English article usage

A detailed explanation of the usage of articles

Articles are function words, which cannot be used alone and have no meaning. Used before nouns to help express the meaning of nouns. There are three kinds of articles in English, one is definite, the other is indefinite and the other is zero.

1 Usage of indefinite article

The indefinite article a(an) is homologous to the numeral one, which means "one". A is used before consonant phoneme and an is used before vowel phoneme.

1) means "one", meaning one; About someone or something.

A boy eats apples.

2) Represents a class of people or things.

Knives are tools for cutting.

Mr Smith is an engineer.

3) phrases or idioms.

A little/a few/a lot/a kind/a pile/a lot/a lot/usually/in a hurry/within a minute/in a word/after a while/catch a cold/try/pay attention/suddenly.

2 usage of definite articles

The definite article the is homologous to the demonstrative pronoun this and that, which means "that (this) one", but it is weak and can be used with nouns to indicate one or several specific people or things.

1) refers to people or things that both parties know:

Take the medicine. Take the medicine.

2) The person or thing mentioned above:

He bought a house. I have been to that house.

He bought a house. I have been to that house.

3) refers to the only thing in the world:

The sun, the sky, the moon and the earth

4) singular nouns are used together to indicate a class of things, such as dollars; Fox fox; Or used with adjectives or participles to indicate a class of people: the rich; The living.

5) Used before ordinal numbers and superlative adjectives, as well as adjectives only, very, same, etc.

Where do you live? I live on the second floor. Where do you live? I live on the second floor.

That's what I've been looking for. This is exactly what I want.

6) Used with plural nouns to refer to the whole group:

They are teachers in this school.

They are teachers in this school.

7) All, equivalent to possessive pronouns, used before nouns representing body parts:

She grabbed my arm. She grabbed my arm.

8) Used in front of some proper nouns such as country name, organization, group, class, etc. Consists of common nouns:

People's Republic of China (PRC), People's Republic of China (PRC)

America America

She plays the piano. She can play the piano.

10) is used before the plural nouns of surnames to indicate a family:

The Greens. The Greens.

1 1) is used in idioms:

During the day, in the morning (afternoon, evening) and the day after tomorrow.

The day before yesterday, the next morning,

In the sky (water, fields, countryside)

In the dark, in the rain, in the distance,

In the middle, finally,

Generally speaking, go to the theatre by the way.

3 the use of zero articles

1) country name, usually without definite article before the name: England, Mary; ;

2) General plural nouns, when expressing a class of people or things, do not need definite articles;

They are teachers. They are teachers.

3) When abstract nouns represent general concepts, generally no articles are added;

Failure is the mother of success. Failure is the mother of success.

4) When material nouns express general concepts, generally no articles are added; When they express a specific meaning, they need to add definite articles;

Without water, human beings can't live. Without water, people can't live.

5) No articles are added before nouns indicating time, such as season, month, festival, holiday, day and week;

We go to school from Monday to Friday. We have classes from Monday to Friday.

6) Don't put articles before nouns that address or represent official titles and positions;

The guards brought the American to General Lee.

The soldiers sent the American to General Lee.

7) Don't add articles before the names of three meals, ball games and recreational sports, such as eating breakfast and playing chess.

8) When two or more nouns are used together, articles are often omitted;

I can't write without a pen or pencil. I can't write without a pen and pencil.

9) When 9)by is used with trains and other means of transportation, there is no article in the middle; Take the bus and train;

10) Individual nouns do not use articles; For example:

Individual nouns such as school, college, prison, market, hospital, bed, desk, class, town, church, court, etc. Directly after prepositions to express the deep meaning of nouns;

Go to the hospital.

Go to the hospital (not to see a doctor, but for other purposes)

1 1) ordinal number without article;

A. possessive pronouns before ordinal numbers

B.he won the first place in the race.

C. In fixed phrases, first, first, from the first to the last.

4 article location

1) indefinite article position

Indefinite articles usually precede nouns or noun modifiers. note:

A. after the following adjectives: so, what, many, half,

I have never seen such an animal.

Many people are suitable for this job.

B. When the adjective before the noun is modified by adverbs to, so, too, how, however, when sufficient, the indefinite article should be placed after the adjective:

This is the most enjoyable day I have ever spent.

Such a short time.

It's too far.

C. Used with singular nouns, followed by articles.

But there are adjectives before rather and quite, and the indefinite article can be placed before and after it. For example, quite a lot

D in the adverbial clause guided by as, when and slogan are adjectives, the indefinite article is followed by adjectives:

Brave as he is, he trembles at the sight of snakes. Brave as he is, he shivers at the sight of a snake.

When nouns are modified by comparative adjectives, indefinite articles are usually placed after comparative adjectives.

2) Positioning the article

The definite article usually comes before a noun or noun modifier, but it comes before both, double, half, two, three times and nouns after all.

All the students in the class went out. All the students in the class went out.