Forums » ESL, Rules of English Grammar, Help and Games » ESL General English Grammar Questions » Articles ...
Click here to play!

Articles ...

Click here to play
   Share on Facebook  
The Graduate  #523648  Fri, 06 Jun 08 05:22 AM

Good day everyone,

 It has been long time since I posted something here.

My question is; sometimes I feel that it is difficult to decide on whether to use articles or not, please take a look at the following examples:

- You need to sit down with (a) pen and (a) paper in order to write your essay.

- It has been (a) long time since I posted something here.

- I went to (the) stock market last night.

- It seems that (the) history repeats itself.

I know there are general rules for using articles, I went through them and could not apply them to the above examples. I may need help from somebody who is really good in this area Wink

Thank You Very Much In Advance!
  
Not Ranked
Joined on Fri, Aug 10 2007
Saudi Arabia
Junior Member (79)
Oo--oO
,
Mister Micawber  #523667  Fri, 06 Jun 08 06:30 AM
.
These are correct:

- You need to sit down with (a) pen and (a) paper in order to write your essay.  -- They are singular countable nouns, but 'pen and paper' is also idiomatic.
- It has been a long time since I posted something here.
- I went to the stock market last night.
- It seems that history repeats itself.
  
Top 10 Contributor
Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004
Yokohama
Veteran Member (20,386)
SystemAdministratorTeachers
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'
, , ,
The Graduate  #523707  Fri, 06 Jun 08 09:36 AM

Thank you very mcuh Mister Micawber for your reply. but I am still confused about your answer to the second example, it has been a long time since I posted something here, I know that time can be both countable and uncountable depending on the context. in this example, I believe time is uncountable, please correct me if I am wrong.
  
Cool Breeze  #523765  Fri, 06 Jun 08 11:48 AM
 I'll butt in, Graduate, if you don't mind. You are referring to a period of time, and what's even more important, there is an adjective before time. Adjectival attributes often influence the use and choice of articles. There are numerous expressions in which a is used because of an adjective. Some examples:

He spent a long time in hospital. But: I need time to think about it.
Birds were flying in a blue sky. But: Birds were flying in the sky.
I had an early lunch. But: I had lunch.

CB 
  
Top 50 Contributor
Joined on Fri, Apr 7 2006
Helsinki, Finland
Senior Member (2,692)
Proficient SpeakerTrusted Users
The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.- Mark Twain
,
The Graduate  #523861  Fri, 06 Jun 08 05:38 PM

Thank you very mcuh dear, actually you raised a good point that I have not heared about before now. I believe your new point will help me to understand the use of articles much better Smile
  
Yoong Liat  #523899  Fri, 06 Jun 08 06:51 PM

The Graduate

Thank you very mcuh dear, actually you raised a good point that I have not heared about before now. I believe your new point will help me to understand the use of articles much better Smile

much    heard
  
Top 25 Contributor
Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006
Singapore
Veteran Member (5,858)
Yoong Liat
AddThis Feed Button RSS Feed: ESL General English Grammar Questions
© 2008 MediaCET Ltd.
Terms and Conditions