Plan: - What is the article?
- When do we omit the article?
What is the article? The article is a structural part of speech used with nouns. There are two articles in Modem English: the indefinite article and the definite article. - The indefinite article has the forms a and an. The form a is used before words beginning with a consonant sound (a table, a pen, a university). The form an is used before words beginning with a vowel sound (an apron, an institute, an hour).
- The definite article has one form the.The use of the indefinite article implies that the object is presented as belonging to a class. The use of the definite article shows that a particular object is meant.
When do we omit the article? - We don’t use an article before plural nouns and singular uncountable nouns when we use them in a general sense. e.g. Books are very important to us. Water is the best thing to have when you are thirsty.
- We don’t use an article with meals. e.g. Have you had dinner yet? (But That was a delicious dinner).
- No article is used with nouns denoting subjects and sciences. e.g. I like lessons in physics.
- The nouns man and woman take no article when used in a collective or abstract sense. The same applies to mankind and humanity. e.g. … the works of nature are upon the Earth for the benefit of man. The great adventure of mankind.
Continue - The nounsfather, mother, aunt, etc. (also cook, nurse in the sense ‘our cook ’,‘our nurse ’) take no article when mentioned by the members of a family. e.g. I should have talked to Mother if I had thought of it.
- A few nouns denoting time, especially in connection with school (term, break, preparation) are used without the article. e.g. It was the end of term.
- Languages don’t take any articles if they are not followed by the word language.In other cases the definite article is used. e.g. Spanish is spoken by about 300 million people. The English language is the world language.
Next - Activities do not take articles. e.g. Speaking is not permitted during the examination.
- Zero article is used with names, but the is used with titles. e.g. Carol Parker is the Minister of Communications.
- No article is used with general historical references. e.g. Prehistoric Europe Ancient Rome is a fascinating period of history.
- We don’t use an article with by item of transport. e.g. Do you go by bus to the university?
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