Supervised by: Supervised by: Dr.Youssef Tamer and Dr.Youssef Tamer and Dr.Jennifer EvansDr.Jennifer Evans

Presented byPresented by: Amal Hafidi

OutlineTypes of articles.

The occurrence of articles.

Using articles

Additional facts about the definite article.

Problems that ESL/EFL students have with articles.

An application activity.

Articles are a type of determiner and can be classified as definite or indefinite.

In English,there are basically two types of articles:

Definite (the)

Indefinite(a/an)

We will refer to certain cases where a noun is not preceded by an article as instances of the zero article.

The terms definite and indefinite designate meanings associated with the noun that an article precedes.

Definite implies that a noun is ‘’specifically identifiable’’

I killed the mouse.

Indefinite means’’identifiable in general’’

The indefinite article,a/an, can express at least two kinds of indefiniteness.

It can express the idea of ‘’one’’ Example: Ikram bought a new Scooter

It can indicate membership in a particular group.

Example:My father is a teacher.

The occurrence of articles

In this context ,it can be stated that the grammar of articles involves understanding the distinction between count nouns and noncount nouns.

The definite articleThe definite article may appear before:

A.Singular count nouns.

B.Plural count nouns.

C.Noncount nouns

Give me the key Singular count noun

Give me the keys Plural count noun

The beef that we had for dinner last night was

excellent. Noncount noun

The definite article does not normally occur before people’s name.

I would like to meet Basmallah Alliha

I would like to meet Lalla Moulati

I would like to meet the Basmallah Alliha

I would like to meet the Lalla Moulati

The definite article is used before a person’s

name if the speaker wishes to single out a particular person who might be confused with someone else.This use involves a modifier that specifies the noun.

The is also used with plural proper names to indicate a particular family.

Example: You remmember that we are having

dinner with the Smiths on Friday,right?

The indefinite articleThe indefinite article (a/an) appears before

singular count nouns.It is used with noncount nouns only when it precedes a partitive.

Count Noun Noncount Noun a lamp a piece of

furniture a lamps a glass of juice an ocean an ounce of

water

Some as an indefinite articleSome is often considered to be the plural form

of the indefinite article a/an.It is used with plural count nouns as well as noncount nouns.

Count nouns Noncount nouns some lamps some furniture some islands some juice some water

Zero article

Zero article refers to the absence of a definite or an indefinite article before a noun.

There’s Ø milk in the fridge,if you are thirsty.

There’s some milk in the fridge,if you are thirsty.

In addition to occuring in contexts where it is interchangeable with a definite or indefinite article,zero article occurs before:

Abstract nouns such as beauty,intelligence,and

education to denote a concept,state,or

field.

Names and professional titles.

I would like you to meet Ø Dr.Jane Phillips and

her husband, Ø Thomas.

She went to Ø Harvard University.

Nouns that refer to a custom or an institution.

He enjoys Ø breakfast.

She talks a lot in Ø class.

Additional facts about zero article.

In addition to the situations previously illustrated,zero article also frequently occurs with other types of count nouns.These uses are almost always idiomatic,and often definite or indefinite articles could be used in these or similar contexts.

Days,months,and seasons.

Modes of transportation and communication.

Headlines and signs.

Using articles

Many factors can influence the choice of a particular article in a given situation.

Definite articles in discourse

The conditions that affect article choice are best phrased in terms of the use of definite articles.They require taking the discourse context into account.

The second mention of a noun usually requires the use of the definite article.

Example: Yesterday I saw some dogs.The dogs were chasing a cat.The cat was chasing a mouse.The mouse ran into a hole.The whole was very small.

The immediate presence of the thing denoted by a noun often calls for the use of the definite article.

Pass the salt,please

Can you please answer the phone?

If the thing denoted by a noun is part of a larger context in which a conversation is taking place,and is therefore familiar to both the speaker and the hearer,then the definite article is used.

I saw you at the car wash yesterday.

Generic reference to a species or class can be made with a definite article,an indefinite article,or zero article.

The blue whale is the largest mammal on

earth

A bird has wings

Ø Orchilds require a good deal of water and

sunlight to survive.

Various grammatical forms related to a noun make use of the definite article usual or necessary:

Relative clauses that specify a noun

The car I just bought is great on gas.

Prepositional phrases that specify a noun

What’s the topic of the discusssion?

Clauses beginning with that that specify a noun.

The fact that I wasn’t there proves my

innocence.

Their constitution states the concept that all

people are equal.

Nouns modified by superlative adjectives

This is the least expensive car on the market.

Nouns modified by ordinals

The first time is always the hardest.

Names that take definite articles.

Geographical place names.

Names of newspapers.

Names of governmental bodies and titles of officials.

Names for parts of the body.

Complete the sentences with a/an,the or Ø 1) …………beef is a kind of ………….meat.2) ………….beef we had for dinner last night

was excellent.3) Jim is wearing…………..straw hat today.4) Jim likes to wear…………hats.5) …………brown hat on that hook over there

belongs to Mark.6) Everyone has………..problems in…………life.7) ………….jewelry Diana is wearing today is

beautiful.

Using articles instead of possessive determiners(Spanish,French,Italian,German)

Es schloss die Augen und schlief sofort ein.

He closed the eyes and fell immediately asleep.

‘’He closed his eyes and fell immediately asleep’’

Saque la lengua.

Stick out the tongue.

Stick out your tongue.

Using definite articles rather than zero article with abstract count and noncount nouns(Spanish,French,Hungarian)

La belleza es un don tel cielo.

The beauty is a gift from heavens.

‘’Beauty is a gift from heaven’’

La vie est belle!

The life is beautiful.

‘’Life is beautiful’’

Talking about my life dream using articlesDirections:Pair up with one other classmate.Write a short paragraph which consists of four to

five sentences.Definite articles(the)/Indefinite

articles(a/an)/Zero article( Ø ).Count how many articles u have employed in

your paragraph.Identify the type of each article u have

employed.Whenever you choose a particular article,you

should justify your choice.