Articles, Definite Articles, Indefinite Articles, Zero Articles

In this unit you will learn:

Articles

Definite Articles

Indefinite Articles

Zero Articles

Reading

Read the following fragment from Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. Pay attention to the use of the article in English. Underline the definite articles with one line and the indefinite articles with two lines:

A month or so afterwards, when Jim, in answer to pointed questions, tried to tell honestly the truth of this experience, he said, speaking of the ship: "She went over whatever it was as easy as a snake crawling over a stick." The illustration was good: the questions were aiming at facts, and the official Inquiry was being held in the police court of an Eastern port. He stood elevated in the witness-box, with burning cheeks in a cool lofty room: the big framework of punkahs moved gently to and fro high above his head, and from below many eyes were looking at him out of dar 222i81c k faces, out of white faces, out of red faces, out of faces attentive, spellbound, as if all these people sitting in orderly rows upon narrow benches had been enslaved by the fascination of his voice. It was very loud, it rang startling in his own ears, it was the only sound audible in the world, for the terribly distinct questions that extorted his answers seemed to shape themselves in anguish and pain within his breast,- came to him poignant and silent like the terrible questioning of one's conscience. Outside the court the sun blazed- within was the wind of great punkahs that made you shiver, the shame that made you burn, the attentive eyes whose glance stabbed.

Grammar Reference

The Article

The use of articles in English is complex, and there are a lot of exceptions that need to be known.

Here are the basic rules.

The Indefinite Article

a (before a word beginning with a consonant or semi-vowel)/ an (before a word beginning with a vowel) is used

• to refer to objects that have not been specifically identified. It refers to a singular countable noun which is indefinite (either we don't know which one, or it doesn't matter which one):

A pet is a big responsibility.

Give me an apple.

They live in a flat.

I'm reading a course for my exam now.

• in measuring

Three times a month, sixty kilometres an hour, $3.45 a kilo, £13 000 a year

Formally per can replace a/an.

• to describe what something or someone is (a profession, religion, class):

That's an instrument for measuring distance.

She is an Australian.

He is a Christian.

Compare: Tom is a teacher. Tom is the teacher of these students.

• to refer to unknown people. Use of a/an emphasises that a person is unknown:

A Mr Smith called and asked about you.

• in phrases:

to be in a hurry, to have a headache, as a matter of fact, to develop a disease, to have a good time, to take a seat, etc

• it is used with a generic noun that represents a class:

We saw a zebra at the zoo.

A book is for reading

An indefinite article is required after

• such, what: such an ugly scar , what a pretty nose, such pretty eyes
• quite a, rather a: quite a large dog, rather a big decision

An is used before words beginning with a vowel sound (except for words beginning with a semivowel:   the sound /j/ and /w/):

an apple, an ink well, an hour, an honest man, an heir, a united party, a usual case,

but an ugly man, an unusual accident, a university, a year, a woman.

The Definite Article

the is used:

• to refer to classes

The tiger is threatened with extinction.

• before a singular or a plural noun, when both the speaker and the listener know which specific object is being referred to:

They live in the blue house on top of the hill.

The course I'm reading is very interesting.

Mind the baby! Mind your steps when you climb the stairs!

• before nouns expressing certain public places, especially when referring to them in a general way:

I went to the cinema last night.

I have to go to the bank to pay my bills.

• Before unique objects

the moon, the sun

Note that there are other suns and moons in the universe: The planet has a small moon.

• before proper nouns denoting a family (in the plural), countries (if they are in the plural, or if they represent a union), denoting groups of islands, chains of mountains, deserts, oceans, seas, rivers, compass points/ areas, channels, hotels, shops, institutions, means of transport, newspapers and magazines:

The Johnsons, The Netherlands, The United States, The Bahamas, The Alps, The Sahara, The Pacific, The Mediterranean, The Suez Canal, The Thames, the East, the Middle East, The Hilton, The Orient Express, The Time, The Sunday Times, The Independent (as the is part of the title, it is capitalised.)

This does not apply to lakes: Lake Geneva, mountain peaks: Everest (but The Matterhorn), continents (Europe, Asia), countries (France).

Note that titles of books and films do not have the unless there is post-modification:

The Phantom of the Opera. The is sometimes dropped in everyday speech: Have you seen "Phantom of the Opera"?

As far as names of places are concerned, note that Edinburgh University changes into The University of Edinburgh. We say London Bridge, but The Tower of London.

If the first part of a place name is another name, then normal rules about zero article apply: Brown's Restaurant, The Garden House Hotel. The same applies to geographical names: The Isle of Man, but Canvey Island.

• before nouns converted from adjectives, denoting a class, nationality, or an abstraction:

The rich should help the poor.

The English are very polite.

The French eat in restaurants more than the English.

The singular is not formed in the same way: An Englishman would always excuse for being late.

• to express titles. These tend to be unique:

The director of studies.

If the title is post-modified, the is more likely, but not essential. For instance:

He became President in 2000.

But: He became (the) President of Romania in 2000. (postmodification)

• when a restrictive modifier follows a noun.

The woman who is standing near the door will give a speech.

• with the superlative degree of adjectives:

It was the most important day in my life.

• with ordinals:

the ninth row, the second chapter, the third day

• in phrases:

to tell the time, by the way, at the moment, on the whole, on the one hand... on the other hand,  etc.

The precedes nouns of indefinite quantity or quality (mass nouns and abstract nouns) used to indicate a particular attribute:

Gold is an important metal.

The gold in this ring is very old. (postmodification)

Emphatic use: This heavily stresses and emphasises the following noun: This country is the place to visit.

Zero Article

It  is used with:

• plural and uncountable nouns when talking about things in general.

Money is the root of all evil.

Gas is cheaper than electricity.

Gold and silver are important metals.

Babies need to drink milk.

• proper nouns denoting persons, continents, countries, regions, towns, mountains, lakes, streets, magazines and periodicals, months, festivals, days of the week, etc.:

Mary/ Mount Everest, Europe, Oxford Street, Paris, January, Sunday, Newsweek

Most streets do not use an article. Green Road. Exceptions are The High Street, The Strand and street names without preceding adjectives. Compare: Holly Drive with The Drive.

• some unique organisations: Parliament, but The (House of) Commons
• nouns like school, church, prison, when we imply the use made of the institution (not the building):

He goes to school (to learn). But: The school in my district is near my house.

• in phrases:

at night, at dawn, day by day, by sea, to be in trouble, by mistake, to make friends, to shake hands, to take place, etc.

Translation problems

Study these sentences. In what way do the English people use the article differently in comparison with the way Romanians use it?

A pound and a half of butter.

It's a film about homeless people.

Terry has flu. I've got a splitting headache

Most and the most

Most without an article means the greater part.

I live in Birmingham most of the time.

This is the most expensive shop in town.

Controlled Practice

Decide which answer A, B or C best fits each space:

a. He is speaking to .... authority.

A. an; B. - ; C. the

b. In order to survive, plants need ... water.

A. B. a; C. the

c. In order to fix the armchair he needs ... hammer and ... nails.

A. the/ the; B. a/ the; C. a/ some

d. I took ... seat and waited for ... director to come.

A. - /the; B. a/the; C. the/ a

e. I thought you had passed ... exam but it seems that it was ... hardest of all.

A. - /the; B. an/the; C. the/the

f. They had ... excellent dinner and had ... very good time at ... Hilton.

A. - /a/the; B. an/the/ - ; C. an/a/the

g. He had ... degree in ... Physics and one in ... Mathematics, so he was one of ... best teachers in our highschool.

A. - / - / - /the; B. a/ - / - /the; C. a/the/the/the

h. I did my homework and then went directly to ... bed as I was very tired.

A. B. a; C. the

i. Everyone was impressed by ... sincerity with which he spoke, yet not everyone admires .... sincerity in such ... way.

A. B. a/ - / - ; C. the/ - /a

j. ... Smiths are at ... home now, yet they are busy at the moment.

A. B. the/ - ; C. - /the;

Work in pairs to find the mistakes in each of the following sentences:

a. He's philologist, so he studies different writers.

b. The time you spend on a relaxing pastime is good for you

c. Big cities are usually exciting when you see them for the first time: for example, in London, you can have tea at the Ritz and then go to the theatre in evening.

d. I must go to a bank to see my bank manager. I want to borrow one hundred pounds.

e. She goes to the work in the City by train every day. Her office is in the Baker Street.

f. Don't you work in bookshop in the London?

g. I want a government to do something about the problem of unemployment.

h. I'm going to stand for Parliament at the next election.

i. It is not first-class accommodation unless it has a private bathroom.

j. Lion is  dangerous animal.

k. The burglaries are definitely on increase.

l. She bought a Cezanne I was telling you about the last week.

m. I don't like cakes sold in a local bakery.

n. If I had had time to call you, I would have done it.

o. An army spokesman stressed that all troops patrolling streets had been instructed to issue clear warning before firing any shots.

Decide which answer A, B or C best fits each space:

Britain has 1) ... unenviable reputation for industrial unrest and strikes. Successive governments have attempted in 2) ... vain to reduce this unrest, which many people feel has had a significant and adverse effect upon the economy. At the same time, however most of the same people would defend 3) .... right of workers to strike. In order to explain this apparent contradiction, let us examine the arguments for and against the right to strike.

Whenever the work-force in any firm feel themselves to be 4) ... victims of injustice, or wish to present their case for a pay increase, their options are somewhat limited. They can, of course, appeal to the better nature of their employers, and often, because it is in 5) ... best interests of the managements to keep the workers as happy as possible, they will receive a sympathetic ear. When the economy is none too healthy, however, and unemployment is high, the management may be less willing to listen and may try to take advantage of the workers' fear of losing their jobs. In such a situation, one has to ask how employees can protect their interests as regards 6) ... wages, conditions, and fair treatment by the managements. As a last resort, there seems little alternative to the withdrawal of labour, the call to strike.

The arguments against striking are numerous and vary somewhat depending on one's point of view. As 7) ... employer, you may find both practical and ideological arguments against the right to strike. Strikes disrupt the process of production and can, as a result, create immense problems as regards long-term planning. Employers may also resent 8) ....right to strike because it imposes limits on the management's control of employees and contradicts the ideology of a harmony of interests which assigns legitimacy to managerial power. The government's viewpoint is similar in 9) .... sense that the importance of the ideological argument may vary with changes of government. But the practical argument against strikes would remain a constant. 10) ... Governments in capitalist societies such as Britain inevitably serve the interests of management. However they may wish to appear neutral. The state of the nation's economy is inextricably linked with 11) ... fortunes of private enterprise. The disruptive effect of 12) ... major strike upon the nation's economy is therefore potentially dangerous.

These negative arguments all emphasize 13) ... disruption and hardship caused by strikes. Such arguments are not sufficiently strong to warrant denying workers the right to strike. Withdrawing one's labour should, of course, be 14) ... last resort and there should be fewer irresponsible industrial disputes, which are an abuse of the right to strike. But without this right and without the efforts of trade unions over the years, it is hard to imagine that 15) ... employees in Britain would be as well treated as they are today.

1. A. the; B. an; C. -

2. A.  -; B. the; C. a

3. A. the; B. - ; C. a

4. A. some; B. - ; C. the

5. A. the; B.  -; C. some

6. A. the; B. - ; C. some

7. A. an; B. the; C. -

8. A. the; B. a; C. - 

9. A the; B. -; C. a

10. A. Some; B. the; C. - 

11. A. the; B. -; C. some

12. A. the; B. a; C.-

13. A. a; B. -; C. the

14. A. the; B. a; C.-

15. A.-; B. the; C. some

Fill in the blanks using the appropriate articles:

After you pass ... Old Windsor, .... river is somewhat uninteresting, and does not become itself again until you are nearing .... Boveney. George and I rowed up past.... Home Park, which stretches along .... right bank .... from .... Abert to ...Victoria Bridge; and as we were passing .... Datcher, George asked me if I remembered our first trip up .... river and when we landed at .. Datcher at ten o'clock at .. night, and wanted to go to .. bed.

I answered that I did remember it. It will be some time before I forget it.

It was .. Saturday before .... August Bank Holiday. We were tired and hungry and when we got to ... Datcher, we took out ... hamper, .... two bags, and .... rugs and .... coats, and such like things, and started off to look for .... diggings.