Grammaire

Introduction

           Articles are small words that are often used at the beginning “before” of a noun word or a noun phrase. In English language, it is widely agreed that there are three kinds of articles. These articles are indefinite and definite beside zero. The three kinds are as follows:

§  “The” is known as the Definite Article or Definite Singular

§  “A” or  “An” is called the Indefinite Article or Indefinite Singular

§  “0” or “no article” is referred to as  Null article, Zero Article or Indefinite Plural

        The correct use of articles does matter in English. The correct use of articles is one of the most difficult points in English grammar. Fortunately, most article mistakes do not matter too much. Even if we leave all the articles out of a sentence, the sentence can usually be understood. However, it is better to use articles correctly as much as possible "even the meaning is understood in some way". See the example below:

1.     The lion is a majestic animal.

2.     A lion is a majestic animal.

3.     Lions are majestic animals.

            All three sentences convey the same meaning with slightly different emphasis. The first sentence takes one lion as a representative of all lions and then makes its assertion about the quality of majestic animal. The second sentence in effect states, take any lion you like from the class of all lions, and what you say about it will be true of all other lions. The third sentence directly makes its assertion about all lions. This third usage is probably the most common.

           In order to use articles properly and correctly, students have to understand the meanings of the following two concepts English nouns "see the unit of nouns for more details" and definiteness versus indefiniteness or "specificity". These two concepts are the primary determiners of the kind of article to be used. The next sections present more details about them.

2. 1. Definiteness versus Indefiniteness

         Definiteness is always compared and contrasted with the term indefiniteness. Both of the terms are the features of noun phrases, distinguishing between definite noun phrases and indefinite noun phrases. So the definite noun phrases are specific and identifiable in a particular given context while the indefinite noun phrases are not specific and not identifiable. In more proper words, a definite noun phrase is a noun phrase referred to a particular individual in a specific reference way indicating both the speaker /writer and the hearer/ listener know what is talked about while an indefinite noun is a noun phrase referred to an individual in a general context way indicating that the speaker does not identify the things or people and the hearer does not know any detail about the thing or people being spoken about.

         Definiteness is associated with the knowledge shared by the speaker /writer and the listener / hearer. English articles, which can determine the features of noun phrases, are seen as the prototypes of definiteness and indefiniteness criteria. The table below illustrates that there are four possible conditions involved for the term definiteness and indefiniteness in this discussion.

Matrix of Definiteness and Indefiniteness
Do the speaker and his listener Know specifically what is being referred to?
		Speaker /Writer	Listener /Reader
Definite	Can I use the car in the park?	Yes	Yes
Indefinite	I saw a funny looking dog today.	Yes	No
Indefinite	I heard that you once wrote a booklet about business.	No	Yes
indefinite	I need to buy a new belt in that huge market.	No	No

 

 

3. Definition of Articles

         Broadly speaking, English article is one kind of determiners. Determiners are words which specify the range of reference of a noun in two ways: making the noun definite "the book" or making the noun indefinite "a book". Strictly speaking, English Article is a word which points out a person, place or thing spoken of. In other words:

§  The Definite "Specific" Article "the" points out some particular person, place or thing being referred to as definite. Or it "identifies" modifies a specific noun or a noun that the reader / listener is already familiar with. In short, the definite article restricts the noun and narrows it down to one specific thing.

§  The Indefinite "Non-Specific" Article "a" and "an" points out any person, place or thing being referred to. Or it modifies a general noun or a noun that the reader / listener is not already familiar with. In short, indefinite article is not referring to a specific thing but to a general idea.

Reminder about the meanings of articles §  Words: they are sentence elements which affect the meaning of some related words in sentences. Here they affect nouns because they act as adjectives. §  Small or Little words: they are among the smallest words in English language either in spelling or sound forms. §  Grammatical words: they play more the grammatical function in sentences more than the semantic function. §  Adjectives: they have the same role as adjectives since they belong to adjectives. So they restrict the application of a noun in a sentence by adding something to its meaning. §  Determiners: articles are words used to identify what people are talked about in the discourse. So they are words which specify the range of reference of a noun as definite or indefinite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The Indefinite Article "a / an"

1. 1. Form

Ø The form "a" as an indefinite article word is used before a word beginning with a consonant, or a vowel with a consonant sound. See the examples below:

·        a man

·        a European citizen "but not a European Union"

·        a university

·        a one-way street

Ø The form "an" as an indefinite article is used before words beginning with a vowel sound like "a, e, o, and u" or words beginning with a mute "h" sound. But when "h" sound is pronounced, the article "an" is not acceptable and it must be replaced by "a". See the examples below:

·        an apple

·        an island

·        an onion

·        an hour, an honor

·        He is an honest man. The "h" sound is not pronounced.

·        We had an hour's rest. The "h" sound is not pronounced.

·        It is an honor to me.

·        This is an honorary post.

·        That is a hotel. The "h" sound is pronounced.

·        This is a historical novel. The "h" sound is pronounced.

·        He is a habitual drunkard. The "h" sound is pronounced.

·        This is a humble beginning.

Ø The form "an" is also used with individual letters spoken with a vowel sound. See the examples below:

·        an L-plate

·        an MP "It should be noted here that when we turn this abbreviation to its full name we also turn the article into "a" since the sound turns from vowel to consonant"

·        an SOS

·        an "X"

Ø An + acronyms/abbreviations an is used before acronyms/abbreviations beginning with f, h, I, m, n, r, s, x because each of these consonants has an initial vowel sound e/a. See the examples below:

·        He is an FBI agent.

·        This is an HMT watch.

·        He is an NCC officer.

Ø an + number "an" is used before a number beginning with a vowel sound while "a" is used  before a number beginning with a consonant sound. Furthermore,  the indefinite article is never used with a plural noun: See the examples below:

·        This is an 18- player team. The first sound of the number 18 is a vowel.

·        He is an 80- year old man. The first sound of the number 18 is a vowel.

·        This is a 5-year old child. The first sound of the number 5 is a consonant.

·        This is a pen. (not, a pens)

·        That is an apple. (not, an apples)

Ø A/an + adverb/adjective + noun the choice of "an" or "a" does not always depend on the initial sound of the head noun. It depends on the initial sound of what follows it immediately. It can be an adjective or adverb placed before the noun. See the examples below:

·        An honest man, "Here the head sound of the honest h is silent."

·        An extremely difficult problem "Here the head sound of the word extremely is a vowel".

·        A great artist, "Here the head sound of the word great is a consonant".

·        A very amusing story "Here the head sound of the word very is a consonant".

Ø Both of the forms "a" and "an" are the same for all Genders "masculine and feminine". See the examples below:

·        a man

·        a woman

·        an actor

·        an actress

Note 9 "A" Versus "An" Ø The difference between "a" and "an" is undoubtedly the easiest, because most non-native speakers know about the differences between them in relation to the form. See the discussion above. Ø Both "a" and "an" are simply two variations of the indefinite article. They are exactly similar in meaning; the only difference is about the way they are used. Ø However, students must note that the choice of either "a" or "an" depends completely on pronunciation. The choice between "a" or "an" is determined by the initial sound of the word following it; if the word begins with a consonant sound, use a; if the word begins with a vowel sound, use an. It is worth to note here that consonant and vowel refer to sound not to the letter of the alphabet. Ø Many words that begin with the vowel "u" are preceded by "a" instead of "an" because the "u" spelling is often pronounced "yu", as in the following words: ·        Useful = a useful idea ·        Uranium = a uranium isotope ·        European citizen = a European citizen Ø A/an is an article and therefore belongs to the class of determiners. Being a determiner, its position is before the adjective. ·        a good book ·        an intelligent girl

 

Note 10 If the noun word is modified by an adjective, the choice between "a"/"an" depends on the initial sound of the adjective word that immediately follows the article. Remember that exactly similar rules mentioned before in "Note 9" apply to this case. ·        A broken heart "a + consonant" ·        An unusual problem "an + vowel" ·        A European country "a + consonant"

 

1. 2. Definition of the Indefinite Article

          "A" and "an" as the indefinite article does not add too much to the meaning of a noun it is referring to. They are like a weak form of the word "one". The basic idea for the indefinite article is that they are used when the speaker is talking about a non-specific and non-particular noun that could be any member of the group. If the noun is singular, countable and non-specific, then you will usually need an indefinite article. See the examples below:

·         I went to a bank (we do not know which bank).

·         Algiers is an interesting city (there are many interesting cities and Algiers is one).

·         There is a customer outside (we do not know anything about the customer). 

·         Measurements and rates also take the indefinite article (e.g. four times a week).

Reminder: Indefinite articles are used when referring to a non-specific person, place or thing that can be counted. These articles are used when the reader does not know the specific details of the noun being discussed in the sentence. For example, if a sentence reads “I’d like to read a book this afternoon,” we can infer that the writer is referring to any book, not a specific book.

 

 

 

 

 

1. 3. The Main Uses of the Indefinite Article "a" / "an"

However, they have several common uses. The most common uses of them are as follows:

Ø "A" and "an" as indefinite article is used only before a singular noun which is countable. The idea of singular and countable noun means that there is more than one item, person, place or thing of their kinds and it refers to any one among these groups of items and things. The noun being referred to through indefinite article represents no particular person or thing in the sense that this noun is used just as an example of a class of things "any one member of a class". See the examples below:

·        My brother's married to a teacher. "any teacher"

·        They live in a flat. "Any flat, what is important here is that they live in a kind of house which is a flat and not a big house".

·        He bought an ice-cream. "The ice-cream is not specific in terms of color, quantity, quality".

·        A car must be insured. "All cars / any car must be insured". "It could be any car with the group of cars."

·        A child needs love and support. "All children or any child needs this love and support".

Ø "A" and "an" is used to refer to the case when the singular countable noun is mentioned for the first time when the listener does not have any particular or specific image of the noun. It is worth to mention here that when "a" or "an" has been used with a noun when it is first mentioned, the article changes to "the" when the same noun word is mentioned later on the second, third, … time. See the examples below:

·        A simple computer serves many purposes. The simple computer is used to do calculations, drawings and son on. "first reference takes the indefinite article"

·        A penguin is a small black and white bird. The penguin can fly along distant places.

·        The local newspaper printed an article about pet health yesterday. The article discussed how to protect dogs from diseases. "The speaker refers to the same article".

Ø In relationship with the previous situation, the indefinite article is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. In other words, this means that they refer to a general statement about the noun being referred to "for making generalization".

·        I would like to go to see a movie. "Here we are not talking about a specific movie. We are talking about any movie. There are so many movies, and me as a speaker I want to see any movie. I do not have a specific one movie in my mind. So it could be about drama, actions, documentary, politics, business… The speaker is ready to spend some time watching any movie available in TV.

·        My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas. "This refers to any dog. Up to now we do not know which dog because we have not found the dog. So we are looking for a dog without any specific or particular color, size, race … but when we find the dog and we mention it again we must change the article and use the definite one".

·        Somebody calls a policeman." This refers to any policeman. We do not need a specific policeman; we just need any policeman who is available to help us save the difficult situation. In short, we are looking for a person who can represent all the policemen. Once we select a particular policeman, the article must be changed to the definite article.

·        A dog is a common household pet. "This is a general statement about any and all dogs".

Ø "A" and "an" is used when we classify or define people and things. When we say what they are, what job they do, what they are used for and to indicate membership in a group. They are used with a noun complement. This includes names of professions, nationality status, religion and names that are used in descriptions. 

·        He is an actor. "profession"

·        I am an English language student. "I am a member of a large group community known as students".

·        I am an English language teacher. "I am a member of a large group known as teachers".

·        It is an extremely hot day. "description"

·        I'm looking forward to being a grandmother.

·        A glider is a plane without an engine.

Ø "A" and "an" is used with certain expressions of quantity.

·        A lot of

·        A great deal of

·        A great many

·        A couple, a dozen

Ø "A" and "an" is used with certain expressions of numbers. Also before the expression "half" when it follows a whole number. So the expression "a+ half + noun" is sometimes possible.

·        A hundred

·        A kilo and a half kilo

·        A half holiday, a half-portion

Ø "A" and "an" is used with expressions of price, speed, ratio etc. Here, "a" and "an" have an idea of a percentage.

·        Four times a day "ratio"

·        Sixty kilometers an hour "speed"

·        10 pounds a dozen "price"

·        5 euros a kilo

Ø "A" and "an" is used in exclamations before singular, countable nouns. But with the plural form of exclamations expressions no article is used.

·        Such a long queue! Not such a long queues! "incorrect"

·        What a pretty girl!

·        What a pretty girls! "incorrect"

Ø "A" alone can be placed before title expressions such as Mr. / Mrs. / Miss + surname. The indefinite article is used in the sense that the name of a person being referred to means any person called with the name and implies that he or she is a stranger to the speaker. But this title expression without "a" article, implies that the speaker knows the person being referred to or at least knows about his or her existence.

·        A Mr. Smith

·        A Mrs. Smith

·        A Miss. Smith

1. 3. Omissions of the Indefinite Article "a / an"

The indefinite article "a" or "an" is not used before the following nouns:

1. 3. 1. before Plural Nouns

Ø "A" or "an" as indefinite article has no plural form. This kind of article does not have a plural form because the meaning of the article itself refers to one and the latter one is singular. As it was mentioned before that the indefinite article is the weak form of word "one".  So the plural form and singular or "a" or "an" are two opposite terms and could not be used altogether at all. So the plural form of the following words is made with the indefinite article as follows:

·        A dog = dogs

·        An egg = egges

·        An example = examples

·        A teacher = teachers

1. 3. 2. before Uncountable Nouns

Ø These nouns do not take indefinite article at all because they basically refer to things and items that are not individual, are not separate singular, are not plural and thought of as quantity or mass, and therefore, cannot be counted. Because they cannot be associated with numbers, they do not have a plural form. It is worth to mention that since they could be described with numbers are in total contradiction with the basic meaning of the indefinite article which means "one" even they are singular in nature. In other words, the main meaning of the indefinite article is a kind of division and separation of an object into small units.

·        I do not want advice or help. "Here the noun advice does not accept any division."

·        I want information.

·        He has had no experience in this sort of work.

§  But these nouns are often preceded by some, any, no, a little, or by nouns such as bit, piece, slice, couple + of. When they take these forms they could be expressed in the plural form.

·        I want a bit of news.

·        I used a cake of soap to clean the room.

·        I took a grain of sand.

·        I wrote in a sheet of paper.

1. 3. 3. before Names of Meals

Ø Generally names of meals do not take the indefinite articles, except when these names are preceded by an adjective or when the meal is special and was given to celebrate something or in some someone honor. See the following examples:

·        We have breakfast at eight. "Only name of  a meal"

·        He gave us a good breakfast. "Adjective followed by name of  a meal"

·        I was invited to dinner. "The ordinary invitation at their house"

·        I was invited to a dinner given to welcome the new ambassador. "Special and one dinner"

1. 4. "A" or "An" and "One"

Note  11: "A" or "An" and "One" Ø We can use either "a /an" or "one" when counting or measuring time, distance, weight etc. so we can use either for the singular. See the examples below: ·        1 euro = a or one hundred dinars ·        1 kilometer = a or one thousand meters ·        1 copybook = a  or one hundred pages Ø But there are some cases where "a" and "one" are not replaceable. See the examples below: ·        The rent is 100 euros a week. "The article "a" before the noun week is not replaceable by one. ·        One shotgun is no good. "I need two or three". Ø One can be used before "day / week / month etc." or before the name of the day or month to denote a particular time when something happened: ·        One night there was a terrible storm. ·        One winter the snow fell early. ·        One day a telegram arrived. "at some past time" ·        One day you'll be sorry you treated him so badly. "At some future tiime and date" Ø "A" or "an" and "one" as pronoun. One is the pronoun equivalent of "a" and "an". The plural of "one" is "some". See the examples below: ·        Did you get a ticket? Yes, I managed to get one. ·        Did you get tickets? Yes, I managed to get some.

 

Summary

The indefinite article can only be used for singular nouns. A noun is indefinite if it does not refer to something specific. “A” is used before a consonant sound (e.g. a uniform), and “an” is used before a vowel sound (e.g. an hour).  The indefinite article is used before:

Uses of the Indefinite Article
N	Uses	Examples
1	Indefinite article ‘a’ is used before a singular countable noun beginning with a consonant sound.	a cow, a desk, a house, a one eyed man, a university boy
2	Indefinite article ‘an’ is used before a singular countable noun beginning with a vowel sound.	an elephant, an umbrella, an aero plane, an orange, an applicant
3	Indefinite article 'a' 'an' is used with English alphabets and abbreviations when they are separately read out.	an MA, an MP, an MBBS, an HA, an FM, an LLM
4	The indefinite article is used with the singular noun that can be counted:	A serpent is not a dangerous reptile.
5	It is also used before a noun even if the noun is preceded by an adjective:	He is an intelligent boy.
6	Indefinite article 'a' 'an' is used when a noun belongs to a group/community, profession and expresses the meaning ‘a kind of’ even though they are uncountable nouns	The nation is looking for a new president from its population. Noam Chomsky is a linguist. Bill Gates is an entrepreneur.
7	a singular noun which is mentioned for the first time	A uniform is necessity if you are a student.
8	the first mention of something which is part of a whole	A piece of information a molecule of oxygen
9	what a thing or person is description and profession, nationality	My son is a doctor. The sun is a star.
10	classification when the noun is a member  from a class  or group that  it belongs to	The president of the nation is a university teacher.
11	generic reference for representation	A mother knows her child.
12	'A' 'an' is used when talking about prices, quantities and rates.	I can type 50 words a minute. He was driving at 50 miles an hour
13	a measurement, rate or expression of frequency	three times an hour this meeting is an hour long
14	exclamation in which the noun is indefinite and singular	“What an awful shock!” “That’s a pity!”
15	The form .a. is used in the sense of .per.:	Potatoes sell at three rupees a kilogram.
16	It is used in exclamations before singular countable nouns:	What a fine weather!
17	It is used with Mr./Mrs./Miss followed by surname to indicate that the person referred to is a stranger to the reporter:	A Miss Sharma called up when you were away.
18	It is used in expressions using .so. and placed between the adjective and the noun:	Have you ever met so great a musician?

 

Omissions of the indefinite Article
N	Omissions	Examples
1	The indefinite article is not used before plural nouns as it does not have any plural form:	Lions inhabit jungles.
2	It is not used before certain uncountable nouns:	I do not need your advice
3	It is not used with abstract nouns:	A thing of beauty is joy for ever.

 

Exercise 1

Instruction: Insert either the Indefinite Article "a" and "an" or Zero article "0" in the Space provided whenever it is Necessary with Justification.

1.     My friend is …1…….English teacher who knows a lot about English pronunciation system. We can ask him about……2…. vowels of English. …3…….vowels are very important sounds for good pronunciation.

2.     ……4…….child needs support and love from his parents. Generally, it is known that ……5……children need such love and support for their future personality.

3.     ……5…… penguin is a small black and white bird. The penguin can fly along distant places and due to this quality one of famous edition houses is named as penguin.

4.     I would like to go to the cinema to see …7…..movie. …8………movies are useful in leisure time.

5.     There are any interesting banks here. I need…9…..bank to get...…10…credit for my project.

Exercise 2

Instruction: Insert a or an in the blank spaces in the following sentences:

1.     ……………… elephant is a very strong animal.

2.     He had always hoped that his son would go to…………..university.

3.     Italy is…………....European country.

4.     I shall be back in less than……………..hour.

5.     Is there…………...hospital in this town?

6.     Everyone respects……………..honest person.

7.     By……………..united effort we may achieve success.

8.     I like to give……………..useful present.

9.     I understand he is to marry…………..heiress.

10.  ……………. honor was conferred on him for his services to his country.

11. . We stayed at…………….hotel in the center of the town.

12. It is ……………...great honor to be invite to such a gather.

13. The door was opened by………………....servant.

14.  ………………....honorary secretary is one who is not paid for his services.

15. He was carrying……………....heavy load.

Exercise 3

Instruction: Complete the following sentences by inserting in the blank spaces the words or phrases given in brackets, either with or without the article a or an (whichever you think correct). If you insert a or an, make sure you put it in the right place.

1.     Paris York is…………..(large city)

2.     Bernard Shaw was…………...(famous English dramatist)

3.     Ice is…………...frozen water)

4.     We have had……………..(very tiring journey)

5.     I have never known such...................(hot weather)

6.     Have you ever seen so…………….....as that? (tall man)

7.     I have never heard such……………..(absurd story)

8.     We shall get…………...next year. (longer holiday)

9.     It gives me……………...to do it. (pleasure)

10. He took…………...over the work. (great care)

11. My younger brother is…………....(student)

12. He hopes to become…………….when he has finished his course. (teacher)

13. Algeria is…………...country. (very large)

14. Ann's ………….. ambition is to be...(engineer)

15. I had never been in so…………....before. (large house)