Search results for 'tag:Definite articles tag:English grammar' matching tags 'Definite articles' and 'English grammar'

Re: gerund or verbal noun with an article?

Crokey — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:44:28 GMT

Hi CB,
thanks so much for your reply(i was the one who asked about the differences between verbal nouns and gerunds). i agree that there seems to be discrepancies between one grammarians usage and another's. I certainly like your definition of gerunds, in so far as they are unable to take the definite article, however: "the gerund expresses action [and] it is often preceded by the definite article" e.g.(given) "Our culture therefore must not omit the arming of the man." from An English Grammar by W. M. Baskervill & J. W. Sewell.
Perhaps your example might be used to illustrate the conundrum further: "The speech of the english language is beautiful". speech is surely a verbal noun, derived from the verb speak but there is no action being performed, i am merely naming an action. When i say "The speaking of the english language is easy", am I naming an action or am I implying that an action may be performed that is difficult. If I had never read the section in An English Grammar(reproduced in a variety of other articles i have ventured across during this travail) and a spectacular panoply of inconcise readings of the matter, then i would be quiet content to adopt your comfortable definition.
thanks again cb for taking the time to look at this and all the other posts...especially the ones that are pure academic tomfoolery!

a woman of an unusual beauty; [-] decent accommodation

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:13:20 GMT

Hi there,

Some nouns in English, uncountable under normal circumstances, take the indefinite article when qualified by the adjective or adverbial phrase. How do I tell if a noun should take the indefinite article or not?

Examples:

When I got back home, I took a short nap to make up for the previous night.

At the party, I met Sarah -- a woman of an unusual beauty.

Well, at least we had [-] decent accommodation.

It is alleged we have [-] false information on the fugitive.

I had a good sleep before I set out. .

When he was in Rome, he developed a deep distrust in people.

You guys ha ve a better knowledge of the English grammar, so I guess you can help me.

Best Regards,

Pawel

Re: Definite Article--The

Cool Breeze — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:40:28 GMT

Armsys wrote:
Wow, I'm rather surrpised but delighted by your explanation. Thanks a lot.
How does it apply to post office, police, bus,...etc.

It doesn't. The use of articles is perhaps the trickiest part of English grammar. Sometimes logic helps, sometimes it doesn't.

Re: indefinite article with proper name

Cool Breeze — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:41:24 GMT

Hi Muttley

Unfortunately there are a myriad cases involving proper nouns with adjectival attributes and the indefinite article. You'll just have to learn them piecemeal. As you said in your first post, a/an is often used with a person's name:

We met a sad George yesterday.

The indefinite article is usually not used with place names in similar cases:

We arrived in fascinating Amsterdam yesterday.

To my mind, the use of the articles in general is the most difficult single aspect of English grammar because very often there is absolutely no logic to it and there are thousands, if not tens of thousands of idioms with or without an article. Just be patient and don't lose heart when you realise the absence of logic and order.

CB

Check my mistakes,please

Kittixay — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 02:09:32 GMT

There are twelve tenses in English grammar. Do we have to use the definite article "the"
for each tense or not? Can you give me some explanations,please?

In the below examples, Do we have to use "the" or not?
1.In the use of the Present Simple.
2.The Present Perfect Tense or Present Perfect Tense.
3.Translate the following sentences into the Past Unreal Conditional.
4.Complete the sentences using Past Simple or the Past Simple.

Check the following sentences,please:
   A: Why didn't you prepare anything yesterday?
   B: Because I didn't know they will come.If I had known that they would come, I would
      have prepared everything.
    - If they had told me they would come,I would have prepared everything.

1. This program is on air everyday except on Sundays.

Which one is correct?
1. Why I couldn't get in touch with you yesterday?
2. Why couldn't I get in touch with you yesterday?

Re: Introductions

Peaceblinkfriend — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 15:37:55 GMT

Smallpeople wrote:
hello all friends,    Hello friends / Hi friends

I am new people in this forum, I need you help for give me reason english about, because I am not yet know it good.   I am new to this forum. I need you to help me to understand English because I am not good at it / because I don't know much English / because I am new to English . ( Usually ( = most of the time) , you would not say 'I need you to help me to...' as ( = because) it sounds a bit rude ( = impolite , not polite) . I understand ( = know )that you are not being rude ( = not being impolite) but other people may mistake you for being rude ( = may think wrongly about you being rude)

Q : how to use the word in english sentences   Q: How to use the word the (in English) ?   The word the is an article. It is called the definite article ( I do not think you need to know these names now) . You use the at the beginning ( = start ) of a noun group ( = a thing, a place, a person, an animal, a plant etc.    Tom , book , car , shop , etc. ) to refer to( = to talk about) someone or something that has already been mentioned ( = talked about before) or that is already known to the hearer or reader ( = the hearer or reader already knows ) . This is only the basic uses. You might find these sites to be useful ( = good for you ). http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/artikel.htm
http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/articlestext.htm

thank's y for all,                         Thank you

peace.                         May peace be with you. / I wish you peace.            ( This is not something you would usually say in greetings ( = people usually do not say this in greetings ) in English or in Western culture ( = European culture )but you could always say it ( = it is okay to say it - not wrong) because I think it is the most beautiful word and the world lacks (= doesn't has) this)

Hi and welcome to englishforums.com ,

My advice is that you should get ( = buy or have ) a book that discusses ( = talks about) English or English grammar in your native language ( = mother tongue , the languague that you know well ) at this stage ( = now ). I believe ( = think strongly ) that a good text book would help you understand ( = know) the articles ( = the ,a , an) along with other essential ( = basic) English grammar. Post in this forum ( = ask questions) whenever (= every time ) you have a question about English( = you don't understand English).

Good luck!

Best wishes,

Peaceblinkfriend

Re: 3.5 percent or a 3.5 percent?

Cool Breeze — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 09:55:34 GMT

Hi all

I agree with the previous posters. Using the articles, especially the indefinite articles a and an, is perhaps the most difficult aspect of English grammar. Although the grammar is mostly so simple that it couldn't be made much simpler even if English were an artificial language, there are so many exceptions to the use of the articles that the foreign learner is constantly in for surprises.

A and an are often used in connection with adjectival attributes with nouns that take no article at all or take the definite article (the). Some examples:

I had lunch.                                 But:   I had a good lunch.
Birds are flying in the sky.                  Birds are flying in a blue sky.
We met Tom Brown yesterday.         We met a sad Tom Brown yesterday.

Re: Article

Ruslana — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 18:31:39 GMT

I think there is no need to use the definite article.

But you had better ask this question in another section.

For example:

Free English grammar help and word games

Basic and easy English ONLY

Re: Grammatical gender

Anonymous — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 19:52:07 GMT

Yes, your question is really interesting. I'm Brazilian and consequently a Portuguese speaker. In my native language, like in Italian, French, Spanish and German (some languages that I've been studying, other than English), people use the definite and indefinite articles, pronouns, etc. according to the noun gender. We Brazilians (I'll try to answer for the country, forgive me if I'm wrong!) normally learn our language by thinking of words as having gender, be it masculine or feminine. And teachers of very young students teach them by using stories (fables) where objects and animals are really portrayed as male or female beings. This follows the way we think. In our stories, a fox is considered female because "raposa" is feminine in Portuguese ("a raposa"). I don't know if I answered your question but, by the way, I'd also like to know about English noun gender "exceptions" . For example, why do you, when referring to a ship, use "she"? Do you know where I could find a kind of list with some of these "exceptions" (I quoted because I don't know if English Grammar considers it this way) ?

Re: Pls correct my translation homework

abbie1948 — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 12:57:21 GMT

Hi Lyn,

Here is one of my posts from a previous thread on the topic of articles. It might help.

Posted: 03-30-2005 12:26 PM

The correct use of articles is acknowledged to be one of the most difficult points of English grammar, so don't be despondant Ali; mistakes don't usually matter too much, as you will still be understood.

First, we don't usually use an article with plural or uncountable nouns. e.g. "there are lots of fish in the sea" NOT "Lots of the fish in the sea". "I love cats" NOT "I love the cats".

"The" is a definite article, as Jazz says. We use it for the following:

* to refer to something which has already been mentioned

"Ali posted a question to English Forum; THE question was about articles."

*when both the speaker and listener know what is being talked about, even if it has not been mentioned before.

"Have you done the housework?"

* when we are speaking about a particular person or object
"The man over there is a famous film actor."

* objects which are regarded as unique
"The sun" "the moon" "the sea" "The world"

* with adjectives which refer to a whole group of people
"The English" "The Americans"

* names of geographical areas
"The Indian Ocean" "the Sahara Desert"

and finally
* with groups of years
"the seventies" "the 1800's"

a/an are indefinite articles.

We use 'a' when the word which follows begins with a consonant. (i.e. any letter whch is not a vowel),
"a book" "a film"

We also use 'a' in front of a word which begins with vowels which sound like a consonant (e.g. 'u' & 'eu' sound like 'y', so we say "a university", "a euphoric experience"

We use 'an' when the word which follows begins with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u).

"an apple" "an exciting time"

As Jazz says, sometimes 'h' isa silent letter, i.e. we don't pronounce it, and we use 'an' in front of these words. I'm afraid these just have to be learned, but there aren't many of them. (e.g. "an hour" "an honest boy" "an hotel".)

Indefinite articles are used:

* When we talk about something for the first time.
"lets go to see a film"

* when we talk about particular groups of people (don't confuse this with the groups mentioned above)

e.g.
*jobs "a doctor"
*nationalities "an Englishwoman",
*religions " a Muslim"
*musical instruments "a piano" (but, if we are describing an action we say "he is playing THE piano", because we are speaking about one particular piano)
*names of days "I go to town on a Monday"
*with numbers "a hundred pounds" "a thousand and one uses"
*when we talk about one particular thing or person "she has a beautiful silver bracelet", " a thief stole it"

Ok - that's a fairly long explanation! Now how about some practice? Go to this site

http://a4esl.org/

Click on English grammar quizes, easy, then look at level 2 "Articles". You will find some exercises there to help you.