THE MYNISTRY OF EDUCATION AND YOUTH OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA PEDAGOGICAL STATE UNIVERSITY “ION CREANGA” THE FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE THE ENGLISH PHILOLGY CHAIR

COURSE PAPER
THE MODES OF USING THE DEFINITE ARTICLE IN ENGLISH BASED UPON SHORT STORIES BY AGATHA CHRISTIE.

Written by: Popusoi Veronica Student of Group №304 en./sp. Scientific advisor: Vasilache A. Senior – lecturer of English

CHISINAU 2014 CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………p. 3
CHAPTER ONE. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE CATEGORY OF ARTICLE in English.…………………………………………………..p. 5
1.1 Article. General notion. ……………………………...…...………….p. 5
1.2 The Functions of the Definite Article in English……………...…………...p. 7
1.3The Usage of the Definite Article with Class Nouns in English…p.9
CHAPTER TWO. DEFINITE ARTICLE IN USE………………………..p.24
2.1 Practical aspects of Using Definite Article in English..……...p.24
2.2 The Use of Definite Articles in Stories by Agatha Christie..p..32

CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………p.37
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………............p. 38
APPENDIX …………………………………………………………………..p. 44

Introduction
Though the article is the part of speech that contains only two words it presents a great difficulty for a student of English. A foreigner can always be told by his wrong use of article. Mistakes in the use of articles are considered to be the most difficult to be corrected. Numerous works devoted to this part of speech have certainly contributed to its better understanding but a great number of problems are still waiting for their further study and solutions. One of these problems deals with the contextual use of articles and the ways they may be translated into other languages. This research is topical for a number of reasons. First, no matter how many studies have been made in this area the problems relevant to its translation haven't been studied properly. Second, further development of linguistics and other areas relevant to this branch of science call for new approaches to the study of even most traditional aspects of modern grammar. In addition, the study of articles and their contextual meaning and ways they are translated into other languages is of great value of teaching methods.
The object of this research is English articles.
The subject of the research is a study of use of English articles in various contexts and its translation into Romanian.
The goal of our work is to make a systematic study of English articles, their contextual use and ways they are translated into Romanian.
In compliance with the goal the following objectives are to be solved:
1. To determine the place of the English articles in the system of the English language and to cover some theoretical questions concerned with the object of the research.
2. To study a typical use of articles and its special difficulties.
3. To analyze contextual meanings of the English articles and ways of their translation into Romanian.
4. To develop a set of exercises aimed at improving students' skills in the use of the English articles.
The goal and the objectives of the research determine the structure of our work.
It consists of an introduction, 2 parts, conclusion and a list of literature.
More than 50 manuals, articles and other types of educational and research papers served as the material for our analyses. Besides, the use of articles in the works of A. Christie and their translation served for our analyses in the practical part of the work.
A set of linguistic methods including a descriptive, analytical, contextual analysis was used in the course of our study. In addition a translational method was intensively used while analyzing the contextual peculiarities of the article and determining typical ways of their translation into Romanian.
The first part of the work deals with the general theoretical principles relevant to the English article and to the description of its traditional difficulties. Part II is devoted to the study of contextual semantic characteristics of English articles and the ways they are translated into Romanian, teaching aspects of the article are discussed in part two, too. Here a set of exercises aimed at improving students' skills in the use of the English articles is also offered.
The objectives here are to provide an interpretation of the results and support for all of efforts, using evidence from experience and generally accepted knowledge, if appropriate. The significance of findings will be clearly described. This topic presents a great interest and importance for everyday usage of English and it can be used not just for the research scopes but also for the teaching process of the language to the beginners, especially. At the same time, it can be used by students knowing English already, but acquiring the systematization of their skills of using English in theory and in practice.
CHAPTER ONE. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE CATEGORY OF ARTICLE in English. 1.1 Article. General notion.
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun and to specify the volume or numerical scope of that reference. Article can be also thought of as a special kind of adjective, because it combines with a noun and contributes to the meaning of the noun-phrase. Many linguists place the article in the category of determiners. M. Ia. Blokh in his book “Theoretical Grammar of the English Language” says “The article is a determining unit of specific nature accompanying the noun in communicative collocation.” The linguists L. A. Barmina and I. P. Verkhovskaya have the same idea about the article as a determiner. They attribute it to a syntactic class of words called determiners which modify a noun. The dictionary of Thesaurus gives the definition of the word “article” as a determiner that may indicate the specificity of reference of a noun phrase. Webster's New World College Dictionary refers to the article as used as adjectives. Also in this context we would like to add the words of the linguist B. Ilyish who devoted a whole chapter of his book “Stroi sovremennogo angliyskogo eazika” to the study of the article. He remarks that the article is usually a separate unit which may be divided from its noun by other words, chiefly adjectives. So, we may conclude that the first feature of the article can be that the article is a determiner of the noun that refers to, that is why it can have some functions of an adjective and it is used as a separate unit. Another feature of the article is that articles, definite or indefinite, are traditionally considered to form a separate part of speech. V. L. Kaushanskaya in her book “The Grammar of the English Language” specifies the article as a structural part of speech. In E. M. Gordon's book “A Grammar of Present-Day English” we also meet the notion of a structural word as the linguist gives the following definition of the article: “The article is a structural word specifying the noun”. According to these two definitions we can define the second feature of the article - it is a structural word. Judging upon the definitions given by the different linguists and the dictionaries listed above we can draw a conclusion and deduce a general definition for the article that would include all its features: An article is a structural part of speech, which is combined with a noun to determine it.
There are two articles in Modern English which are called the indefinite and the definite article. The absence of the article, which may be called the zero article, also specifies the noun and has significance.
The indefinite article has the forms a and an. The form a is used before words beginning with a consonant sound (a book, a table, a door). The form an is used before words beginning with a vowel sound (an apple, an hour, an aim).
The definite article has one graphic form the, which is pronounced in two ways: before a vowel sound and before a consonant sound. This article is used before nouns in the plural, as well as before nouns in the singular number.
Examining the definite article by M.A. Gashina's book “English Grammar Higher School” we find some words about its history. The linguist says that the definite article the is a weakened form of the Old English demonstrative pronoun se (nominative se; dative m; accusative one, etc.) which in Old English, besides the function of a demonstrative, had also the function of the definite article. The form “se” was in the masculine gender, “seo”- feminine, and “t”- neuter.

1.2 The Functions of the Definite Article in English.
For revealing the functions of the English definite article we consulted the books of the following linguists as M.Ia. Blokh, E.M. Gordon and Barmina and Verkhovskaya. After studying Barmina and Verkhovskaya's theory on the article we can ascertain some functions of the definite article. According to the linguists it can have: - the morphologic function that consists in serving as a formal indicator of the noun: the presence of the article signals that what follows is a noun. As to syntactic function, the definite article may connect sentences within a text by correlating a noun it modifies with some word or a group of words in the previous context. In the example below the definite article has the connecting function.
John has brought a book. The book is interesting.
M. Ia. Blokh mentions that the definite article expresses the identification or individualization of the referent of the noun: the use of this article shows that the object denoted is taken in its concrete, individual quality. E. M. Gordon also mentions the idea of individualization. He distinguishes the following functions of the definite article.
When used with countable nouns, either concrete or abstract, the English definite article has two distinct functions:
1) It may be used with singular and plural nouns to show that the noun denotes a particular object (a thing, a person, an animal or an abstract notion) or a group of objects as distinct from the others of the same kind. In other words, the definite article serves to single out an object or several objects from all the other objects of the same class. This function is called the individualized function of the definite article.
e. g. The car stopped. Paul got out and stretched himself.
2) The definite article may also have the generic function with countable nouns.
With nouns in the singular it serves to indicate that the noun becomes a composite image of the class.
e.g. The tiger has always had the reputation of being a man-eater.
With uncountable nouns, the function of the definite article can be called restricting. The definite article restricts the material denoted by a concrete uncountable noun to a definite quantity, portion or to a definite locality (a); it also restricts the abstract notion expressed by an uncountable noun to a particular instance (b).
e.g. a) As we came out into the cold damp air, she shivered.
b) The work seemed to consist chiefly on interviewing young women for jobs in department stores.
We are mostly concerned in the functions of the definite article with countable nouns. Thus, we learned that the definite article has two functions with countable nouns: individualized and generic functions. In the first case it distinguishes one object from the others of the same kind, in the second it serves to present an object instead of the whole class as compared to other classes. As it was stated the definite article is used before the nouns in singular and plural. The definite article can be used with different types of nouns: proper nouns and common nouns. We are mostly interested in the use of the definite article with common nouns namely the use of the definite article with class nouns. Class nouns are the nouns that denote persons or things belonging to a class. They are countable and have two numbers: singular and plural. For defining the general rules of the definite article's usage with class nouns we consulted the books on the English grammar of several linguists: V. L. Kaushanskaya, E. M. Gordon, Gashina, L. A. Barmina and I. P. Verkhovskaya. After looking up Kaushanskaya's, Gashina's and Vasilevskaya's books we singled out the following cases of the usage of the definite article with class nouns.
1.3 The Usage of the Definite Article with Class Nouns in English.
The definite article can be used with class nouns:
1. When a class-noun denotes an object which is regarded by the speaker as a definite object distinct from all other objects of a certain class. The context or the whole situation shows that the speaker has a definite object in mind and therefore uses the definite article. An object is singled out in the following cases:
a) when the speaker and the hearer know what particular object is meant. No special indication is necessary.
How did you like the play?
That means that interlocutors know which play they are talking about. In this case the is a kind of indicator.
b) when the speaker uses an attribute pointing out a particular object. Such an attribute might be called a particularizing attribute. A particularizing attribute is used to single out an object from all the objects of the class, to point out one particular object or group of objects. A particularizing attribute can be expressed by an “of”-phrase or an attributive clause. It is always used in post-position.
e. g.: He knocked at the door of a very neat house.
The letters that I have here have come to me quite by accident.
When a noun is used with an attribute it is clear that one certain object from the whole group is meant. The definite article precedes the noun thus helping the reader to figure out that object.
c) when the situation itself makes the object definite.
e. g.: The wedding looked dismal. The bride was too old and the bridegroom was too young.
From this example we understand that not any bride and bridegroom are meant, but those from the dismal wedding.
When an object is singled out from all the objects of a given class the definite article retains its demonstrative meaning, and the English use the definite article much oftener than the demonstrative pronouns this or that. This can be explained by the easiness in pronunciation. Analyzing all these three instances we notice that the is used mostly in the function of a determinative to distinguish an object from a number of objects similar to it.
2. The definite article is used with class nouns which denote things considered to be unique, such as the earth, the sun, the moon. Here we have a special case: the class consists only of one representative, and therefore the object denoted by the noun is always definite in our mind.
e. g. The earth and the sky were already beginning to be enriched with the evening (Chesterton).
3. With nouns used in a generic sense.
A singular countable noun with a definite article may represent a whole class of objects, thus becoming a composite image of that class (but not a typical representative). A noun in this function is called a generic singular. A noun used in a generic sense denotes a genus taken as a whole, a thing taken as a type, a genre.
e. g. The violet is a lovely flower.
The tragedy and the comedy first appeared in Greece.
Note 1. It is also sometimes possible to use the indefinite article in similar cases.
e. g. A violet is a lovely flower.
This use of the indefinite article is not to be identified, however, with the generic function of the definite article. The indefinite article is used here in its nominating function, implying any representative of the class. Hence the use of the indefinite article is not equivalent to that of the definite article when the noun is used as a composite image of a whole class. For that reason the indefinite article is not possible in the following sentences:
e. g. Now the horse has been replaced by the tractor.
“In this lecture I am going to speak about the article in English”, said the professor.
Note 2. When the noun man in a generic sense no article is used.
e. g. Silas felt that his trust in man had been cruelly destroyed. (Eliot)
When the noun woman is used in a generic sense it is used with the definite article or occasionally without an article.
e. g. He had always been interested in that mysterious being the woman.
(Bennett)
Woman is man's helpmate.
A noun used in a generic sense should not be confused with a noun used in a general sense.
A noun used in a general sense denotes an object regarded as an individual representative of a class.
e. g. A detective story helps to while away the time.
(Every or any detective story is meant here).
A noun in a generic sense denotes the whole class.
e. g. Conan Doyle is a master of the detective story.
(The detective story is regarded here as a certain genre).
These are all the cases of the usage of the definite article with class nouns according to Kaushanskaya. Looking over Gordon's and Barmina's books on grammar of the English language we can notice that they make a more detailed examination of the usage of the definite article with class nouns used with attributes. E. M. Gordon mentions that since the choice of articles is determined by the context or the general situation, we should take into consideration attributes modifying the noun. He distinguishes two kinds of attributes: limiting and descriptive.
A l i m i t i n g attribute indicates such a quality or characteristic of an object (or a group of objects) which makes it distinct from all other objects of the class.
A d e s c r i p t i v e attribute is used to describe an object (or a group of objects) or give additional information about it. This kind of attribute does not single out an object (or a group of objects) but only narrows the class to which it belongs.
The linguist states that nouns modified by limiting attributes are used with the definite article and nouns modified by descriptive attributes may be used with either the indefinite or the definite articles, as the choice of articles for countable nouns is not affected by this kind of attribute. So, we can make the conclusion that in the majority of cases when nouns are modified by a limited attribute it is used with the definite article, but it appears that it can be used with nouns modified by the descriptive attributes.
We examined all the cases when the definite article is used with nouns modified by both kinds of attributes and selected only those that refer to the usage of the definite article with class nouns.
1)The use of the definite article with class nouns modified by adjectives.
The definite article in such case is accounted for by the situation but not by the attribute:
e. g. The woman looked at me shrewdly and there was a glint of humour in the dark eyes.
Adjectives in the superlative degree, however, are always limiting attributes. That is why nouns modified by the adjectives in the superlative degree are always used with the definite article:
e.g. She was the smartest girl.
Some adjectives, adjective pronouns and adjectivized ing-forms always serve as limiting attributes. The definite article is used before the nouns modified by them. The most important of them are: right and wrong, very, only, main, principal, central, left and right, same, coming, following, present, former and latter.
e. g. My mother was the only person whom I told what had happened.
Note 1: Class nouns modified by the adjectives next and last are generally used with the definite article, especially when they are followed by an ordinal numeral the definite article is obligatory.
e. g. We shall probably eat at the next table to him.
Note 2: The definite article is used with a singular class noun modified by other if there are only two objects of the same description.
e. g. He pulled on the other glove and said he would run along to his office.
The definite article is used with a plural class noun modified by other if there is a definite number of objects divided into two definite groups.
e. g. My mother needed me more than the other members of the family.
Alongside to these kinds of adjectives proposed by Gordon Barmina and Verkhovskaya give one more case of the use of the definite article with class nouns modified by the adjectives that are postposed, i.e. they can follow the noun they qualify. Postposition is characteristic for such adjectives and adjectivized participles as absent, present, proper, involved, concerned and some others that function as limiting attributes.
e. g. The delegates present discussed the agenda of the conference.
2) The use of the definite article with class nouns modified by numerals.
If a class noun modified by a cardinal numeral is used with the definite article, this is accounted for by the situation or context.
e. g. By candlelight the two men seemed of an age if indeed not of the same family.
Ordinal numerals are usually limiting attributes, so the nouns they precede are used with definite article.
e.g. “It's the fourth room down the corridor,” the clerk said.
Note 1: This rule does not apply to the numeral the first. The combination a first night and a first prize are to be regarded as set phrases.
Note 2: It is important to remember the use of articles in the following patterns with nouns
Modified by cardinal and ordinal numerals: the third chapter but chapter 3 (three), the fifth page but page 5 (five).
3) The use of the definite article with class nouns modified by participles.
The definite article can be used with class nouns modified by participles but it is usually accounted for by the context or the general situation.
e.g. At the corner of the street there shone the lighted windows of a club.
4) The use of the definite article with class nouns modified by ing-forms when they have the limiting meaning.
e.g. He took the path leading to the lonely cottage.
5) The use of the definite article with class nouns modified by infinitives.
Attributes expressed by infinitives tend to be descriptive and the nouns modified by them are used with the indefinite article. Yet, sometimes, depending on the general situation or context, the infinitive may become a limiting attribute. Thus, the definite article is used.
e.g. “May be he is the man to ask about work,” she thought.
6) The use of the definite article with class nouns modified by clauses.
According to Gordon nouns can be modified by two kinds of clauses - attributive and appositive. As appositive clauses modify only certain abstract nouns we are not going to discuss them. But as for the attributive clauses Gordon divides them into non-defining clauses and defining clauses. Non-defining clauses are those that can be removed from the sentence without destroying its meaning. They are marked by a pause separating them from the principal clause. In writing they may be separated by a comma. Non-defining clauses are always descriptive and in the majority of cases are used with the indefinite article.
Defining clauses are so closely connected with the antecedent that they cannot be left out without destroying the meaning of the sentence. There is no pause between this kind of clause and the principal clause, and in writing they are never marked off by comma. Defining attributes may be limiting or descriptive, depending on situation or context.
Barmina and Verkhovskaya do not give such a classification for the clauses. They say that the attributive clauses may be limiting or descriptive.
Anyway, all the linguists come to the conclusion that when the attributive clauses are limiting, the definite article is used with the antecedent.
e.g. He took the cigarette that Robert offered him.
7) The use of the definite article with class nouns modified by nouns in the common case.
Attributes expressed by nouns in the common case are usually descriptive and the indefinite article is used. The definite article also can be used but this is accounted for by situation.
e.g. Lanny looked at the dining-room window and smiled.
8) The use of the definite article with class nouns modified by class nouns in the genitive case.
The meanings of the definite article used with nouns in the genitive case are the same as with nouns in the common case:
a) the specifying meaning which denotes a particular person or thing, as in: my mother's picture, the river's bed.
b) the generic meaning:
I stand in the place of the doctor. The doctor first diagnoses the patient's disorder (=the disorder the patient suffers from), then he recommends a course of treatment.
9) The use of the definite article with class nouns modified by prepositional phrases.
A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition followed by a noun (at the window). A prepositional phrase may be used as a) a limiting or b) a descriptive attribute. Being used as a limiting prepositional phrase it requires the use of the definite article:
e.g. He always felt ill at ease among the callers at his sister's house.
Within this type of attributes special consideration should be given to the so-called of-phrase which is very common. Kaushanskaya calls of-phrase attributes as particularizing attributes.
As limiting of-phrase express a great variety of meanings there is no point in classifying them. The most common types of combinations with the class nouns are: the house of my neighbor, the wife of a miner, the foot of a mountain, the collar of a shirt, the shadow of a tree.
If the head-noun denotes an object which is the only bearer of the property expressed by the of-phrase, the definite article is used: the president of the club, the glow of a lamp, the murderer of Caesar, the monitor of the group, etc.
But if there are many objects of the same description, the indefinite article is used.
Sometimes, however, the definite article is used, alongside of the indefinite article, even if there is more than one object of the same description. This occurs when there is a d e f i n i t e number of component parts: the (a)leg of the table, the (a)wheel of the car, the (an) ear of a dog.
· The definite article is found in the following patterns in which an of-phrase is preceded by one, some, any, each, many, most, none, all, several, the last, the rest, the majority. e.g. “One of the letters is from Tom,” she said. Certain Peculiarities in the Use of the Definite Article.
Besides the cases of the usage of the definite article with class nouns listed above we should remark that there are certain instances of the use of the definite article which are to be regarded as a matter of tradition. E. M. Gordon distinguishes two cases: 1) the definite article used by reason of locality, e.g. with reference to objects that surround the speaker (or the people and things described by him). This usually refers to objects either indoors (e.g. the corner, the window, the table, the door, the wall,etc.) or out- of-doors (e.g. the stars, the trees, the flowers, the houses, the leaves, the birds, the bees, etc.)
e.g. As I came up our street, I saw my mother and my brother waving from the window.
The trees swayed to and fro under the grey sky.
2) The definite article is used with class nouns denoting objects that are normally found in a particular place. For example, when we speak about the cinema or the theatre we say: “I couldn't find my seat and asked the attendant to help me.”
The Article is a determining unit of a specific nature accompanying the noun in communicative collocation. Its special character is clearly seen against the background of determining words of half-notional semantics [50, c. 179]. Whereas the function of the determiners such as this, any, some is to explicitly interpret the referent of the noun in relation to other objects or phenomena of a like kind, the semantic purpose of the article is to specify the nounal referent, as it were, altogether unostentatiously, to define it in the most general way, without any explicitly expressed contrasts.
This becomes obvious when we take the simplest examples ready at hand. Cf.: Will you give me this pen, Willy? (i.e. the pen that I am pointing out, not one of your choice.) - Will you give me the pen, please? (i.e. simply the pen from the desk, you understand which). Any blade will do, I only want it for scratching out the wrong word from the type-script. (i.e. any blade of the stock, however blunt it -may be.) - Have you got something sharp? I need a penknife of' a blade. (i.e. simply a blade, if not a knife, without additional implications.) Some woman called in your absence, she didn't give her name (i.e. a woman strange to me). - A woman called while you were out, she left a message (i.e. simply a woman, without a further connotation.) Another peculiarity of the article, as different from the determiners in question, is that, in the absence of a determiner, the use of the article with the noun is quite obligatory, in so far as the cases of non-use of the article are subject to no less definite rules than the use of it. Taking into consideration these peculiar features of the article, the linguist is called upon to make a sound statement about its segmental status in the system of morphology. Namely, his task is to decide whether the article is a purely auxiliary element of a special grammatical form of the noun which functions as a component of a definite morphological category, or it is a separate word, i.e. a lexical unit in the determiner word set, if of a more abstract meaning than other determiners. The problem is a vexed one; it has inspired an intensive research activity in the field, as well as an animated discussion with various pros and cons affirmed, refuted and re-affirmed. In the course of these investigations, however, many positive facts about articles have been established, which at present enables an observer, proceeding from the systemic principle in its paradigmatic interpretation, to expose the status of the article with an attempt at demonstrative conviction. To arrive at a definite decision, we propose to consider the properties of the English articles at four successive stages, beginning with their semantic evaluation as such, then adding to the obtained data a situational estimation of their uses, thereafter analysing their categorial features in the light of the oppositional theory, and finally concluding the investigation by a paradigmatic generalization. A mere semantic observation of the articles in English, i.e. the definite article the and the indefinite article a/an, at once discloses not two but three meaningful characterizations of the nounal referent achieved by their correlative functioning, namely: one rendered by the definite article, one rendered by the indefinite article, and one rendered by the absence (or non-use) of the article. Let us examine them separately.
The definite article expresses the identification or individualization of the referent of the noun: the use of this article shows that the object denoted is taken in its concrete, individual quality. This meaning can be brought to explicit exposition by a substitution test. The test consists in replacing the article used in a construction by a demonstrative word, e.g. a demonstrative determiner, without causing a principal change in the general implication of the construction. Of course, such an "equivalent" substitution should be understood in fact as nothing else but analogy: the difference in meaning between a determiner and an article admits of no argument, and we pointed it out in the above passages. Still, the replacements of words as a special diagnostic procedure, which is applied with the necessary reservations and according to a planned scheme of research, is quite permissible. In our case it undoubtedly shows a direct relationship in the meanings of the determiner and the article, the relationship in which the determiner is semantically the more explicit element of the two. Cf.:
But look at the apple-tree! - But look at this apple-tree! The town lay still in the Indian summer sun. - That town lay still in the Indian summer sun. The water is horribly hot. - This water is horribly hot. It's the girls who are to blame. - It's those girls who are to blame.
The justification of the applied substitution, as well as its explanatory character, may be proved by a counter-test, namely, by the change of the definite article into the indefinite article, or by omitting the article altogether [50, c.181] The replacement either produces a radical, i.e. "non-equivalent" shift in the meaning of the construction, or else results in a grammatically unacceptable construction. Cf.: ... - Look at an apple-tree! - Look at apple-tree! ... - A water is horribly hot. - Water is horribly hot.
The indefinite article, as different from the definite article, is commonly interpreted as referring the object denoted by the noun to a certain class of similar objects; in other words, the indefinite article expresses a classifying generalization of the nounal referent, or takes it in a relatively general sense. To prove its relatively generalizing functional meaning, we may use the diagnostic insertions of specifying-classifying phrases into the construction in question; we may also employ the transformation of implicit comparative constructions with the indefinite article into the corresponding explicit coparative constructions. Cf.:
We passed a water-mill. - We passed a certain water-mill. It is a very young country, isn't it? - It is a very young kind of country, isn't it? What an arrangement! - What sort of arrangement! This child is a positive nightmare. - This child is positively like a nightmare.
The procedure of a classifying contrast employed in practical textbooks exposes the generalizing nature of the indefinite article most clearly in many eases of its use. E.g.:
A door opened in the wall. - A door (not a window) opened in the wall. We saw a flower under the bush. - We saw a flower (not a strawberry) under the bush.
As for the various uses of nouns without an article, from the semantic point of view they all should be divided into two types. In the first place, there are uses where the articles are deliberately omitted out of stylistical considerations. We see such uses, for instance, in telegraphic speech, in titles and headlines, in various notices. E.g.:
Telegram received room reserved for week-end. (The text of a telegram.) Conference adjourned until further notice. (The text of an announcement.) Big red bus rushes food to strikers. (The title of a newspaper article.)
The purposeful elliptical omission of the article in cases like that is quite obvious, and the omitted articles may easily be restored in the constructions in the simplest "back-directed" refilling procedures.
Cf. - The telegram is received, a room is reserved for the weekend. ... - The conference is adjourned until further notice. ... - A big red bus rushes food to the strikers.
Alongside free elliptical constructions, there are cases of the semantically unspecified non-use of the article in various combinations of fixed type, such as prepositional- phrases (on fire, at hand, in debt, etc.), fixed verbal collocations (take place, make use, cast anchor, etc.), descriptive coordinative groups and repetition groups (man and wife, dog and gun, day by day, etc.), and the like. These cases of traditionally fixed absence of the article are quite similar to the cases of traditionally fixed uses of both indefinite and definite articles (cf.: in a hurry, at a loss, have a look, give a start, etc.; In the main, out of the question, on the look-out, etc.).
Outside the elliptical constructions and fixed uses, however, we know a really semantic absence of the article with the noun. It is this semantic absence of the article that stands in immediate meaningful correlation with the definite and indefinite articles as such.
As is widely acknowledged, the meaningful non-uses of the article are not homogeneous; nevertheless, they admit of a very explicit classification founded on the countability characteristics of the noun. Why countability characteristics? For the two reasons. The first reason is inherent in the nature of the noun itself: the abstract generalization reflected through the meaningful non-use of the article is connected with the suppression of the idea of the number in the noun. The second reason is inherent in the nature of the article: the indefinite article which plays the crucial role in the semantic correlation in question reveals the meaning of oneness within its semantic base, having originated from the indefinite pronoun one, and that is why the abstract use of the noun naturally goes with the absence of the article.
The essential points of the said classification are three in number.
First. The meaningful absence of the article before the countable noun in the singular signifies that the noun is taken in an abstract sense, expressing the most general idea of the object denoted. This meaning, which may be called the meaning of "absolute generalization", can be demonstrated by inserting in the tested construction a chosen generalizing modifier (such as in general, in the abstract, in the broadest sense). Cf.:
Law (in general) begins with the beginning of human society. Steam-engine (in general) introduced for locomotion a couple of centuries ago has now become obsolete.
Second. The absence of the article before the uncountable noun corresponds to the two kinds of generalization: both relative and absolute. To decide which of the two meanings is realized in any particular case, the described tests should be carried out alternately. Cf.:
John laughed with great bitterness (that sort of bitterness - relative generalization). The subject of health (in general - absolute generalization) was carefully avoided by everybody. Coffee (a kind of beverage served at the table - relative generalization) or tea, please? Coffee (in general - absolute generalization) stimulates the function of the heart.

CHAPTER TWO. DEFINITE ARTICLE IN USE.
2.1 Practical aspects of Using Definite Article in English.
The absence of the article before the countable noun in the plural, likewise, corresponds to both kinds of generalization, and the exposition of the meaning in each case can be achieved by the same semantic tests. Cf.: Stars, planets and comets (these kinds of objects: relative generalization) are different celestial bodies (not terrestrial bodies: relative generalization). Wars (in general: absolute generalization) should be eliminated as means of deciding international disputes. To distinguish the demonstrated semantic functions of the non-uses of the article by definition, we may say that the absence of the article with uncountable nouns, as well as with countable nouns in the plural, renders the meaning of "uncharacterized generalization", as different from the meaning of "absolute generalization", achieved by the absence of the article with countable nouns in the singular. So much for the semantic evaluation of the articles as the first stage of our study. Passing to the situational assessment of the article uses, we must point out that the basic principle of their differentiation here is not a direct consideration of their meanings, but disclosing the informational characteristics that the article conveys to its noun in concrete contextual conditions. Examined from this angle, the definite article serves as an indicator of the type of nounal information "which is presented as the "facts already known", i.e. as the starting point of the communication. In contrast to this, the indefinite article or the meaningful absence of the article introduces the central communicative nounal part of the sentence, i.e. the part rendering the immediate informative data to be conveyed from the speaker to the listener. In the situational study of syntax the starting point of the communication is called its "theme", while the central informative part is called its "rheme". In accord with the said situational functions, the typical syntactic position of the noun modified by the definite article is the "thematic" subject, while the typical syntactic position of the noun modified by the indefinite article or by the meaningful absence of the article is the "rhematic" predicative. Cf:. The day (subject) was drawing to a close, the busy noises of the city (subject) were dying down. How to handle the situation was a big question (predicative). The sky was pure gold (predicative) above the setting sun. It should be noted that in many other cases of syntactic use, i.e. non-subjective or non-predicative, the articles reflect the same situational functions. This can be probed by reducing the constructions in question on re-arrangement lines to the logically "canonized" link-type constructions. If you would care to verify the Incident (object), pray do so. -If you would care the incident (subject) to be verified, pray have it verified. I am going to make a rather strange request (object) to you. - What I am going to make is a rather strange request (predicative) to you. You are talking nonsense (object), lad. - What you are talking, lad, is nonsense (predicative).
Another essential contextual-situational characteristic of the articles is their immediate connection with the two types of attributes to the noun. The first type is a "limiting" attribute, which requires the definite article before the noun; the second type is a "descriptive" attribute, which requires the indefinite article or the meaningful absence of the article before the noun. Cf.: The events chronicled in this narrative took place some four years ago. (A limiting attribute) She was a person of strong will and iron self-control. (A descriptive attribute) He listened to her story with grave and kindly attention. (A descriptive attribute)
The role of descriptive attributes in the situational aspect of articles is particularly worthy of note in the constructions of syntactic "convergencies", i.e. chained attributive-repetitional phrases modifying the same referent from different angles. Cf.: My longing for a house, a fine and beautiful house, such a house I could never hope to have, flowered into life again.
We have now come to the third stage of the undertaken analysis of the English articles, namely to their consideration in the light of the oppositional theory. The oppositional examination of any grammatically relevant set of lingual objects is of especial importance from the point of view of the systemic conception of language, since oppositions constitute the basis of the structure of grammatical paradigms.
Bearing in mind the tacts established at the two previous stages of observation, it is easy to see that oppositionally, the article determination of the noun should be divided into two binary correlations connected with each other hierarchically.
The opposition of the higher level operates in the whole system of articles. It contrasts the definite article with the noun against the two other forms of article determination of the noun, i.e. the indefinite article and the meaningful absence of the article. In this opposition the definite article should be interpreted as the strong member by virtue of its identifying and individualizing function, while the other forms of article determination should be interpreted as the weak member, i.e. the member that leaves the feature in question ("identification") unmarked.
The opposition of the lower level operates within the article subsystem that forms the weak member of the upper opposition. This opposition contrasts the two types of generalization, i.e, the relative generalization distinguishing its strong member (the indefinite article plus the meaningful absence of the article as its analogue with uncountable nouns and nouns in the plural) and the absolute, or "abstract" generalization distinguishing the weak member of the opposition (the meaningful absence of the article). It is the oppositional description of the English articles that involves the interprctation of the article non-use as the zero form of the article, since the opposition of the positive exponent of the feature to the negative exponent of the feature (i.e. its absence) realizes an important part of the integral article determination semantics. As for the heterogeneity of functions displayed by the absence of the article, it by no means can be taken as a ground for denying the relevance or expediency of introducing the notion of zero in the article system. As a matter of fact, each of the two essential meanings of this dialectically complex form is clearly revealed in its special oppositional correlation.
The use of the Definite Article.
1. When used with countable nouns, both concrete and abstract, the definite article has two distinct functions.
a) It may be used with singular and plural nouns to show that the noun denotes a particular object (thing, person, animal, abstract notion) or a group of objects as distinct from the others of the same kind. We may also say that the definite article serves to single out an object or several objects from all the other objects of the same class. This function is called the defining function of the definite article. e.g. Ann herself had no doubt of the reason behind Mr. March's invitation. I called at her house on my way home one night, just after we had all received the letters asking us to dine; 1 found Ann alone. For the first time in the years 1 had known her, her courage would not answer her. As we stood on the steps, we felt the smell of fallen leaves coming from the garden.
Sometimes the demonstrative force which is inherent in the definite article owing to its origin becomes quite prominent. This occurs in a number of phrases, such as nothing of the kind, at the time, at the moment, under the circumstances, etc.
As it has been said, the definite article serves to indicate that the noun with which it is associated is not the centre of communication, i.e. that the attention of the speaker is not focused on that object. But it has also been pointed out that the definite article may be associated with a noun which is the centre of communication.
b) The definite article may also have the generic function with countable nouns.
With nouns in the singular it serves to indicate that the noun becomes the symbol of the class, that it is meant as its composite image:
e.g. The tiger has always had the reputation of being a man-eater.
There was a streak of the gambler in her.
With nouns in the plural it is used in this function only when the idea of collectivity is emphasized:
e.g. "I shan't have time for your moral sensitivity, "he said, "until we've beaten the fascists and got a decent world."
2. With uncountable nouns the function of the definite article may be called restricting. The definite article restricts the abstract notion expressed by an uncountable noun to a concrete instance (a); it also restricts the material denoted by a concrete uncountable noun to a definite quantity, portion or to a definite locality
(b):
e.g. a) I did not wish to betray the anxiety 1 felt.
He rested in the certainty that his duty was done.
b) "Robert, "said Aunt Lin, coming in pink and indignant, "did you know that you left the fish on the hall table and : it has soaked through to the mahogany?" As we came out into the cold damp air she shivered.
3. When the definite article is associated with nouns which have no reference to the category of countability it has its defining function. It naturally refers to a definite object, as the noun denotes a thing or notion that is unique:
e.g. The moon set, and in the sky the countless stars shone with their terrifying brilliance.
We each knew that this quarrel was different from those in the past.
Absence of the Article (The Zero Article)
The absence of the article (the zero article) has only one function with common nouns and this is synonymous with the main structural meaning of the indefinite article: it is the nominating function.
This function of the absence of the article may be found with countable nouns in the plural; it is parallel to the use of the indefinite article with singular nouns. But while the indefinite article is associated with the idea of oneness, the zero article always implies more-than-oneness:
e.g. As Robert got out of the car Marion came round the corner of the house, wearing gardening gloves and a very old skirt.
When her friends came to tea, my mother would give me some pennies to buy apples or a magazine.
She sleeps very soundly. She had a splitting headache and took an aspirin and sleeping pills.
The road led across a stream and then through woods and open clearings.
Like the indefinite article, the zero article may convey some additional meanings. It may sometimes express indefiniteness and perform the classifying and the communicating functions.
The nominating function of the zero article is also found with uncountable nouns, both abstract and concrete (names of materials):
e.g. Last night I felt friendship and sympathy for Henry, but today he has become an enemy.
If he is so interested in justice he might do something about that.
Winterbourne asked for water and drank thirstily.
The place smelled of dust.
Some grammars point out the introductory function of the indefinite article and the anaphoric function of the definite article. It is not correct, however, to regard the use of the indefinite article with nouns mentioned for the first time and the use of the definite article to refer back to an object which has already been mentioned as structural meanings inherent in the articles themselves. We rather deal with certain situations here in which the nominating function of the indefinite article and the defining function of the definite article are manifest.
The above description of the various functions of articles and their significant absence may be summed up in the table.
As can be seen from the table, the use of the articles depends on the character of the noun. But in English there are many polysemantic nouns which may be countable in one meaning and uncountable in another. As a result, the functions of the articles vary in accordance with the different meanings in which a noun appears. | | Countable nouns | Uncountable nouns | Nouns having no reference to the category of countability | | The indefinite article | With singular nouns - the nominating function + onenessAdditional functions:1) indefiniteness2) classifying3) communicating4) any5) a certain6) numeric7) the same8) distributive | The aspective functionAdditional functions:communicating | The aspective functionAdditional functions:communicating | | The definite article | With singular and plural nouns1. the defining function2. the generic function | The restricting function | The defining function | | Absence of the article | With plural nouns - the nominating function + more-than-onenessAdditional functions:1) indefiniteness2) classifying3) communicating | The nominating function | | | | | | | |
Note. The above description of the functions of articles shows that their use is built up around a number of oppositions. There arc two main types of these.

2.2 The Use of Definite Articles in Stories by Agatha Christie.
The problem of the article in English is one of the most complicated. There is no single opinion about the functions and the nature of he article. Thus, it was stated that there is the category of definite/indefinite in English. Commonly it is expressed by the articles. There is a connection between the noun and the article. This connection defines the meaning of the noun.
Articles play great stylistic role in the sentence. It is realized by two possible means: either by the violation of the combinability of the morphemes in the word or by violation of the common usage of the forms of noun in the sentence.
As it is known, the proper names are used without the article in English. But there some cases when both definite and indefinite articles can be used with proper names.
The definite article can be used:
· with the surnames in plural
E.g. The Hardys were rather late. (A. Chrisitie)
· with the proper names in singular to define the quality of the person
E.g. He was too proud to creep back to the treacherous Clare (J. Cary); you are not the Andrew Manson I married (A. Cronin); Miss Lemon, the efficient Miss Lemon, had let him down (A. Christie).
· with the surnames to define the person mentioned is a celebrity
e.g. «Know my partner? «
«Old Robinson»
«Yes, the Robinson»
«Don't you know? «
«The notorious Robinson» (J. Conrad)
The indefinite article can also be used with the proper names:
· when the person discussed is unknown to the speaker
E.g. He said: «You have not then had a Captain Curtis staying here? « (A. Christie) When the door of the pub had closed behind him the woman said: «I know a Tommy Flynn». (S. Barstow).
· when we use the surnames and mean the texts, pictures, pieces of music written by the person
e.g. «Have you a Rosetti? « I asked. (The pictures of Rosetti are meant).
· when the estimation is implied
E.g. I do not claim to be a Caruso. (I don't think I sing as perfect as Caruso does).
· when the negative or positive attitude is implied
E.g. I will never marry a Malone or a Sykes -- and no one else will marry me. (Sh. Bronte).
If I were a sculptor [...] I should choose Mr. Neil Gibson as my model. His tall, gaunt, craggy figure had suggestion of hunger and rapacity. An Abraham Lincoln keyed to base uses instead of high ones would give some idea of the man. (A. Conan Doyle).
· with the surnames to imply the relation to the famous family. The estimation component plays a great role here. Usually it is meant that the person discussed has some typical features of the famous family
E.g. Elisabeth was a Tudor.
· in the ironical context
E.g. She was a Dodson (J. Elliot). This surname sound unaristocraticaly, and usage with the indefinite article creates the typical for the satire disharmony.
The usage of the articles with the common names also has some stylistic functions.
The definite article is used with common names:
· while organizing the metaphors
E.g. I will o'ertake thee, Cleopatra,
And weep for my pardon. So it must be, for now
All length is torture! since the torch is out.
(W. Shakespeare)
The definite article used with the word «torch» defines the connection of the word with the context.
In the attributive phrases with the several dependent homogeneous parts of the sentence, they are usually having only one article before the first homogeneous part. However, the second may also possess an article,
E.g. Under the low sky the grass shone with a brilliant, an almost artificial sheen. (C.P.Snow)
The appearance of the second article stresses the importance of the word it is related to.
Sometimes the nouns that are commonly used with the definite article can be used with the indefinite one and as a result of it they get the meaning «one of the possible»,
E.g. A moon was up, had severed all connection with the chimney pots of distant houses (A. Sillitoe).
Either they can be used with zero article,
E.g. A gleam of sun had come, sharpening to his hurrying senses all the beauty of the afternoon. (J. Galsworthy)
The effect of the repeating the article can determine the growing of the narrative importance of the sentence,
E.g. It began to rain slowly and heavily... and her thoughts went down the lane toward the field, the hedge, the trees - oak, beech, elm. (Gr. Greene).
In this case the interchange of the words with and without article either slows the tempo of the narrative, or makes it faster.
Sometimes the rule of the usage the indefinite article with the objects first mentioned is violated. The things can be represented as already known to the listener or reader. Let us compare the extract from J. Galsworthy's novel «The Man of Property» and E.Hemingway's «In Another Country».
E.g. There lived a mistress who would have dwelt daintily on a desert island, a master whose daintiness was, as it were, an investment, cultivated by the owner for his advancement, in accordance with the laws of competition». (J. Galsworthy).
In the fall the war was always there, but we did not go it any more. It was cold in the fall in Milan and the dark came very early. Then the electric lights came on, and it was pleasant along the streets looking in the windows. (E.Hemingway)
As we see, J. Galsworthy has the traditional manner of introducing the objects by the nouns with the indefinite article. E.Hemingway, on the contrary, uses definite articles. Due to this he reaches vividness, emotion tension of the narrative.
The usage of the articles depends also on the functional style of the text. Thus, in the advertisements published in the news- papers all the articles are omitted. It helps to create the telegram-like style,
E.g. Trained nurse with child 2 years seeks post London preferred.
The articles are also omitted in the titles of the news-paper's articles,
E.g. Blaze Kills 15 at Party.
Thus, we can define the main points concerning the usage of the articles. The usage of the articles in English depends on:
· emotional message of the narrative (positive or negative);
· functional style of the narrative;
· metaphorical usage of the word.
Let us regard some more examples taken from the play of Beth Henley «Crimes of the heart».
e.g. I could hardly be blamed for all the skeletons of the MaGraths.
The definite article is used here with the surname in plural in order to indicate the negative attitude of the speaker towards the family mentioned.
E.g. Happy Birthday to Lenny, from the Buck Boyles!
Here the definite article is to indicate the brand of the cookies produced by Buck Boyles.
Conclusion
The results of our research enable us to use them and to draw some general conclusions which can be specified to the following: 1. Article is a determining unit of specific nature accompanying the noun in communicative collocation. Two articles in the English language - definite article the and indefinite one a - have different meanings and different functions. The use of the articles has generally grammatical meaning and falls under definite rules. 2. The definite article has developed from the Old English demonstrative pronoun. Hence the indefinite article originates from the Old English numeral one. 3. The article is a notional part of speech as it posesses three characteristics (the lexico-grammatical meanings of ”(in)definiteness”; the right-hand combinability with nouns; the function of noun specifiers). 4. The syntactical role of the article consists in marking off a noun or a noun phrase as a part of the sentence. 5. The morphological value of the article lies in indicating the substantivization of other parts of speech, mainly adjectives or participles, also pronouns, adverbs, numerals. 6. The main functions of the indefinite article are: classifying, generic and numerical. 7. The two main functions of the definite article are specifying and generic. 8. Since the meaning of the article comes to the fore in certain contexts it should not be ignored in the translation. The analysis of the works of Agatha Christie in English and translated into Romanian showed that translators reproduce the meaning of the definite article through different Romanian attributive pronouns, adjectives, participles, adverbs or cardinal/ordinal numerals. The meanings of the indefinite article are usually expressed through the cardinal numeral one, by the indefinite pronoun, as the demonstrative pronoun, as one of the possessive pronouns, as the negative pronoun, or the negative particle, as different relative adjectives, the most often used being; as different adverbs, as an adjective enforced by an emphatic or some other particle or group of particles, as am interrogative or indefinite pronoun also enforced by some emphatic particles. The value of the topic presents an interest.

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APPENDIX: a - “one”. Don't forget a.
Do you want a cup of tea? (not “Do you want cup of tea?”)
- Alice works in a bank. (not “in bank”)
- I want to ask a question. (not “ask question”)
- When I was a child, I liked reading stories.
- Birmingham is a large city in central England. an (not a) before a/e/i/o/u:
- They lived in an old house.
- A mouse is an animal. It is a small animal.
- Can you give me an example, please?
- This is an interesting book.
- I bought an umbrella and a hat. also an hour (h is not pronounced: an (h)our) but a university a European country
(these words are pronounced “yuniversity”, “yuropean”)
We use a/an for jobs:
- “What is your job?”
- “I am a dentist”
- “What does she do?”
- “She is an engineer” another (an + other) is one word (not “an other”):
- Can I have another cup of tea?
- Open another window. It is very hot.
I. Write a or an.
1. . …a… book
2. …an… old book
3. … window
4. … horse
5. … airport
6. … university
7. … organization
8. … restaurant
9. … Chinese restaurant
10. … Indian restaurant
11. … accident
12. … bad accident
13. … question
14. … important question
15. … hamburger
16. … hour
17. … economic problem
18. … nice evening
II. What are these things? Choose your answer from the list and write a sentence? animal bird flower fruit musical instrument planet river tool game vegetable 1. a duck? It is a bird.
2. the Nile? It …
3. a rabbit? It …
4. tennis? It …
5. a rose? It …
6. a hammer? It …
7. a carrot? It …
8. Mars? It …
9. a trumpet? It …
10. a pear? It …
III. Write sentences from the words in brackets ( ). Write a or an where necessary.
1. (I bought newspaper) I bought a newspaper.
2. (We went to party last night) We went …
3. (My brother is artist) …
4. (It is beautiful day today) …
5. (I ate sandwich and apple) …
6. (Britain is industrial country) …
7. (I had bath this morning) …
8. (Barbara works in office) …
9. (It is very difficult question) …
10. (We stayed at expansive hotel) …
Nouns can be countable and uncountable. Countable nouns - you can count them (cars, bags, flowers, hats, …). Uncountable nouns - you can not count them (water, rain, air, rice, salt, …).
You can not say one, two, three + uncountable nouns.
Uncountable nouns have only one form.
- I have got some money.
- There is not much money in the box.
- Money is not everything.
Do not use a/an + uncountable nouns.
But you can say a piece of …/ a bottle of … etc. + uncountable nouns: a piece of cheese a piece of music a glass of water a bowl of rice a cup of coffee a bottle of milk a game of tennis a can of oil a bar of chocolate
I. There are some words. Some of them are countable and some are uncountable. Write a/an if necessary. bucket sand toothpaste money salt toothbrush cup tea credit card hat soup umbrella
1. salt
2. an umbrella
3. …
4. …
5. …
6. …
7. …
8. …
9. …
10. …
11. …
12. …
II. Some of these sentences need a/an . Some of the sentences are right. Put in a/an where necessary.
1. I have not got car. a car
2. Salt is not expensive. Ok
3. Ann never wears hat. …
4. Are you looking for job? …
5. Mary does not eat meat. …
6. I am going to party tonight. …
7. Do you like cheese? …
8. Do you want cup of coffee? …
9. I never drink milk. …
10. Britain is island. …
11. Jack made very bad mistake. …
12. Everybody needs food. …
13. Can you drive car? …
14. I have got very good idea. … a/an + singular countable nouns (car, apple, shoe etc.):
- I need a new car.
- Would you like an apple? some + plural countable nouns (cars, apples, shoes etc.):
- I need some new shoes.
- Would you like some apples? some + uncountable nouns (water, money, music etc.):
- I need some money.
- Would you like some cheese?
Compare a/an and some:
- She bought a hat, some shoes and some perfume.
- I read a newspaper, wrote some letters and listened to some music.
Many nouns are sometimes countable and sometimes uncountable. For example: a cake some cakes some cake or a piece of cake a chicken some chickens some chicken or a piece of chicken
Be careful with these words - they are usually uncountable in English: bread weather information advice hair furniture paper news
- I am going to buy some bread (or a loaf of bread).
- It is nice weather today.
- I need some information about hotels in London.
- She has got long hair.
I. Write sentences with Would you like a/an …? or Would you like some …? using these words: cheese coffee cigarettes bread chocolate sweets
1. Would you like some cheese?
2. Would you like …
3. Would …
4. …
5. …
6. …
II. Put in a/an or some.
1. I read a newspaper, wrote some letters, and listened to some music.
2. I need … money. I want to buy … food.
3. We met interesting people at the party.
4. She did not eat much for lunch - only … apple and … bread.
5. We live in … big house. There is … nice garden with … beautiful trees.
6. I am going to make … table. First, I need … wood.
7. We talked to her and she gave us … very good advice.
8. I want to write … letter. I need … pen and … paper.
9. We had … nice weather when we were on holiday.
10. I am going to open … window to get … fresh air. | a/an | the | | - They have got a car.(there are many cars and they have got one)- I am writing a letter.(there are many letters and I am writing one)- When we were in London, we stayed at a smallhotel.(there are many small hotels in London)- Rome is a big city in Italy.(there are many big cities in Italy and Rome is one)- Britain is an island.(there are many islands and Britain is one) | - I am going to clean the car tomorrow.(= my car)- I wrote to her but the letter never arrived.(= the letter that I wrote)- We did not enjoy our holiday. The hotelwas terrible.(= our hotel)- Rome is the capital of Italy.(there is only one capital in Italy)- What is the largest island in the world? | | | | |
We say the… when it is clear which thing we mean. For example: the door/the ceiling/the floor/the carpet/the light etc. (of a room) the roof/the garden/the kitchen/the bathroom etc. (of a house) the centre/the station/the airport/the town hall etc. (of a town)
- “Where is Tom?” - “In the garden.” (= the garden of the house)
- I turned off the light, opened the door and went out. (= the light and the door of the room)
- Do you live very far from the centre? (= the centre of your town)
- I would like to speak to the manager, please. (= the manager of this shop)
I. Put in a/an or the.
1. I wrote to her but the letter never arrived.
2. Britain is an island.
3. What is … name of this village?
4. Jane is … very nice person. You must meet her.
5. Montreal is … large city in Canada.
6. What is … largest city in Canada?
7. “What time is it?” ”I do not know. I have not got … watch. ”
8. When I went to Rome, I stayed with … Italian friend of mine.
9. You look very tired. You need … holiday.
10. Do not sit on … floor. It is very dirty.
11. “Let's go to restaurant this evening.” ”That is … good idea.”
12. Can you turn on … radio, please? I want to listen to some music.
13. Tom is in … bathroom. He is having … bath.
14. This is a nice room, but I do not like … colour of … carpet.
15. We live in … old house near … station. It is 2 miles from … centre.
II. Put in a/an or the where necessary in these sentences.
1. I turned off light, opened door and went out. the light the door
2. Excuse me, can I ask question, please? …
3. Alan is best player in our football team. …
4. How far is it from here to airport? …
5. Enjoy your holiday and do not forget to send me postcard! …
6. Have you got ticket for concert tomorrow night? …
7. What is name of director of film we saw last night?
8. Yesterday I bought jacket and shirt. Jacket was cheap but shirt was expensive. …
9. Peter and Mary have two children, boy and girl. Boy is seven years old and girl is three.
III. Complete the sentences. Use a/an or the + one of these words: bicycle capital cigarette play difficult language kitchen nice day next train roof small hotel
1. Rome is the capital of Italy.
2. When we were in London, we stayed at a small hotel.
3. Can you ride … ?
4. What is that man doing on … of that house? Is he repairing something?
5. We went to the theatre last night but … was not very good.
6. Do you think English is … for people to learn?
7. ”Would you like … ?” ”No, thanks. I do not smoke.”
8. ”Where is Jack?” ”He is cooking something.”
9. Excuse me, what time is … to London?
10. It is … today. Let us go out.
The - it is clear which thing or person we mean
- Rome is the capital of Italy.
- What is the name of the village?
- Excuse me, where is the nearest bank?
Do not forget the:
- Do you live near the city center?
- Which is the best restaurant in this town? the top of …/ the end of … etc.
- Write your name at the top of the page.
- The beginning of the film was not very good.
- My house is at the end of the street. the same
- We live in the same street.
- These books are not different. They are the same.
Not that we say: the sun/ the moon/ the world/ the sky/ the sea/ the ground/ the country
- The sky is blue and the sun is shining.
- I like swimming in the sea.
- They live in a town but they want to live in the country. the police/ the fire brigade/ the army(of a city, country etc.)
- My brother is a soldier. He is in the army. the piano/ the guitar/ the trumpet etc. (musical instruments):
- Tom is learning to play the piano. the radio but television (without the):
- I often listen to the radio.
- What is on the radio tonight?
- I like watching television.
- What is on television tonight?
- But - Can you turn off the television. breakfast/ lunch/ dinner (without the)
- I never have breakfast.
- What are you going to have for lunch?
- Dinner is ready!
I. Put in the where necessary. Write ”okay” if the sentence is correct.
1. Sky is blue and sun is shining. … The sky….the sun
2. What are you going to have for lunch? … okay
3. Our apartment is on third floor. …
4. Help! Fire! Somebody call fire brigade. …
5. Who was first man to walk on moon? …
6. Which city is capital of your country? …
7. What is largest city in world? …
8. Would you like to be in army? …
9. Do you live near sea? …
10. After dinner we watched television. …
11. ”Where is your dictionary?” ”It is on top shelf on right.” …
12. We live in country, about five miles from nearest village. …
13. Ann is coming to see us at end of May or beginning of April.
14. ”Is this book cheaper than that one?” ”No, they are same price.”
15. Prime minister is most important person in British government.
16. I do not know everybody in this photograph. Who is man on left?
II. Complete the sentences. Use the same + one of these words: age colour day problem street time
1. I live in King Street and you live in King Street. We live in the same street.
2. I arrived at 8.30 and you arrived at 8.30. We arrived at …
3. I have got no money and you have got no money. We have got …
4. He is 25 and she is 25. They are …
5. My shirt is dark blue and my jacket is dark blue. They are …
6. I am leaving on Monday and you are leaving on Monday. We are leaving on …
III. Complete these sentences. Use the words in the list. Use the if necessary. breakfast dinner guitar lunch police radio sky sun television time
1. Can you tell me the time please?
2. We had dinner at a restaurant last night.
3. … is a star. It gives us light and warmth.
4. Did you see the film on … last night?
5. I was hungry this morning because I did not have …
6. … stopped me because I was driving too fast.
7. ”Can you play …?” ”No, I can not play any musical instruments.”
8. ”What did you have for …?” ”Just a salad.”
9. When I am working at home I like listening to …
10. … is very clear tonight. You can see all the stars.
3.3 Teaching articles in the 6th form
Countable nouns with a/an and some
Countable nouns can be singular or plural: a dog a child the evening this party an umbrella dogs some children the evenings these parties two umbrellas
Before singular countable nouns you can use a/an
* Goodbye! Have a nice evening.
* Do you need an umbrella?
You cannot use singular countable nouns alone (without a/the/my etc.):
* She never wears a hat. (not 'She never wears hat')
* Be careful of the dog. (not 'Be careful of dog')
* What a beautiful day!
* I've got a headache.
We use a/an... to say what kind of thing or person something/somebody is:
* A dog is an animal.
* I'm an optimist.
* Tim's father is a doctor.
* Are you a good driver?
* Jill is a really nice person.
* What a lovely dress!
We say that somebody has a long nose / a nice face / a strong heart etc.:
* Jack has got a long nose, (not 'the long nose')
In sentences like these, we use plural nouns alone (not with 'some'):
* Dogs are animals.
* Most of my friends are students.
* Jill's parents are really nice people.
* What awful shoes!
* Jack has got blue eyes, (not 'the blue eyes')
Remember to use a/an when you say what somebody's job is:
* Sandra is a nurse, (not 'Sandra is nurse')
* Would you like to be an English teacher?
You can use some with plural countable nouns. We use some in two ways:
I) Some = a number of / a few of / a pair of:
* I've seen some good films recently, (not 'I've seen good films')
* Some friends of mine are coming to stay at the weekend.
* I need some new sunglasses. (= a new pair of sunglasses)
Do not use some when you are talking about things in general:
* I love bananas, (not 'some bananas')
* My aunt is a writer. She writes books, (not 'some books')
Sometimes you can make sentences with or without some (with no difference in meaning):
* There are (some) eggs in the fridge if you're hungry.
II) Some = some but not all
* Some children learn very quickly, (but not all children)
* Some police officers in Britain carry guns, but most of them don't.
Exercises:
I. What are these things? Try and find out if you don't know.
1 an ant? ...It's an insect 7 Earth? Mars? Venus? Jupiter?
2 ants? bees? ...They're insects...
3 a cauliflower? …
4 chess? …
5 a violin? a trumpet? a flute? …
6 a skyscraper? …
7 Earth? Mars? Venus? Jupiter? …
8 a tulip? …
9 the Rhine? the Nile? the Mississippi? …
10 a pigeon? an eagle? a crow? …
Who were these people?
11 Beethoven? ...He was a composer...
12 Shakespeare? ...
13 Albert Einstein?....
14 Washington? Lincoln? John Kennedy?…
15 Marilyn Monroe?...
16 Elvis Presley? John Lennon?...
17 Van Gogh? Renoir? Gauguin?...
II. Read about what these people do and say what their jobs are. Choose one of these jobs: driving instructor interpreter journalist nurse pilot plumber travel agent waiter
1 Stella looks after patients in hospital. ...She's a nurse...
2 George works in a restaurant. He brings the food to the tables. He...
3 Mary arranges people's holidays for them. She...
4 Ron works for an airline. He flies aeroplanes...
5 Linda teaches people how to drive...
6 Dave fits and repairs water pipes...
7 Jenny writes articles for a newspaper...
8 John translates what people are saying from one language into another, so that they can understand each other...
III. Put in a/an or some where necessary. If no word is necessary, leave the space empty (-).
1 I've seen some good films recently.
2 What's wrong with you? Have you got a headache?
3 I know a lot of people. Most of them are - students.
4 When I was...child, I used to be very shy.
5 Would you like to be...actor?
6 Do you collect... stamps?
7 What... beautiful garden!
8 ...birds, for example the penguin, cannot fly.
9 I've been walking for three hours. I've got... sore feet.
10 I don't feel very well this morning. I've got... sore throat.
11 It's a pity we haven't got ... camera. I'd like to take ... photograph of that house.
12 Those are ... nice shoes. Where did you get them?
13 I'm going shopping. I want to buy ... new shoes.
14 You need ... visa to visit ... countries, but not all of them.
15 Jane is ... teacher. Her parents were ... teachers too.
16 Do you enjoy going to ... concerts?
17 When we got to the city centre, ... shops were still open but most of them were closed.
18 I don't believe him. He's ... liar. He's always telling ... lies.
A/an and the
Compare a and the in these examples:
* A man and a woman were sitting opposite me. The man was American but I think the woman was British.
* When we were on holiday, we stayed at a hotel. Sometimes we had our evening meal at the hotel and sometimes we went to a restaurant.
We use the when we are thinking of one particular thing. Compare a/an and the:
* Tom sat down on a chair, (perhaps one of many chairs in the room) but Tom sat down on the chair nearest the door, (a particular chair)
* Ann is looking for a job. (not a particular job) but Did Ann get the job she applied for? (a particular job)
* Have you got a car? (not a particular car) but I cleaned the car yesterday. (= my car)
We use the when it is clear in the situation which thing or person we mean. For example, in a room we talk about 'the light / the floor / the ceiling / the door / the carpet' etc.:
* Can you turn off the light, please? (= the light in this room)
* I took a taxi to the station. (= the station in that town)
* I'd like to speak to the manager, please. (= the manager of this shop etc.)
In the same way, we say (go to) the bank, the post office:
* I must go to the bank to get some money and then I'm going to the post office to get some stamps. (The speaker is usually thinking of a particular bank or post office.)
Also: the doctor, the dentist:
* Carol isn't very well. She's gone to the doctor. (= her usual doctor)
* I hate going to the dentist. Compare a:
* Is there a bank near here?
* My sister is a dentist.
Don't forget the:
* Susan works in the city centre, {not 'in city centre')
* My brother is in the army, (not 'in army')
We say once a week / three times a day / ?1.20 a kilo' etc.:
* 'How often do you go to the cinema?' 'About once a month.'
* 'How much are those potatoes?' '?1.20 a kilo.'
* She works eight hours a day, six days a week.
EXERCISES
I. Put in a/an or the.
1 This morning I bought ...a... newspaper and.............magazine..............newspaper is in my bag but I don't know where I put.............magazine.
2 I saw.............accident this morning..............car crashed into.............tree..............driver of
.............car wasn't hurt but.............car was badly damaged.
3 There are two cars parked outside:.............blue one and.............grey one..............blue one belongs to my neighbours; I don't know who.............owner of.............grey one is.
4 My friends live in.............old house in.............small .village. There is.............beautiful garden behind.............house. I would like to have.............garden like that.
II. Put in a/an or the.
1 This house is very nice. Has it got.............garden?
2 It's a beautiful day. Let's sit in.............garden.
3 I like living in this house but it's a pity that.............garden is so small.
4 Can you recommend.............good restaurant?
5 We had dinner in.............very nice restaurant.
6 We had dinner in.............most expensive restaurant in town.
7 She has.............French name but in fact she's English, not French.
8 What's.............name of that man we met yesterday?
9 We stayed at a very nice hotel - I can't remember.............name now.
10 There isn't.............airport near where I live..............nearest airport is 70 miles away.
11 Our plane was delayed. We had to wait at.............airport for three hours.
12 Excuse me, please. Can you tell me how to get to.............airport?
13 ”Are you going away next week?” ”No,.............week after next.”
14 ”I'm going away for.............week in September”.
15 George has a part-time job. He works three mornings.............week.
III. Put in a/an or the in these sentences where necessary.
1 Would you like_apple? ...an apple...
2 How often do you go to dentist? …
3 Could you close door, please? …
4 I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. It was mistake ...
5 Excuse me, where is bus station, please? ...
6 I've got problem. Can you help me? ...
7 I'm just going to post office. I won't be long ...
8 There were no chairs, so we had to sit on floor ...
9 Have you finished with book I lent you? …
10 My sister has just got job in bank in Manchester. ...
11 We live in small flat near city centre. ...
12 There's small supermarket at end of street I live in. ...
VI. Answer these questions about yourself. (once a week / three times a day etc.).
How often do you go to the cinema? ...Three or four times a year....
2 How much does it cost to hire a car in your country? .. About ?30.a day..
3 How often do you go away on holiday?...
4 What's the speed limit in towns in your country? ...
5 How much sleep do you need? ...
6 How often do you go out in the evening?...
7 How much television do you watch (on average)?...
The (1)
We use the... when there is only one of something:
* What is the longest river in the world? (there is only one longest river)
* The earth goes round the sun and the moon goes round the earth.
* I'm going away at the end of this month. Don't forget the:
* Paris is the capital of France, (not 'Paris is capital of...')
But we use a/an to say what kind of thing something is. Compare the and a:
* The sun is a star. (= one of many stars)
* The hotel we stayed at was a very nice hotel.
We say: the sky the sea the ground the country the environment:
* We looked up at all the stars in the sky. (not ”in sky”)
* Would you rather live in a town or in the country?
* We must do more to protect the environment. (= the natural world around us) Note that we say space (without 'the') when we mean 'space in the universe':
* There are millions of stars in space, (not 'in the space') but * I tried to park my car but the space was too small.
We use the before same (the same):
* Your pullover is the same colour as mine, (not ”is same colour”)
* These two photographs are the same, (not 'are same')
We say: (go to) the cinema, the theatre:
* I often go to the cinema but I haven't been to the theatre for ages.
When we say the cinema / the theatre, we do not necessarily mean one particular cinema or theatre. We usually say the radio, but television (without ”the”):
* I often listen to the radio. * We heard the news on the radio.
* I often watch television. * We watched the news on television. but * Can you turn off the television, please? (= the television set)
Compare a:
*- There isn't a theatre in this town.
* I'm going to buy a new radio / television (set).
Breakfast lunch dinner
We do not normally use the with the names of meals (breakfast, lunch etc.):
* What did you have for breakfast?
* We had lunch in a very nice restaurant.
* What time is dinner?
But we use a if there is an adjective before breakfast, lunch etc.:
* We had a very nice lunch, (not 'we had very nice lunch')