UNIVERSIDAD DEL ISTMO

PROFESSOR

Santos Monroy

MODULE 1

ACTIVITY 1

Research about Definite and Indefinite articles and about countable /

uncountable nouns.

STUDENT

JOANA ALBA 8-803-1105

DATE:

DECEMBER 06, 2022

INDEX
 INTRODUCTION

In this research paper I will talk about the definite and indefinite articles and about
countable/uncountable nouns. To understand a little more about the subject I can
tell you that Articles are the words that accompany nouns. In English we use the
definite articles, the, and the indefinite articles, a and an.

The: It is the only definite article in the language and applies equally to singular,
plural, masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns. An article is a word that modifies a
noun.

A/An: These articles in Spanish are known as un y una. They are indefinite articles
because although they are talking about only one thing, they do not specify which
one. It is different to say a ball/a ball, than the ball/la ball.

Unlike the, this article is only used to talk about a singular thing that can be
counted.

Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted and have plural and singular. For
example: one apple, two apples.

Uncountable nouns are nouns that cannot be counted, and that only have a
singular number. For example: some rice, peace.
 Definite and indefinite articles (a/an/the)

“The” is the definite article that is used before a noun that has a specific identity
and/or has already been introduced in the same context before. The definite
articles indicate a noun that refers to a thing, person, place, etc. in particular.

When to use definite articles

Use of Article A

“A” is used before singular countable

nouns (a person, animal, or thing) that are
not specific.

We do not use “a” before uncountable or

plural nouns.

If a noun begins with a consonant sound

(b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, etc.), “a” comes before the noun.

Article Usage An

“An” is used before singular countable nouns that are not specific.

We do not use “an” before uncountable or plural nouns.

If the noun begins with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u), "an" comes before the noun.

Use of the article The

We use the article ' the ' in front of all nouns (it doesn't matter if the nouns are
singular, plural countable or uncountable) to describe someone or something
specific or unique.
How to use a Definite Article?

1. Before a Noun

When we talk about something that already has been referred to in the prior
sentence, we use "The" after that. For example:

A cat got in an honor with our dog yesterday. The dog won the battle.

2. When Nouns Are Already Known to the User

When the user is already aware of the thing you are talking about, at such places
we use "The" instead of describing that thing since it is already known to the user.
For example:

"Michael is wearing a suit at the party." In this case, a person already knows about
the party to which the other person is referring in this sentence, and thus we used
"the" to refer to the party.

3. Before Unique Nouns

Remember it as a thumb rule. "The" will always refer to Universal things Like The
Sun, The Moon, The Arabian Ocean, The Bermuda Triangle, The Eiffel Tower, The
Himalayas, etc.

All these Universal things or Places are certain and won't change. So we use "The"
to refer to such things.

4. Superlative Adjectives

Superlative adjectives are used for Definite Nouns and to describe something
special and unique.

For example:

My mother cooks the Best North Indian Food on the Earth.

5. Before Adjectives Used as Nouns

If you are talking about some advice or duty, at such places also, we use "The".

For example:

Fortune Favors the Brave

Here Brave is used both as a noun and adjective, so we used "The" before it.

6. Proper Nouns

With Proper Nouns such as Nation's Name, Plural names of nations, a few titles, a
few associations, a few structures, papers, masterpieces, explicit family names,
mountains, waterways, oceans, gatherings of islands, and deserts, we use "the".

For Example

The Indian sea, The Bay of Bengal, The Netherlands, The Caspian, The United
States of America, The Taj Mahal, The Times of India, The Suez Canal, The Bay of
Bengal, The Guptas.

7. With Nationalities

Whenever we talk about any nationality, we must use "the" before it to emphasize
that word.

For example:

The British controlled India for a long time.

8. Mentions of Services or Systems

Switch on the television to watch the latest show.

We must go to the police to report the crime.

9. With some Comparative Proclamations

When you compare two things with each other as motivational advice or something
else, "The" must be used in such sentences.

For example:
The more I work, the more I will be successful.

General Rules / Tricks to follow to use "The" Definite Article

Use them for things which have been mentioned already.

Use when there is something unique, even if not mentioned already.

Use them when you are expressing a statement for a particular person or object.

About countable / uncountable nouns.

Countable nouns refer to items that can be counted, even if the number might be
extraordinarily high (like counting all the people in the world, for example).
Countable nouns can be used with articles such as a/an and the or quantifiers such
as a few and many.

Uncountable nouns, or mass nouns, are nouns that come in a state or quantity that
is impossible to count; liquids are uncountable, as are things that act like liquids
(sand, air). Abstract ideas like creativity or courage are also uncountable.
Uncountable nouns are always considered to be singular, and can stand alone or
be used with some, any, a little, and much.

Some nouns can be both countable and uncountable, depending on the context of
the sentence. Examples of these versatile nouns include light, hair, room, gear, art,
and science. See the examples below:

Did you have a good time at the party?

Here, time is countable (a time).

I don’t think I have time to do my hair before I leave.

In this sentence, time is uncountable.

There is some juice on the table.

There are some juices on the table.

In the first sentence, juice refers to the liquid beverage; thus, it is uncountable. In
the second sentence, juice refers to the different varieties of juice (e.g., apple,
grape, pineapple, etc.), and therefore, is considered a countable noun.
 Conclusion

In this work we are developing the articles and the nouns, we can put into practice
the uses of the articles, we know when and when to use the articles and how the
nouns are classified.
 Bibliography

https://www.engrabic.com/

https://www.grammarly.com/

https://7esl.com/articles-with-countable-and-uncountable-nouns/