articlas
Article Before an Adjective
Sometimes an article modifies a noun that is also modified by an adjective. The usual word order is article + adjective + noun. If the article is indefinite, choose a or an based on the word that immediately follows it. Consider the following examples for reference:
Eliza will bring a small gift
to Sophie’s party.
I heard an interesting story
yesterday.
Indefinite Articles with Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns are nouns that are either difficult or impossible to count. Uncountable nouns include intangible things (e.g., information, air), liquids (e.g., milk, wine), and things that are too large or numerous to count (e.g., equipment, sand, wood). Because these things can’t be counted, you should never use a or an with them—remember, the indefinite article is only for singular nouns. Uncountable nouns can be modified by words like some, however. Consider the examples below for reference:
Please give me a water.
Please give me some water.
Please give me a bottle of water.
Please give me an ice.
Please give me an ice cube.
Please give me some ice
.
We need a light
in this room.
We need some light
in this room.
Using Articles with Pronouns
Possessive pronouns can help identify whether you’re talking about specific or nonspecific items. As we’ve seen, articles also indicate specificity. But if you use both a possessive pronoun and an article at the same time, readers will become confused. Possessive pronouns are words like his, my, our, its, her, and their. Articles should not be used with pronouns. Consider the examples below.
Why are you reading the my
book?
Why are you reading the
book?
Why are you reading my
book?
Omission of Articles
Occasionally, articles are omitted altogether before certain nouns. In these cases, the article is implied but not actually present. This implied article is sometimes called a “zero article.” Often, the article is omitted before nouns that refer to abstract ideas. Look at the following examples:
Let’s go out for a dinner
tonight.
Let’s go out for dinner
tonight.
The creativity
is a valuable quality in children.
Creativity
is a valuable quality in children.
I studied the French
in high school for four years.
I studied French
in high school for four years.
I like to play the baseball.
I like to play baseball
.
My sister was always good at the math
.
My sister was always good at math
.
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