| PART FOUR: Common patterns of use |
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| Here are some common patterns of article use. This
is not a comprehensive list! Rather, it’s intended
as a solid foundation for building a better understanding of
articles. Following each article choice is a list of its common
uses. |
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| a/an |
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countable nouns that are unspecific (that is, the audience
doesn’t know which one)
I’d like
to buy a pet cow. (The cow isn’t known;
it’s only a possibility.)
A spider is
creeping on your head. (We suspect that the person
listening doesn’t know about the spider.) |
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description
Everybody knows that your brother’s
a criminal and that he has a fake ID. (The nouns
‘brother’, ‘criminal’ and ‘ID’
are known, but the last two are used to create a description.) |
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| the |
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‘we know which one’, for one of these reasons...
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| 1. |
it’s unique in this context
Notify
the President! The moon is falling! |
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| 2. |
it was mentioned before
I
met a ghost and a zombie last night. The ghost’s
name is Fred, but the zombie didn’t tell
me his name. |
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| 3. |
more information follows that makes the noun
feel specific
This is the car
that I was driving when a UFO attacked me.
(Later in the sentence, we learn enough about
the car to make it feel specific.) |
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| 4. |
the noun is described by a superlative adjective
(-est), which makes it unique
Your sister is the prettiest girl
in my address book.
it’s also possible with plurals
My
brothers are the handsomest guys in town—when
I’m not around.
(Strictly speaking, it is correct English to use
a comparative (-er) adjective
when there are only two nouns.
This
is the larger of my two amoebas.
However, many native speakers of English don't
seem to know this rule. Heretics!!!)
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| 5. |
the noun is preceded by an ordinal number (which
makes it unique)
You’re
the fifth person to kick me today.
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| [no article] |
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unspecific plural or uncountable nouns, especially when generalizing
Last night I was chased by wild dogs. I
hate wild dogs.
Wild pigs are
worse, because they have amnesia. (Note that amnesia
is an example of an uncountable noun.)
sometimes, some/any are used—any is usually used when
asking about something’s existence
Last
night I was chased by some wild dogs. After escaping them, I
drank some moonshine.
Are there
any wild pigs outside?
No, there aren't any pigs at all. |
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most proper nouns (many people, places, companies, organizations,
and publications)
Tootie went to Africa and soon thereafter began
her whimsical invasion of Madagascar. |
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many names of times, if nouns
Grandma was
well-mannered at Christmas, but she went on a berserk rampage
on New Year’s Eve. |
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| In short... |
| a/an |
the |
[no article] |
| unspecific, countable |
| nouns in descriptions |
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| 'we know which one' (specific) because: |
| 1. unique in this case |
| 2. mentioned before |
| 3. following information that makes it sufficiently
specific |
4. has superlative adjective
(or comparative, if comparing 2 things) |
| 5. has ordinal number |
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unspecific plural or uncountable
(especially when generalizing) |
| most proper nouns |
| many names of times (if nouns) |
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| Here's a printable
version of this chart. |
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| These patterns are general, but account for most article use.
By teaching them and providing many examples, you can develop
student’s foundational knowledge and confidence for that
dreadful day when they must face… |
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