1 Articles and One

8/9/2019 1 Articles and One

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1 Articles and one, a little/a few, this, that

1 a/an (the indefinite article)

The form a is used before a word beginning with a consonant, or a vowel with a consonant sound:

a man a hat a university a European

a one-way street

The form an is used before words beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or words beginning with a mute h:

an apple an island an uncle

an egg an onion an hour

or individual letters spoken with a vowel sound:

an L-plate an MP an SOS an 'x' a/an is the same for all genders:

a man a woman an actor an actress a table

2 Use of a/an a/an is used:

A efore a singular noun which is countable (i!e! of which there is more than one) when it is mentioned

for the first time and represents no particular person or thing:

/ need a visa !hey live in a "lat #e bought an ice-cream

efore a singular countable noun which is used as an e"ample of a class of things:$ car must be insured #

$ll cars%$ny car must be insured

$ child needs love &

$ll children need%$ny child needs love

$ %ith a noun complement! This includes names of professions:

t was an earth(ua)e She'll be a dancer #e is an actor

& 'n certain e"pressions of uantit: a lot o" a couple

a great many a do*en (but one do*en is also possible)

a great deal o"

* %ith certain numbers

a hundred a thousand (+ee -. ) efore half when half follows a whole numberll%2 )ilos & one and a hal" )ilos or a )ilo and a hal" ut 1/)g & hal" a )ilo (no a before hal"+, though a

hal" noun is sometimes possible

a hal" holiday a hal" portion a hal" share %ith 1/ 1/-, 1/0etc a is usual a third, a (uarter etc , but

one is also possible (+ee 0 )

2 'n e"pressions of price, speed, ratio etc

.p a )ilo /0 a metre sixty )ilometres an hour

lOp a do*en "our times a day (3ere a/an # per )

4 'n e"clamations before singular, countable nouns

Such a long (ueue' 1hat a pretty girl' ut Such long (ueues' 1hat pretty girls' (5lural nouns, so

no article +ee )

3 a can be placed before 6r/6rs/6iss 7 surnamea Mr Smith a Mrs Smith a Miss Smith

a Mr Smith means 8a man called +mith8 and implies that he is a stranger to the speakerMr Smith, without a,

implies that the speaker knows 6r +mith or knows of his e"istence

(2or the difference between a/an and one, see - 2or a few and a little, see 5 )

9mission of a/an a/an is omitted

A efore plural nouns

a/an has no plural form! +o the plural of a dog is dogs, and of

an egg is eggs

efore uncountable nouns (see 1)$ efore names of meals, e"cept when these are preceded b an adective

1e have brea)"ast at eight

#e gave us a good brea)"ast

The article is also used when it is a special meal given to celebrate something or in someone8s honour


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/ was invited to dinner (at their house, in the ordinar wa) but

/ was invited to a dinner given to welcome the new ambassador

4 a/an and one

A a/an and one (adective)

1 %hen counting or measuring time, distance, weight etc we can use either a/an or one for the singular:

/0 & a%one pound /0,, & a%one million pounds (+ee chapter ;!)

ut note that in !he rent is /0 a wee) the a before wee) is not replaceable b one (see 2)

'n other tpes of statement a/an and one are not normall interchangeable, because one 7 noun normallmeans 8one onl/not more than one8 and a/an does not mean this

$ shotgun is no good ('t is the wrong sort of thing )

One shotgun is no good (' need two or three )

+pecial uses of one

(a) one (adective/pronoun) used with another/others

One 3boy+ wanted to read, another%others wanted to watch !4

(+ee 0 )

One day he wanted his lunch early, another day he wanted it late

(b) one can be used before day%wee)%month%year%summer%winter etc or before the name of the da or month

to denote a particular time when something happenedOne night there was a terrible storm One winter the snow "ell early One day a telegram arrived

(c) one day can also be used to mean 8at some future date8!

One day you ' be sorry you treated him so badly 3Some day would also be possible ) (2or one and ou, see

;< )

a/an and one (pronoun)

one is the pronoun euivalent of a/an

5id you get a tic)et6 7 8es, managed to get one The plural of one used in this wa is some

5id you get tic)ets6 7 8es, managed to get some

5 a little/a few and little/few

A a little/little (adectives) are used before uncountable nouns:

a little salt%little salt a few/few (adectives) are used before plural nouns!

a "ew people%"ew people All four forms can also be used as pronouns, either alone or with of:

Sugar6 7 $ little, please

Only a "ew o" these are any good

B a little, a few (adectives and pronouns)

a little is a small amount, or what the speaker considers a small

amount, a few is a small number, or what the speaker considers a small number!

onlyplaced before a little/a few emphasi=es that the number or amount reall is small in the speaker8s

opinion:

Only a "ew o" our customers have accounts ut quiteplaced before a few increases the numberconsiderabl:

/ have (uite a "ew boo)s on art (uite a lot of books)

C little and few (adectives and pronouns)

little and few denote scarcit or lack and have almost the force of a negative:

!here was little time "or consultation

Little is )nown about the side-e""ects o" this drug

9ew towns have such splendid trees

This use of little and few is mainl confined to written *nglish (probabl because in conversation little and

few might easil be mistaken for a little/a few). 'n conversation, therefore, little and few are normall

replaced b hardly any A negative verb 7 much/many is also possible:

1e saw little # 1e saw hardly anything%1e didn't see much!ourists come here but "ew stay overnight #

!ourists come here but hardly any stay overnight ut little and few can be used more freel when the are

ualified b so, very, too, extremely, comparatively, relatively etc! fewer (comparative) can also be used

more freel!


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'm unwilling to try a drug )now so little about

!hey have too many technicians, we have too "ew

!here are "ewer butter"lies every year

D a little/little (adverbs)

1 a little can be used>

(a) with verbs:t rained a little during the night

!hey grumbled a little about having to wait

(b) with 8unfavourable8 adectives and adverbs: a little anxious a little unwillingly

a little annoyed a little impatiently

(c) with comparative adectives or adverbs:!he paper should be a little thic)er

:an't you wal) a little "aster6

rather could replace a little in (b) and can also be used before comparatives (see -), though a little is more

usual! 'n collouial *nglish a bit could be used instead of a little in all the above e"amples!

little is used chiefl with etter or more in fairl formal stle8

#is second suggestion was little 3& not much) better than his "irst

#e was little 3& not much) more than a child when his "ather died 't can also, in formal *nglish, be placed

before certain verbs, for e"ample expect, )now, suspect, thin);#e little expected to "ind himsel" in prison #e little thought that one day?ote also the adectives little-)nown

and little-used; a little-)nown painter a little-used "ootpath

! the (the definite article)

A 2orm

the is the same for singular and plural and for all genders: the boy the girl the day the boys the

girls the days

Use

The definite article is used!

1 %hen the obect or group of obects is uniue or considered to be uniue:

the earth the sea the s)y the e(uator the stars

2 efore a noun which has become definite as a result of being mentioned a second time:

#is car struc) a tree< you can still see the mar) on the tree

efore a noun made definite b the addition of a phrase or clause:

the girl in blue the man with the banner the boy that met the place where met him

- efore a noun which b reason of localit can represent onl one particular thing:

$nn is in the garden (the garden of this house)

Please pass the wine, (the wine on the table)

+imilarl, the postman (the one who comes to us), the car (our car), the newspaper (the one we read)!0 efore superlatives and "irst, second etc! used as adectives or pronouns, and only;

the "irst 3wee)+ the best day the only way

$ the 7 singular noun can represent a class of animals or things!

!he whale is in danger o" becoming extinct

!he deep-"ree*e has made li"e easier "or housewives ut man, used to represent the human race, has no

article

" oil supplies run out, man may have to "all bac) on the horse the can be used before a member of a certain

group of people:

!he small shop)eeper is "inding li"e increasingly di""icult the 7 singular noun as used above takes a singular

verb! The pronoun is he, she or it

!he "irst-class traveller pays more so he expects some com"ort& the 7 adective represents a class of persons: the old # old people in general (see )

* the is used before certain proper names of seas, rivers, groups of islands, chains of mountains, plural

names of countnes, deserts, regions

the $tlantic the =etherlands


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the !hames the Sahara

the $*ores the :rimea

the $lps the >iviera

and before certain other names

the :ity the Mall the Sudan

the #ague the Strand the 8emen

the is also used before names consisting of noun 7 of 7 noun

the ?ay o" ?iscay the @ul" o" Mexico

the :ape o" @ood #ope the Anited States o" $merica

the is used before names consisting of adective 7 noun (provided the adective is not east, west etc )the $rabian Sea the =ew 9orest the #igh Street the is used before the adectives east%west etc 7 noun

in certain names

the East%1est End the East%1est ndies

the =orth%South Polebut is normall omitted

Smith $"rica =orth $merica 1est @ermany the, however, is used before east%west etc when these are

nouns

the north o" Spam the 1est (geographical)

the Middle East the 1est (political)

$ompare @o north (adverb in a northerl direction) with#e lives in the north (noun an area in the north)

2 the is used before other proper names consisting of adective 7 noun or noun 7 of 7 nounthe =ational @allery the !ower o" London 't is also used before names of choirs, orchestras, pop groups

etc

the ?ach :hoir the Philadelphia Orchestra the ?eatles and before names of newspapers 3!he !imes+

and ships 3the @reat ?ritain+

4 the with names of people has a ver limited use the 7 plural surname can be used to mean 8the

famil8

the Smiths & Mr and Mrs Smith 3and children+ the 7 singular name 7 clause/phrase can be used to

distinguish one person from another of the same name

1e have two Mr Smiths 1hich do you want-07 want the Mr

Smith who signed this letter

the is used before titles containing of 3the 5u)e o" 8or)+but it is not used before other titles or ranks 3LordOlivier, :aptain :oo)+, though if someone is referred to b title/rank alone the is used

!he earl expected !he captain ordered

@etters written to two or more unmarned sisters ointl ma be addressed !he Misses surname !he

Misses Smith

B 9mission of the

A The definite article is not used

1 efore names of places e"cept as shown above or before names of people

efore abstract nouns e"cept when the are used in a particular sense

Men "ear deathbut!he death o" the Prime Minister le"t his party without a leader

After a noun in the possessive case, or a possessive adective

the boy s uncle & the uncle o" the boy

t is my 3blue+ boo) & !he 3blue+ boo) is mine

- efore names of meals (but see $)

!he Scots have porridge "or brea)"astbut

!he wedding brea)"ast was held in her "ather s house

0 efore names of games #e plays gol"

; efore parts of the bod and articles of clothing as these normall prefer a possessive adective

>aise your right hand #e too) o"" his coat ut notice that sentences of the tpe

She sei*ed the child's collar patted his shoulder

!he bric) hit Cohn s "ace could be e"pressed

She sei*ed the child by the collar

patted him on the shoulder


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!he bric) hit Cohn in the "ace +imilarl in the passive

#e was hit on the head #e was cut in the hand

?ote that in some *uropean languages the definite article is used before indefinite plural nouns but that

in *nglish the is never used m this wa 1omen are expected to li)e babies (i e women in general)?ig

hotels all over the world are very much the same 'f we put thebefore women m the first e"ample, it would

mean that we were referring to a particular group of women

$ nature where it means the spirit creating and motivating the world of plants and animals etc is used

without the

" you inter"ere with nature you will su""er "or it

< 9mission of the before home,before church, hos"ital, "rison, school etc and before wor#, sea and

town

A home

%hen home is used alone i e is not preceded or followed b a descriptive word or phrase, the is omitted#e

is at home

home used alone can be placed directl after a verb of motion or verb of motion 7 obect, i!e! it can be

treated as an adverb

#e went home arrived home a"ter dar) sent him home ut when home is preceded or followed b

a descriptive word or phrase it is treated like an other noun:!hey went to their new home

1e arrived at the bride's home

9or some years this was the home o" your (ueen

$ mud hut was the only home he had ever )nown

B ed, church, court, hos"ital, "rison, school/colle$e/uni%ersity

the is not used before the nouns listed above when these places are

visited or used for their primar purpose! %e go:

to bed to sleep or as invalids to hospital as patients to church to pra topnson as prisoners

to court as litigants etc! toschool%college%university to stud

+imilarl we can be:

in bed, sleeping or resting in hospital as patients at church as worshippers at school etc! asstudents

in court as witnesses etc!

%e can be/get back (or be/get home)"rom school%college%university

%e can leave school, leave hospital,be released"rom pnson

%hen these places are visited or used for other reasons the is

necessar:

/ went to the church to see the stained glass #e goes to the pnson sometimes to give lectures

$ sea

%e go tosea as sailors! To be at sea & to be on a voage (as passengers or crew)! ut to go to or be at the

sea # to go to or be at the seaside %e can also live by%near the sea

D wor# and officewor) (# place of work) is used without the:

#e's on his way to wor) #e is at wor)

#e isn 't bac) "rom wor) yet

?ote that at wor) can also mean 8working8 hard at wor) # working hard:

#e's hard at wor) on a new picture, o""ice 3&place of work) needs the:#e is at%in the o""ice To be in o""ice

(without the) means to hold an official (usuall political) position! To be out o" o""ice & to be no longer in

power!

& town

the can be omitted when speaking of the subect8s or speaker8s own town:

1e go to town sometimes to buy clothes

1e were in town last Monday

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1 Articles and One