Writing Development: Articles John Morgan Aberystwyth University ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Topic: using definite, indefinite and zero articles. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Articles in English How many articles are there in English? Below are examples of where articles can and cannot be used Indefinite Definite Zero Singular countable noun a wolf the wolf - - - - Plural countable noun - - - - the wolves wolves Uncountable noun - - - - the water water 2. Specific use of the definite article a) When identity has already been established e.g. I saw a ghost. The ghost… b) When the noun is modified by another word or expression e.g. The feeling I have is difficult to describe. c) Unique use (the only one) e.g. The moon, The sun d) Generic use The tiger is an endangered species e) Specific objects Musical instruments the guitar Ships the Titanic Seas, oceans, channels the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel Mountain ranges the Himalayas Groups of islands the Channel Islands Geographical areas the north of England Rivers the Amazon Deserts the Sahara Desert Hotels the Hilton Cinemas & theatres the Apollo Theatre Compound country names the UK, the USA, the Republic of France Universities as noun phrases the University of Wales Definite articles are generally not used before: Countries, towns/cities, universities/colleges, streets, squares, languages 3. Specific use of the indefinite article a) To introduce a new piece of information e.g. She saw a ghost b) To generalise e.g. A cow has horns c) One e.g. Pass me a knife please d) Quantifying expressions e.g. a hundred, a million e) Per e.g. Fifty miles an hour, three times a day f) Exclamations with an adjective e.g. What a beautiful view 4. Specific use of zero articles a) Institutions referred to by name (not as a noun phrase) e.g. Ceredigion College, Aberystwyth University b) Meals e.g. Breakfast, lunch, dinner c) Modes of transportation e.g. Travelling by bicycle protects the environment d) Before genitive expressions e.g. John’s coat, my book, your hat 5. Check your own writing Look through your writing. Underline every article you have used. Have they been used appropriately? Also look for examples of the examples mentioned above. Do you need to add any articles where they are missing? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Further reading: Huckin, T.N. & Olsen, L.A. (1991). Technical Writing and Professional Communication for Nonnative Speakers of English (Second Edition). New York: McGraw Hill. This worksheet is not based on the above reference source, but in-depth specific advice can be found in: Chapter 29 (Pp 503-513): Indefinite Articles Chapter 30 (Pp 514-530): The Definite Article Acknowledgements: This worksheet is based on a group brainstorming session held during the RSA/UCLES Diploma course in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults, held at ILC/International House Hastings, UK, from October to December, 1991. The session was facilitated by Tim Bowen.