs.
2. The use of The before plural countable nouns
In general, the has the same meaning when used with plural countable nouns as when used with
singular countable nouns. For instance, the is used with plural countable nouns when referring to
something which has been mentioned before.
e.g. Fallen leaves covered the ground. The leaves rustled as we walked.
In the orchard were apples and pears. The apples were nearly ripe.
The doors opened, and students and teachers began leaving the building. The students were talking
and laughing.
In these examples, the first time the words leaves, apples and students appear, they are not
preceded by determiners, because the things referred to have not been mentioned previously. The
second time the words leaves, apples and students appear, they are preceded by the, since the
things referred to have already been mentioned.
See Exercise 5.
The is used with plural countable nouns when the speaker or writer considers it obvious which
particular persons or things are meant.
e.g. The stars are shining brightly.
The roses are blooming.
We have put the children to bed.
I was sitting on the front steps.
These sentences give examples of the use of the to refer to things which are particularly important
to the speaker or writer. The expression the stars usually refers to the stars which can be seen from
the part of the earth where one lives. The expression the roses might refer to roses in one’s own
garden, or to roses in which one feels a particular interest. The children might refer to one’s own
children or to children for whom one is responsible. The front steps might refer to the front steps
of one’s own house.
c. Names of nationalities
The is sometimes used with the name of a nationality in order to make a general statement about the
people of that nationality. A plural verb must be used in such a statement.
When the name of a nationality ends in the sound of ch, s, sh or z, the name of the nationality must
usually be preceded by the.
Nationality Example
When the name of a nationality does not end in the sound of ch, s, sh or z, the letter s must be added
to the end of the name when it is used in a general statement. Names of nationalities to which s has
been added are often used without being preceded by the.
Nationality Example
The following table summarizes the most important uses of the determiners a, an, and the with
singular and plural countable nouns.
The absence of a determiner and the use of A, An and The before countable nouns
Singular Countable Plural Countable
Use
Nouns Nouns
See Exercise 6.
a. Names of people
In English, names of people in the singular are not usually preceded by a determiner.
e.g. Washington was the first president of the United States.
Jack and Eleanor saw the movie.
Determiners are also usually not used when a title precedes a person’s name.
Doctor Defoe has a good reputation.
Mr. Carpenter is a friend of ours.
In these examples, the titles Doctor and Mr. are not preceded by determiners.
b. Names of places
Other types of place name are usually not preceded by determiners. For instance, determiners are
usually not used before the following types of place name:
city Boston
country Canada
state Kansas
province Nova Scotia
See Exercise 7.
Some English nouns are usually used only in the plural. Such nouns take a plural verb, and
generally have a plural form. For instance, the following nouns, which all refer to objects with two
parts, are usually used only in the plural:
e.g. jeans
pajamas
pliers
scissors
If it is desired to refer to such objects individually, the expression pair of is often used.
e.g. a pair of jeans
a pair of pajamas
a pair of pliers
a pair of scissors
When the expression pair of is used as the subject of the verb, the verb must agree with the
word pair.
e.g. Jeans are fashionable.
A pair of jeans is expensive.
Pliers are very useful.
A pair of pliers is often useful.
In the above examples, the nouns jeans and pliers take the plural verb are, and the noun pair takes
the singular verb is.
See Exercise 8.
Exercise 1
Rewrite the following general statements using singular nouns. Make sure that the verbs agree with
their subjects. For example:
Engineers must be familiar with computers.
An engineer must be familiar with computers.
Rewrite the following general statements using plural nouns. Make sure that the verbs agree with
their subjects. For example:
A bicycle is a convenient means of transportation.
Bicycles are a convenient means of transportation.
Rewrite the following general statements using singular nouns. Make sure that the verbs agree with
their subjects. For example:
Frogs are amphibians.
A frog is an amphibian.
Rewrite the following general statements using plural nouns. Make sure that the verbs agree with
their subjects. For example:
A robin is a bird.
Robins are birds.
A refrigerator is an appliance.
Refrigerators are appliances.
1. A schooner is a ship.
2. A mallard is a duck.
3. A rhododendron is a bush.
4. A beech is a tree.
5. A kangaroo is a marsupial.
6. An emerald is a gem.
Exercise 5
Paying attention to whether the people and things referred to have been mentioned previously, fill in
each blank with a, an or the, or leave the blank empty if no determiner is required.
I once had the chance to see ___ Chinese opera. It was very exciting. As well as ___ singers, there
were ___ dancers and ___ acrobats. ___ acrobats staged ___ fights. During ___ fights, some of ___
acrobats wielded ___ swords, and others leaped over ___ swords. Many of ___ dancers carried
scarves. ___ dancers ___ flourished ___ scarves to make ____ patterns in the air.
Behind ___ screen was a group of ___ musicians. ___ musicians played various oriental
instruments. ___ instruments included ___ drums, ___ cymbals, ___ flutes and ___ gong. ___ flutes
usually played the melody, and ___ gong was sounded at particularly exciting moments.
Of course there were ___ hero and ___ heroine. ___ hero had to rescue ___ heroine from ___
magician. ___ hero and ___ heroine had both proved their courage by the end of ___ opera.
Exercise 6
Fill in each blank with the or leave it empty, as appropriate. Be prepared to justify your choices. For
example:
Those participants are ____ lawyers.
Those participants are lawyers.
Paying attention to the rules for the use of the with proper nouns, fill in the blanks with the or leave
them empty, as appropriate. For example:
___ Rick is one of ___ Smiths who live on our street.
Rick is one of the Smiths who live on our street.
Paying attention to whether a singular or plural verb should be used, complete each of the following
sentences by filling in the blank with is or are. For example:
My scissors ___ very sharp.
My scissors are very sharp.
Answers to Exercise 1:
1. Sportsmen need 2. Eagles have 3. Conferences require 4. Rocks are composed 5. Potatoes
are 6. Omelettes are made
Answers to Exercise 3:
1. Schooners are ships. 2. Mallards are ducks. 3. Rhododendrons are bushes. 4. Beeches are
trees. 5. Kangaroos are marsupials. 6. Emeralds are gems.
Answers to Exercise 5:
Answers to Exercise 6:
Answers to Exercise 8:
1. are 2. is 3. are 4. is 5. are 6. are