For example, if we are speaking of water that has been spilled on the table, there can be one drop singular or two or more drops plural of water on the table. The word drop in this example is a count noun because we can count the number of drops. Therefore, according to the rules applying to count nouns, the word drop would use the articles a or the.
However, if we are speaking of water in general spilled on the table, it would not be appropriate to count one water or two waters -- there would simply be water on the table. Water is a noncount noun. Therefore, according to the rules applying to noncount nouns, the word water would use no article or the , but not a. Following are the three specific rules which explain the use of definite and indefinite articles. Rule 1 - Specific identity not known : Use the indefinite article a or an only with a singular count noun whose specific identity is not known to the reader.
Use a before nouns that begin with a consonant sound, and use an before nouns that begin with a vowel sound. I think an animal is in the garage That man is a scoundrel. We are looking for an apartment. Rule 2 - Specific identity known : Use the definite article the with any noun whether singular or plural, count or noncount when the specific identity of the noun is known to the reader, as in the following situations:.
I ate an apple yesterday. The apple was juicy and delicious. The boy sitting next to me raised his hand. Thank you for the advice you gave me. Rule 3 - All things or things in general : Use no article with plural count nouns or any noncount nouns used to mean all or in general. Trees are beautiful in the fall. All trees are beautiful in the fall. He was asking for advice. He was asking for advice in general. I do not like coffee. Points on the globe the North Pole, the Equator. Deserts, forests, gulfs, peninsulas, and mountain ranges the Himalayas, the Sahara Desert.
The Oxford Reference is a good place to try oxfordreference. This will give you several examples of the term being used. Languages and nationalities Korean, Arabic. Subjects math, reading, biology.
Note that the definite article might be used in front of some of these words when they are used as a modifier for another noun, so be sure to determine whether the word is being used in this way, as in the following examples:. The Latin abbreviation. Here are some examples:. A research study undertaken 40 years ago suggested that the drug could be used for pain relief.
A pattern could not be found. An apple was left outside over the course of 20 days. It is an odorless gas. See the following example:. A major rainstorm moved in. The rain did a lot of damage. Some examples of noncount nouns include sand , milk, and rain and abstractions like joy , anger, and obedience. Please hand me an autobiography; any autobiography will do. There are a few exceptions to the general rule of using a before words that start with consonants and an before words that begin with vowels.
In spite of its spelling, the word honor begins with a vowel sound. Therefore, we use an. Consider the example sentence below for an illustration of this concept. My mother is a honest woman.
My mother is an honest woman. Similarly, when the first letter of a word is a vowel but is pronounced with a consonant sound, use a , as in the sample sentence below:. She is an United States senator. She is a United States senator. Sometimes an article modifies a noun that is also modified by an adjective. If the article is indefinite, choose a or an based on the word that immediately follows it.
Consider the following examples for reference:. I heard an interesting story yesterday. Uncountable nouns are nouns that are either difficult or impossible to count.
Uncountable nouns include intangible things e. Uncountable nouns can be modified by words like some , however. Consider the examples below for reference: Please give me a water. Water is an uncountable noun and should not be used with the indefinite article. Please give me some water. However, if you describe the water in terms of countable units like bottles , you can use the indefinite article.
Please give me a bottle of water. Please give me an ice. Please give me an ice cube. Please give me some ice. Note that depending on the context, some nouns can be countable or uncountable e.
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