Search results for 'tag:Definite articles tag:Determiners' matching tags 'Definite articles' and 'Determiners'

Re: Parts of speech

Yankee — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 16:33:47 GMT

You could try color-coding your answers this way, for example:

(1) the verbs; (2) the nouns; (3) the adjectives; (4) the adverbs; (5) the prepositions; and (6) the conjunctions

The usage of the word 'the' in your sentences would normally be referred to as definite article or determiner.

Re: Another question on determiners

Clive — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:29:45 GMT

Hi again,

Here are a few comments on your posts.

I saw the following entry in one of the ESL websites regarding the use of articles.

"The" is required when the noun it refers to represents something in the abstract: This "rule" sounds very odd to me. Do you mean a noun like, for example, 'beauty'? You can easily say things like 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' with no article.

The United States has encouraged the use of the private automobile as opposed to the use of public transit.Which noun here do you consider to be abstract? 'Use'? I'm not sure that I think of it in that way. I note that in the following question, you seem concerned with articles that relate not to the word 'use' but to the very non-abstract word 'automobile'.

Am I correct to understand that replacing "the use of the private automobile" with "the use of a private automobile" or "the use of private automobiles" is grammatically correct and won't change the meaning of the sentence? They are all grammatically correct. Generally speaking, the meaning is often very similar, and thta's true in the case of your sentence above.

But really it depends on the particular context in which the phrase is used. eg Consider this alternate sentence. One hundred years ago, only a very rich person had the use of a private automobile. Here, the other two phrases don't fit.

____________________

Also, would it be incorrect (rather, does it sound unnatural) if I added "the" before "public transit"? Yes, don't say 'the' in your example. However, you could say 'The public transit in Boston is better than the public transit in New York'.

I've read all the articles that came up with those search words, plus more articles from other websites on the subject. I still don't know the answers to my questions.

I understand that the example sentence uses "the private automobile" because "automobile" is a count noun and it is used to refer to something generic here, hence requiring the definite article. Also, I understand that "transit" is noncount noun, therefore an article is not needed.

However, "private automobiles" also refer to something generic and suffice the purpose here (I guess using "a private automobile" can be read as that the United States has encouraged its people to use only one automobile for the entire nation?). I don't think that the reader is likely to draw such a meaning from this particular sentence, do you?

As to "public transit," I don't understand why calling it "the public transit" is wrong, if it is. Although "public transit" is generic, isn't the author of the sentence talking about the public transit system of the United States? See if looking at it this way helps. When I speak, muy choice of words, and in this case ofdeterminers, helps to show you how I am thinking about what I am saying.

If you say to me, "I want to talk to you about the public transit in the USA', it tells me that in your mind you have, perhaps very, very quickly, considered all public transit in the world and have decided to focus on that of the USA.

If you say to me, "I want to talk to you about ~~the~~ public transit in the USA', it tells me that in your mind you have really just thought about public transit in the USA.

You might say that in these cases, you are starting from two different 'sets', one that encompasses the world and one that encompasses only the USA.

However, after writing all this, let me add a final comment. We are not always thoughtful, careful, precise or logical in the way we choose a determiner. It is commonly done by native seaker instinct and it is often very hard for us to explain why we chose a particular one.

Please write again if you have further questions about this.

Best wishes, Clive.

Re: Analysis of a sentence

Doll — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 11:09:36 GMT

Walking as if each step were painful¹, she slowly pushed open the glass door and hobbled down the nearest aisle².

1: Dependant clause (what kind of dependant clause??) I'm kind of confused as to the nature of this subordinate clause... It is reduced clause(While/As she was walking...)

2: Main clause Yes.

Walking: past progressive? (which tense is?) With a big probability it is past progressive.

As if: describes how a situation seems to be Yes.

Each: determiner Yes.

Step: noun Yes.

Were: linking verb (copula) Yes.

Painful: predicator adjective (predicate adjective) I am not sure.

She: personal pronoun, 3^rd person

Slowly: adverb

Pushed: V. Simple past, transitive

(pushed open): Verbal phraseâ

The: (adjective, determinant, definite article) Yes.

Glass door: compound noun or:

Glass: adjective noun (is there a term for nouns used as adjectives?)

Door: noun Glass door --compound noun.Most compound nouns are formed by nouns modified by other nouns or adjectives.Here is some information for you:We can use a noun as an adjective when it precedes a noun that it modifies; a mountain bike is a bike designed for riding up mountains. 'Mountain' functions as an adjective modifying the noun bike.

And: conjunction, links main clause with verbal phrase (compound verb: pushed + hobbled). Not too sure as to how to define the use of the conjunction here. I would assume "and" here links the main clause with the verbal phrase hobbled down the nearest aisle. It is coordinating conjunction.I think here and links independent clauses.

Hobbled down: verbal phrase

The: definite article

Nearest: adj.

Aisle: noun Yes.

Trouble understanding this...

SeekerOfPeace — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 03:20:03 GMT

Right or wrong?

âFor a moment¹, I even thought² that this was some sort of test³ and that this woman was someone from the head office⁴, testing my loyalty⁵.â

1: Prepositional phrase used adverbially.

2: Main clause

3: Dependant clause

4: Dependant clause

5: Participial phrase

For: preposition,

A: indefinite determinant

Moment: noun

I: personal pronoun, 1^st person,

Even: adverb, expressing surprise

That: relative pronoun?

This: pronoun

Was: L.V. simple past

Some: determiner, determines âsortâ, indefinite article

Sort: noun

Of: preposition

Test: noun

And: subordinating conjunction, (I thought and could only be used as a coordinating conjunction??)

This: definite article

Woman: noun

Was: L.V. simple past

Someone: indefinite pronoun

From: preposition, links someone and head office

Head office: compound noun+ head used as an adjective rather than a noun here.

Testing: present participle (verb?)

My: determiner

Loyalty: noun

Re: Analysis of a sentence

SeekerOfPeace — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:41:02 GMT

Thanks Philip.

How about the next one:

Walking as if each step were painful¹, she slowly pushed open the glass door and hobbled down the nearest aisle².

1: Dependant clause (what kind of dependant clause??) I'm kind of confused as to the nature of this subordinate clause...

2: Main clause

Walking: past progressive? (which tense is?)

As if: describes how a situation seems to be

Each: determiner

Step: noun

Were: linking verb (copula)

Painful: predicator adjective (predicate adjective)

She: personal pronoun, 3^rd person

Slowly: adverb

Pushed: V. Simple past, transitive

(pushed open): Verbal phraseâ

The: (adjective, determinant, definite article)

Glass door: compound noun or:

Glass: adjective noun (is there a term for nouns used as adjectives?)

Door: noun

Hobbled down: verbal phrase

The: definite article

Nearest: adj.

Aisle: noun

Re: A few more questions...

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 06:31:07 GMT

I realized that the definite articles and indefinite articles were the other subclasses or the determiners after I typed my question.

Cheers,

SoP.

PS: As far as the beer is concerned, feel free to charge me as much as you want (as long as it's Chinese beer)

Re: Determiners: Articles - Definite and Infinite

Tung Quoc — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:48:50 GMT

Hi,

My question: the police is bestowed with powers and laws to maintain social order.

In this case, do I use an definite article "the" for the phrase 'social order'?

I put the here.

Quoc

Determiners: Articles - Definite and Infinite

Dan01 — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:25:10 GMT

hello!

this can be confusing for beginners as to as and when to use "the" (definite) or "a/an" (indefinite) article correctly.

in grammar rules, the definite article (the) is used in occasions like stating a unique object, e.g. The moon, The sun and etc. secondly, when the same noun is mentioned again, e.g. a boy meets a girl. in an uncanny coincidence, the boy meets the girl again.

while the indefinite article (a/an) is mainly used in cases like indicating the concept of 'one' or 'everyone'.

my question: the police is bestowed with powers and laws to maintain social order.

in this case, do i use an indefinite article "the" for the phrase 'social order'?

thank you.

Re: Definite Article for Plurals Before "of"

Believer — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 02:14:00 GMT

Hi,

I believe that the decision of whether to put a determiner in front of such sentences as below is largely depedent upon whether or not the whole context that the phrases in question/dispute is part of are showing the restrictiveness of the phrase or there exist prior precedents of such phrases.

What do observations of galaxies tell us about ...

Thus the explorations of space end on a note of uncertainty.

Having said that, the first sentence probably has no prior precedent and the second sentence is mentioning a specific exploration of space and/or somewhere in the past in the article there was a prior precedent of it.

In corollary, I believe to gain the fluency on such situations, one should be exposed to various sentential structures and right use of the phrases under dispute, and develop an eye to see the whole context.

Re: Classification of the word "The"

Mister Micawber — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:58:08 GMT

The is an article (the definite article, to be precise), a kind of determiner.

Your set of 'negatives' are not of the same nature of classification of parts of speech as are conjunctions, determiners, adjectives, etc. Not is an adverb (albeit negative), did is an auxiliary verb.