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Articles and other Determiners 限定詞冠詞
Articles
Determiners
My dinner
Introduction
It is said that “articles” as a lesson is the most difficult thing to teach in English grammar. They’re right! As a teacher, I’ll say that it’s the most difficult thing to teach too!
Generally speaking, determiners (including articles) are used in front of nouns to indicate what you are referring to.
Specific determiners (including definite articles) are used when the people talking know exactly what they are talking about.
We use general determiners (including indefinite articles) to talk about people or things without saying exactly who or what they are.
Read the rules of the attached texts of articles and determiners rules.
Now read my story of Dinner - my pet chicken.
- Underline all the indefinite articles (a/an)
- With a different colour pen, underline all the definite articles (the)
- With another colour, underline all the specific and general determiners. Can you see the difference?
Articles
A/An and The
The indefinite article (a or an) is used with singular, countable nouns to refer to a thing or an idea for the first time.
(A) I have two kids, a son and a daughter. Let’s go to a restaurant for dinner. I'm reading a good book. Would you like an apple?
The definite article (the) is used with singular and plural, countable and uncountable nouns when both the speaker and the listener know the thing or idea already.
(B) We have a cat and a dog. The cat is old, but the dog is just a puppy. Let’s go to the restaurant for dinner tonight (We both know which restaurant.) The book is by Wilbur Smith. (This is the book I was telling you about.)
Indefinite article
The indefinite article is used
1 with professions.
(C) I'm a teacher. She's an architect.
2 with some expressions of quantity.
(D) a pair of (shoes), a little, a couple of (minutes), a few, a hundred, a thousand, three times a day, forty miles an hour.
3 in exclamations with what + a countable noun.
(E) What a lovely day! What a pity! What a terrible website!
Note: In some languages, one and a/an are the same word. In English, a/an for the indefinite is more common. We use one if we want to be precise, and we want to emphasize one, not two, or three, or four.
He drives a Volkswagen. I have one Rolls-Royce, two motorbikes, and three skateboards.
Definite article
The definite article is used
1 before seas, rivers, hotels, pubs, theatres, museums, and newspapers.
(F)The Atlantic, The British Museum, The Times, The Ritz, The Japanese (people)
2 if there is only one.
(G) The Queen, The Prime Minister, the Government.
3 with superlative adjectives.
(H) He's the richest man in the world. Jane's the oldest in the class.
Note: We do not use the with parts of the body. We use my/his/her/your, etc.
I washed my hair. He broke his leg. Wrong: He broke leg.
No article
There is no article
1 before plural and uncountable nouns, when talking about things in general.
(I) I like potatoes. I like bread. Milk is good for you.
2 before countries, towns, streets, languages, magazines, meals, airports, stations, and mountains.
(J) I had lunch with Stu. I bought Two Wheels magazine in Sydney.
3 before some places and with some forms of transport.
(K) at home, in/to bed, at/to work at/to school, by bus by plane, by car, by train, on foot She goes to work by bus. I was at the pub last night.
Note: In the phrase go home, there is no article and no preposition.
I went home early. Wrong: I went TO home.
4 in exclamations with what + an uncountable noun.
(L) What beautiful weather! What loud music!
Determiners
Determiners are used in front of nouns to indicate what you are referring to. Articles (A/AN/THE) are also determiners.
Specific determiners are used when the people talking know exactly what they are talking about.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go to the restaurant.” (When you both usually go to the same restaurant, so you both know which restaurant you’re talking about.)
Some examples of specific determiners are:
Definite article |
the |
Demonstratives |
this, that, these, those |
Posessives |
my, your, his, her, its, our, their |
Cardinals |
one, two, three |
Ordinals |
first, second, third |
General Determiners are used to talk about people or things without saying exactly who or what they are.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go to a restaurant.” (When you both like trying different restaurants, so you would then choose a restaurant.)
General determiners can also be used when talking about travel by car/plane, time with prepositions in the evening, at sunset, meals for lunch, seasons in autumn, institutions with in/at to hospital, in school.
Some examples of general determiners are:
Indefinite articles |
a, an | |
Quantifiers |
a few, a little, all, another, any |
“This chicken needs a little salt.” |
both, each, either, enough, every |
“Both of those restaurants are closed.” |
|
few, fewer, less, little, many, more, most, much |
“Can you give me a few minutes please?” |
|
either, neither, no, other, several, some |
“Neither of those restaurants is good.” |
No Determiners are used with certain noun phrases. This usually happens in the plural or to make a generalisation.
“I like sushi.”
Uncountable singular nouns can be used without a determiner when making a general reference.
“Vegetables are good for you.” “When roasting lamb, add garlic and rosemary and spread with marmalade.”
This is particularly true when the uncountable noun is used for the first time in a general way in the course of a conversation or piece of writing. They can be used with a determiner when the reference becomes specific.
“Do you like cake?”
“Yes, I do!”
“Would you like some of my cake?”
Note: In a similar way, indefinite articles (general determiners) are used in the first instance, then changed to definite articles (specific determiners).
“We have a cat and a dog. The cat is old, but the dog is just a puppy.”
My Dinner
When I was just a kid living in the countryside near Melbourne, I had a lot of pets, both usual and unusual. I had rabbits, cats, lizards, a snake, a turtle, sheep, horses, a parrot, chickens and many others. I loved them all but it took a lot of time to care for them.
One day, in the evening when I was feeding my animals, I found that one of my chickens was missing. The chickens were always near the back door of my house. She was my favourite chicken and we called her Dinner… as a joke. I was looking everywhere for her! I asked my brother Russell “Have you seen Dinner?” He helped me look for her for a while but gave up and said “I don’t know, maybe Dad has seen her. Ask him.” So I went down to the paddock to find my father. I asked him “Dad, have you seen Dinner?” He looked at me with a puzzled expression and said “No, not since this morning. Why don’t you ask your mother?”. So I went back to the house and found Mum cooking in the kitchen. I asked her too. “Mum, where’s Dinner?” Mum said “Dinner will be ready in a minute, go wash your hands.”
I miss Dinner sometimes, but she was delicious.
