STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

_____ 9. Used sound that varies not only in time but in space, whales at close range may
A “ IT C
communicate with sonarlike "pictures.”
D

_____ 10. The 1898 Trans-Mississippi International Exposition has the distinction of being the
~A~ B
last major fair which held during the Victorian period.
C D

PROBLEMS W IT H ARTICLES________________________________

A rticles are very d iffic u lt to lea r n b e c a u se th e r e are m any ru les, m a n y e x c e p tio n s , and
m a n y sp ecia l cases. It is p o s sib le , how ever, to learn a few ru les that w ill h e lp y o u to u se ar­
ticles c o rrectly m u c h o f th e tim e.
N o u n s in E n g lish can b e e ith e r c o u n ta b le or u n c o u n ta b le . I f a n o u n is c o u n ta b le , it
m u st b e e ith e r sin g u la r o r p lu ral. In a d d itio n to th e s e g e n e ra l types o f n o u n s , th e r e are
two types o f articles: d e fin ite (sp e c ific ) and in d e fin ite (g e n e r a l).

COUNTABLE COUNTABLE
SINGULAR PLURAL UNCOUNTABLE
ARTICLES NOUNS NOUNS NOUNS

INDEFINITE o dollar ~ dollars mnnpy

(General) on apple
apf>leS ............... ,U'Ce
. —■ ■■
DEFINITE the dollar the dollars the money
(Specific) the apple the apples the juice

S k i l l 52: USE ARTICLES W IT H S IN G U LA R N O U N S

You can s e e fro m th e ch a rt th a t i f a n o u n is e ith e r c o u n ta b le plu ral o r u n c o u n ta b le , it is

p o ssib le to h ave e it h e r th e d e fin ite a rticle the o r n o a rticle ( in d e fin ite ). W ith all c o u n t­
a b le sin g u la r n o u n s , h ow ever, y o u m u s t have an a r tic le (u n le ss y o u have a n o th e r d e te r ­
m in e r su ch as my o r each).

I have money. (uncountable — n o article needed)

I have books. (countable plural — no article needed)
I have a book. (countable singular — article needed)

T h e fo llo w in g c h a r t o u tlin e s th e key in fo r m a tio n th a t y o u sh o u ld r e m e m b e r a b o u t ar­

ticles w ith sin g u la r n o u n s:

ARTICLES WITH SINGULAR NOUNS

A singular noun m utt have an article (o, an, the) or some other determiner si'ch as my or
each. (A plural noun or an uncountable noun may or m ay not have an article.)
 WRITTEN EXPRESSION

E X E R C I S E 52: T h e fo llo w in g s e n te n c e s c o n ta in d iffe r e n t types o f n o u n s . C ir cle o n ly th e

c o u n ta b le sin g u la r n o u n s . M ark w h e r e a rticles (or d e te r m in e r s ) h a v e b e e n o m itte d .
T h e n in d ic a te i f th e s e n t e n c e s are c o r r e c t (C ) o r in c o r r e c t (I).

__ L _ 1. She is taking^ trip ) with friends.

C 2. In my (yard) there are flowers, trees, and grass.

_____ 3. T he m anager sent m em o to his em ployees.

_____ 4. T here is car in front o f the building.

_____ 5. T he child and his friends are having milk and cookies.

_____ 6. She is studying to be an actress in films.

_____ 7. My neighbor was arrested for throwing rocks through windows.

_____ 8. We have m achinery that prints ten pages each minute.

_____ 9. Teacher has many students during a semester.

_____ 10. Can you heat water for tea?

S k i l l 53: D IS T IN G U IS H A A N D AN

T h e b asic d iffe r e n c e b e tw e e n a a n d a n is th a t a is u s e d in fr o n t o f c o n s o n a n ts a n d a n is
u sed in fr o n t o f vo w els (a, e, i, o, u ) :

a ¿»ook an orange
a man an illness
a /»age an autom obile

In reality, th e r u le is th a t a is u s e d in fr o n t o f a w ord th a t b e g in s w ith a c o n s o n a n t so u n d

a n d th a t a n is u s e d in fr o n t o f a w o rd th a t b e g in s w ith a vow el sound. P r o n o u n c e th e f o l­
lo w in g e x a m p les:

a university a hand a one-way street a euphem ism a xerox m achine

an unhappy man an hour an om en an event an x-ray m achine

T h ese e x a m p les sh ow th at certain b e g in n in g letters can have e ith er a c o n so n a n t o r a vow el

sou n d . A w ord that b e g in s w ith u can b e g in with a c o n so n a n t y so u n d as in university or w ith a
vowel so u n d as in unhappy. A w ord that b e g in s with h can b e g in w ith a c o n so n a n t h so u n d as in
hand o r with a vow el s o u n d as in hour. A w ord that b eg in s with o can b e g in w ith a c o n so n a n t w
so u n d as in one o r w ith a vow el so u n d as in omen. A w ord that b e g in s w ith e can b e g in w ith ei­
ther a c o n so n a n t y so u n d as in euphemism or with a vowel sou n d as in event. A w ord that b e g in s
with x can b e g in with e ith e r a c o n so n a n t z so u n d as in xerox or w ith a vow el so u n d as in x-ray.

T h e fo llo w in g c h a r t o u d in e s th e k ey in fo r m a tio n a b o u t th e u se o f a a n d an:

. .. ...
A A N D AN

A A is used in front of a singular noun with a consonant sound.

AN An is used in front of a singular noun with a vowel sound.

Be careful of words beginning with letters such as u. o, e, x, or h. Th-.y may begin with either a vowel
or a consonant sound.
 STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

E X E R C ISE 53: E ach o f th e fo llo w in g s e n te n c e s c o n ta in s a o r an. C ircle e a c h a o r an. U n ­

d e r lin e th e b e g in n in g o f th e w ord th at directly follow s. P r o n o u n c e th e w ord . T h e n in d i­
c a te if th e s e n te n c e s are c o r r e c t (C ) o r in c o r r e c t (I).

I 1. The dishwasher quit his jo b because he was making only four dollars © hour.
C 2. It was (an) unexpected disappointm ent to receive (a) rejection letter from the
university.

3. A signature is required wherever you see a X on the form.

4. He bought a half gallon o f milk and a box o f a hundred envelopes.

5. An objection was raised because it was such a unacceptable idea.

6. There are two trees in the yard, an elm tree and a eucalyptus tree.

7. The police officer was n ot wearing an uniform when she arrested the suspect.
8. If you do not give m e a hand, finishing the project on time will be an impossibility.

9. She was upset when a hon est mistake was made.

10. She opened a account at a local departm ent store during a one-day sale.

S k ill 54: MAKE ARTICLES AGREE W IT H N O U N S

T h e d e fin ite article (the) is u se d fo r b o th sin gu lar a n d p lu ral n o u n s , so a g r e e m e n t is n o t a

p r o b le m w ith th e d e fin ite article. H ow ever, b e c a u se th e u se o f th e in d e fin ite a r tic le is dif­
f e r e n t for sin g u la r a n d p lu ral n o u n s , y o u m u st b e carefu l o f a g r e e m e n t b e tw e e n th e in ­
d e fin ite a rticle a n d th e n o u n . O n e very c o m m o n a g r e e m e n t e rr o r is to u se th e sin g u la r
in d e fin ite article (a or an) w ith a plu ral n o u n .

H e saw a* new movies.

They traveled to a* nearby mountains.
D o you have another* books?

In th e se e x a m p le s , you sh o u ld n o t have a o r a n b e c a u se th e n o u n s are p lu ra l. T h e fo llo w ­

in g s e n te n c e s are p o ssib le c o r r e c tio n s o f th e s e n te n c e s above.

H e saw a new m ovie. (singular)

H e saw new movies. (plural)

They traveled to a nearby mountain. (singular)

They traveled to nearby m ountains. (plural)

D o you have another book? (singular)

D o you have other books? (plural)

T h e fo llo w in g ch art states th e key p o in t fo r y o u to r e m e m b e r a b o u t th e a g r e e m e n t o f

a rticles w ith n o u n s:

' • .. ■■’ ’ ' .

AGREEMENT OF ARTICLESWITH NOUNS
You should never use a or an with a plural noun. ' - •i
 WRITTEN EXPRESSION

E X E R C ISE 54: E a ch o f th e fo llo w in g s e n t e n c e s c o n ta in s a o r an. C ir c le e a c h a o r a n.

Draw an arrow to th e n o u n it d e sc r ib e s. T h e n in d ic a te if th e s e n t e n c e s a r e c o r r e c t (C ) o r
in c o r r e c t (I).

r
— __
X
1. She w ent to school in (a) local community.
t

— !__ 2. T h e doctor used (an oth er pills.

-------- 3. It is necessary to have a farm or land o f your own.

-------- 4. H e must contact a m em bers o f the club.

-------- 5. You will n e e d a pen or a pencil.

-------- 6. H e is responsible for bringing a number o f items.

-------- 7. You must write a report on a subjects o f your choice.

-------- 8. They crossed through several forests and a stream.

-------- 9. T here will be another im portant lessons tomorrow.

-------- 10. H e could n ot give m e a good reasons for what he did.

S k ill 55: D IS T IN G U IS H SPECIFIC A N D G ENERAL IDEAS

W ith c o u n ta b le sin g u la r n o u n s it is p o ssib le to u se e ith e r th e d e fin ite o r th e in d e fin ite ar­

ticle, b u t th ey have d iffe r e n t m e a n in g s. T h e d e fin ite article is u s e d to r e fe r to o n e sp e c ific
noun.

Tom will bring the book tomorrow.

(There is on e specific book that Tom will bring tomorrow.)

H e will arrive on ¿A« first Tuesday in July.

(There is only o n e first Tuesday in July.)

H e sailed on the Pacific Ocean.

(There is only o n e Pacific Ocean.)

T h e d e fin ite a r tic le is u s e d w h e n th e n o u n c o u ld b e o n e o f several d iffe r e n t n o u n s .

Tom will bring a book tomorrow.

(Tom will bring any o n e book.)

H e will arrive o n a Tuesday in July.

(H e will arrive o n on e o f four Tuesdays in July.)

H e sailed on an ocean.
(H e sailed on any o n e o f the w orld’s oceans.)
 STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

T h e fo llo w in g c h a r t o u tlin e s th e key in fo r m a tio n th a t y o u sh o u ld u n d e r sta n d a b o u t

s p e c ific a n d g e n e r a l ideas:

SPECIFICAND GENERAL IDEAS

a r t ic l e MEANING USES

A o r AN general idea Use when there are many, and you do not know which one it is.
’ -, ' - Use when there »re many, and you do not care which one it is.

THE specific idea Use when it is the only one.

. Use when there are many, and you know which one it is.

E X E R C I S E 55: E ach o f th e fo llo w in g s e n te n c e s c o n ta in s o n e o r m o r e a rticles. C ircle th e

articles. D raw arrow s to th e n o u n s th ey d e sc r ib e. T h e n in d ic a te i f th e s e n te n c e s are c o r­
r e c t (C ) o r in c o r r e c t ( I ) .

^ 1. H e took ¿ ”tnp on (&) Snake lLver.

C 2. I’ll m eet you at (the) library later.

_____ 3. T he ball hit a child on a head.

_____ 4. H e had a best grade in the class on the exam.

_____ 5. T h e peop le who cam e here yesterday were here again today.

_____ 6. She was a m ost beautiful girl in the room.

_____ 7. T h e trip that I took last year to the Bahamas was the only vacation I had all year.

_____ 8. I n eed a piece o f paper so that I can finish the report that I am working on.

_____ 9. A basketball player threw the ball to a center o f the court.

_____ 10. T h e sixth-grade class went on a field trip to visit a Lincoln Memorial.

E X E R C I S E ( S k ills 5 2 - 5 5 ): C ircle th e a rticles in th e fo llo w in g s e n te n c e s . T h e n in d ic a te if

th e s e n te n c e s are c o r r e c t (C) o r in c o r r e c t (I).
a
_____ 1. H e took a m oney from his wallet to pay for sweater.
_____ 2. T h e notebook that he left had an im portant assignm ent in it.

_____ 3. Because o f previous disagreem ents, they are trying to arrive at an understanding.

_____ 4. T h e appearance o f room could be improved by adding a green plants.

_____ 5. T he Senate passed law banning sm oking in public workplaces.
_____ 6. Each chem istry student should bring laboratory m anual to a n ext class.
_____ 7. She adm itted that she made mistake but said that she had m ade a h on est effort.
8. H is absence from the board m eeting was a strong indications o f his desire to leave
the company.
 WRITTEN EXPRESSION 247

9. T he car n eed ed gas, so the driver stopped at a service station.

10. Anyone taking group tour to the Hawaiian Islands must pay fee before a first o f the
m onth.

T O E F L E X E R C ISE (S k ills 5 2 - 5 5 ) : C h o o se th e lette r o f th e u n d e r lin e d w o rd o r g r o u p o f

w ord s th a t is n o t c o rr ec t.

_____ 1. On a trip down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, the equipment will in all
~A~ B C
probability be carried by a burros.
D

_____ 2. Ford designed the first large-scale assembly line at plant in

' A B ~T~
Highland Park, Michigan.
D

_____ 3. In the human body, blood flows from a heart through the arteries, and it returns
A B C -
through the veins.

_____ 4. The scholarship that Wilson received to study history at Cambridge presented an
A B C ~D"
unique opportunity.

_____ 5. Observations from Earth indicate that at the solar surface, the outward magnetic
A B
field is a strongest at the polar regions.
Z ------- B-------
_____ 6. A radar images of Venus add details about a planet dominated by
A B C
volcanoes and lava.
--------- 5---------
_____ 7. In 1863 and 1864, the U.S. Congress passed the National Bank Acts , which set up a
A B
system of privately owned banks chartered by a federal government.
C D

_____ 8. An human ear responds to a wide range o f frequencies .

T ~B~ C D

_____ 9. Bacteria that live in soil and water play a vital role in recycling carbon, nitrogen,
A B
sulfur, and another chemical elements used by living things.
C D

_____ 10. During the U.S. Civil War, an American balloonist organized a balloon corps in Army.
A B U D