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

Re: gerund or verbal noun with an article?

Cool Breeze — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:46:32 GMT

Anonymous

He heard a fearful wailing of a dog,

Fine, especially because of the adjectival attribute. Adjectives tend to enable the use of an indefinite article in many contexts. Examples:

Birds were flying in the sky. Birds were flying in a blue sky.

I had lunch. I had an early lunch.

I saw George Bush on TV last night. I saw a sad George Bush on TV last night.

Re: superative and article

Cool Breeze — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:42:49 GMT

Avangi

Do you have any comments on "top gun" or "ultimate climber" with and without articles - or definite vs. indefinite articles??

No, I don't think I have any. I'm sure your reliable ear will offer you the right choices.

Re: place aricle here?

Cool Breeze — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:36:58 GMT

Countability has nothing to do with the use of the definite article, only the indefinite article. Ondol is a proper noun and no article is needed with it in your example. You could of course avoid repetition and say: ... I would like to use it...

Re: superative and article

Avangi — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:52:28 GMT

Thanks, CB. I actually knew better, but was trying to show ultimate as adj. vs. "psuedo-superlative," or something like that.

Do you have any comments on "top gun" or "ultimate climber" with and without articles - or definite vs. indefinite articles??

- A.

Re: superative and article

Avangi — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:55:21 GMT

Yes, you need the definite article before a superlative, whether the noun it modifies is singular or plural. the most beautiful girl/girls

Top gun; top dog are fixed expressions when used without an article. Ultimate climber/climbers may be a fixed expression, but I haven't heard it. If so, and the plural uses no article, I believe the singular would use the indefinite article. They are ultimate climbers. He is an ultimate climber (possible fixed expression.) They are the ultimate climbers. He is the ultimate climber. (superlative)

- A.

Re: article

CalifJim — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 01:51:53 GMT

Cool Breeze
However, what you have made a mistake with in my humble opinion is that the indefinite article isn't used with uncountable nouns. The defintite article (the) can be used with all nouns.

Yes, yes, yes. I know that. Maybe I used the wrong words to express what I was trying to say. Maybe I should have said it as follows:

Only an uncountable noun can be used without an article (if it's singular).

The formulation in sea uses no article.

Therefore it treats sea as uncountable.

But I know for a fact that, on the contrary, sea is countable.

Therefore, in sea is wrong (because it contains a countable singular noun being used without an article).

_____

The argument, I'll admit, doesn't specify which article (a or the) will fix what's wrong.

Does this explanation make it clearer what I was getting at?

(Thanks for responding. Sorry about the e-mail problem.

There should be a list on the right with your latest discussions, by the way. Maybe that will help. )

Re: article

Cool Breeze — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:01:22 GMT

CalifJim
I welcome your further comments.

I don't get e-mail notifications from most of my posts on this forum but I saw your response as I was browsing what is going on at the moment. Please forgive me if I don't always respond to your questions. My e-mails have worked haphazardly after the face-lift in February.

I don't object to calling at sea idiomatic as well. Actually I agree with you. It's just that the is very often used with sea. Maybe it isn't a good idea to call in the sea idiomatic, though. However, what you have made a mistake with in my humble opinion is that the indefinite article isn't used with uncountable nouns. The defintite article (the) can be used with all nouns. Some examples:

The water in my glass is warm.

I read a book about the London of the 15th century.

But we do not of course say: There is a water in my glass.

Re: earlier in the evening

Avangi — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:32:32 GMT

Aha! This one is a little difficult. Absent earlier context setting the present time, "earlier in the evening" does two things. It establishes that the present time is this evening. And it establishes that Chavez picked the thing up at some time earlier this evening.

Well, I guess that's a dumb way to explain it.

Since "her eyes went" is simple past, the evening we're talking about is in the simple past also. Two things happened on that fateful evening: (first) he picked up the hold-all (second) her eyes went to it.

The main clause is in simple past, so the relative clause describing the earlier event is in past perfect.

So I should have said, it establishes that the [reference time] is that evening. And it establishes that Chavez picked the thing up at some time earlier that same evening.

You may well ask how we know that both events happened on the same [simple past] evening, since the sentence doesn't say so. We just have to assume it, since there's no other information.

There's also the fact that the speaker chooses to use the definite article, "the evening," and there's simply no other evening for "the" to refer to.

I"m thinking of a Jim Webb song, The Paper Chase: And later in the day she'll be searching for a way/ To let you know she's ready for your little game to end. Here again, the important thing is the use of the definite article, "later in the day." It will always mean "that same day," which may or may not have already been mentioned. Not the day before!

Sorry to go on and on. - A.

Re: corrections 8

YoungCalifornian — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:39:14 GMT

(a) The patients are waiting for seeing the doctor.
The patients are waiting to see the doctor.

The second sentence is correct.

(b) It is cheap to travel by bus.

This sentence is correct.

(c) Tourist often buy souvenirs to take back home.

Change "Tourist" to "Tourists."

(d) Deserts are covered by / with sand.

Either is correct. Using "by" emphasizes the act of covering the desert (and implies a source or cause of that act), while using "with" emphasizes the sand itself.

e) He is admitted to hospital due to / because of (a) high fever.

Either "due to" or "because of" is acceptable. The indefinite article ("a") is not required here, but it sounds best if it is used.

(f) The computer makes our lives / life easier.

It should be "lives."

(g) The tourist is asking for directions.

This sentence is correct.

h) She asked Jenny to watch a / the film.

Either article can be used. The indefinite article ("a") suggests little importance to what actual film she is watching, while the definite ("the") would make it clear that you are referencing a specific film.

quantifier

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:25:24 GMT

Hi,

I think I saw the words 'host' and 'multitude' listed as a quantifier (whatever it means - I don't know). I think I also saw the words with the indefinite article 'a' as in 'a host' and 'a multitude'.

Is this right? Can I put the word 'all' before, eventhough not just before, the word (quantifier?) 'host' or 'multitude'?

all their starry host