AESS - IFD Batch 20/21 1
Contents • Introduction • Zero Articles • Indefinite Articles • Definite Articles 2
In Introduction Articles Zero Indefinite Definite When specificity is Used when making When specificity is generalisations, with plural not needed, with singular needed to distinguish, countable or uncountable countable nouns with both singular/plural nouns countable nouns and uncountable nouns Ex: Sam loves to watch football . Ex: Sam saw a girl on the road. Ex: Sam saw the girl on the road . 3
Zero Articles • Before supreme divinity Ex: I believe in God . Exception: I believe in the Goddess Kali . • Before religious beliefs Ex: Buddhism is mainly followed in Sri Lanka. • Before names of academic disciplines Ex: I plan to complete a BSc in Business Management. • Before names of sports Ex: Basketball is for tall sportspersons. 4
• Before holidays Ex: Air travel is expensive during Christmas . Exception: The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is celebrated in Sri Lanka. • Before abstract nouns Ex: Wisdom and good intentions are two different entities. Exception: That car is a beauty . • Before abstract non-count nouns Ex: Education is the key to success. • Before dates Ex: Christmas is celebrated on December 25 th . Exception: Christmas is celebrated on the 25 th of December . 5
• Before time Ex: I watched a movie last night. Exception: It took me an entire month to understand the module. • Before names of diseases Ex: His aunt has diabetes . Exception: His uncle died from a stroke . • Before un/non-countable nouns Ex: He does not prefer coffee with milk . Exception: The water in the well can be measured if needed. • Before places visited for usual purposes Ex: Brian goes to university on weekdays. Exception: Brian’s father went to the university for a meeting. 6
• Before comparative degrees Ex: Apples are more expensive than oranges . • Before directions Ex: Turn left to go to the park. Exception: The war tank is heading to the North . If the direction follows a preposition, ‘the’ should be The cinema hall is on the right . added 7
In Indefinite Articles – A/An The use of indefinite articles: 1. When a noun is introduced for the first time (no prior knowledge) Ex: A man walked into a bar . 2. When specificity is not needed. Ex: She wanted to pick up a bottle of wine on her way home. (no prior knowledge) Exceptions: A student whom I have never seen before spoke to me. The student whom I have never seen before spoke to me. (Has prior knowledge; heard before but not seen) 8
• Before abstract nouns Ex: She is a beauty . • Before expressions of quantity Ex: A few students were in the corridor. (very few) Few – small quantity • Before reference to different categories Ex: Mr Nizam is a CEO, a lawyer and a lecturer . Exception: He likes bread, butter, jam and orange juice for breakfast. (The indefinite article ‘a’ is dropped before uncountable nouns) • Before countable abstract nouns Ex: I have an idea for an assessment. 9
• Before abstract uncountable nouns which depict a concrete instance and become countable nouns Ex: He lived a long life and died a natural death . Drinking was the death of her. (applicable to the definite articles too) • Before structures with “neither” “nor” Ex: He is neither a doctor nor a musician. • Before the comparative degree Ex: He has a more expensive bike than her. 10
Defi finite Article - The The use of the definite article: 1. When there is prior knowledge/it is already known to the listener Ex: I stalked the person we were talking about yesterday. 2. In order to specify something Ex: Can you pass me the book (on the table)? (part of a phrase) Exceptions: ‘the’ could also be a part of a phrase Junior has a bike which he parks by the side of the school . (prior knowledge) 11
• Definite articles precede superlatives Ex: If you wish to see the most unpredictable animal, look at yourself in the mirror. Exception: Most universities have their own principles. (General statement) • Definite articles precede “of” phrases Ex: The stupidity of insulting others should not exist in the 21 st century. Exception: Ignorance of the law should not be pardoned. • When expressing parallel relations Ex: The faster you drive, the harder you hit. • Before sequencing/ranking Ex: The previous, the last, the first, the second 12
• Before time expressions Ex: We will pay the fees in the morning . Exception: We sleep at night. • Before geographical regions Ex: To some, the West is the best. • Before family as a group Ex: The Silvas are vegetarians. • Before nationalities Ex: The French are wine lovers. Exception: Americans love burgers. • Before countries with attributes such as Republic, State, Union Ex: The United States of America Nationalities ending with ‘ ans ’. Americans/Mexicans 13 Exceptions: The Maldives, The Philippines, The Netherlands
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