Section 2: Articles. Advanced Grammar

Countable & Uncountable
Countable: (banana)
Uncountable: (rice)
I eat a banana every day.
I eat rice every day
I like bananas.
I like rice
A countable noun can be singular
(banana) or plural (bananas)
It has only one form (singular)
We can use numbers: (three bananas)
We cannot use numbers: (two rices)
Examples: a song, a beach, an accident..
Examples: music, sand, money …

3.

Countable & Uncountable
Countable
Uncountable
You must use a/an with singular
countable nouns:
You cannot normally use a/an with
uncountable nouns:
a beach, a student, an umbrella
a sand, a music, a rice
You cannot use them alone (without
a/the/my)
You can use them alone (without
a/the/my)
I need umbrella. ( an umbrella)
I eat rice every day.
You can use plural nouns alone:
No plural: There are many musics
I like bananas.

4.

Differences in meaning:
Did you hear a noise? (specific noise)
There’s too much noise here (general)
I bought a paper to read (newspaper)
I need some paper to write on.
There’s a hair in my soup (a single hair) Your hair is beautiful. (not hairs)
I had some interesting experiences
while travelling (things that happened)
Enjoy your trip! Have a good time!
Can I have two coffees and a tea.
(cups of coffee and a cup of tea)
I would like an orange juice, please.
I have a lot of experience, that’s why I
was offered this job.
I can’t wait. I don’t have time.
I don’t like coffee and tea.
I hate orange juice

5.

News/Advice
News
Advice
It is always singular and uncountable!
It is always singular and uncountable!
This is good news. (not are)
It is good advice.
The news was depressing (not were)
To advise:
You need to retell a piece of news.
-
To give advice
-
To consult
-
To inform

6.

‘the’
We use ‘the’ when we are thinking of a specific thing.
Susan is looking for a job.
Susan got the job she applied for. (specific job)
Do you have a car?
I cleaned the car yesterday. (specific car)
I have to go to the bank today.
Is there a bank near me?

7.

Usage of ‘the’
When there’s one of something:
No ‘the’ with breakfast/lunch/dinner
The sun, the earth, the sky, the Internet, the end What’s for breakfast? We had lunch at 1.
of this month, the world…
But: a lovely dinner, an early breakfast, a big
lunch…
The cinema/the theatre:
I want to go to the cinema or to theatre.
(not a specific, but always with ‘the’)
The radio/ the TV
I listen to the radio. I watch the TV.
I heard it on the radio. I saw it on TV.
No ‘the’ before noun+number
We are at room 3. The train leaves from
Platform 5. Do you have these shoes in size
43?Look at question 3 on your test!
No ‘a’ and ‘the’

8.

Usage of ‘the’
School
Susan is 10, every day she goes to
school. She is at school now. School
starts at 9 and finishes at 3.
(school- general idea)
Tom is in prison. (as a prisoner)
Bob had an accident and was
taken to hospital. He is still in
hospital now.
When I leave school, I plan to go
to university.
The school
Susan’s mother wants to speak to her
daughter’s teacher. So, she has gone
to the school. She is at the school
now. (the school – a specific building)
Tom’s wife went to the prison.
Jane has gone to the hospital to visit
her husband. She is at the hospital.
I went to the university to meet my
professor.

9.

Usage of ‘the’
Work:
Go to work, be at work,
to start work, to finish work.
Home:
To go home, arrive home, get home,
But: be at home
Bed
I am going to bed now.
Do you have breakfast in bed?
But: I sat down on the bed
Sea
I want to go to sea. (voyage)
He works on ships. He is at sea all the time.
But: I want to live near the sea.
It is dangerous to swim in the sea.

10.

Usage of ‘the’
The + Adjective: (to talk about groups of people)
The young, the old, the rich, the poor, the homeless, the unemployed
Should the rich pay more taxes? We need to help the homeless.
The + Musical Instruments
To play the piano, the guitar, the drums, the trumpet, the violin.
I’d like to play the piano. BUT! I want to have a piano at home.
The + Nationality
‘Sh/ch’ The English are famous for their accent. The French are famous for their food.
An English, a French An Englishman, a Frenchwoman.
‘Ese’ The Chinese - a Chinese; the Japanese – a Japanese
Others: An Italian –Italians, a Mexican - Mexicans

11.

Usage of ‘the’
We don’t use ‘the’ with:
Continents: Africa, Europe
Countries: France, Spain
Cities: New York, Prague
Islands: Sicily
Mountains: Everest
But: the USA, the UK
The Czech Republic
The Dominican Republic
We use ‘the’ with:
Oceans/sea/rivers/canals:
The Atlantic, the Red Sea, the Nile
People: the Johnsons, the Simpsons
Countries (-s): the Netherlands
Groups of Islands: the Canary Islands
Mountain ranges: the Andes, the Alps
The north, the south …

12.

Usage of ‘the’
We don’t use ‘the’ with:
Streets/roads/squares/parks
Fifth Avenue, Hyde Park, Times Square
Important institutions
Harvard University, Heathrow Airport,
Buckingham Palace, Victoria Station
But: the Royal Palace (adj, not a name)
Shops, restaurants, hotels (named after
people):
McDonalds, Macy’s, Barclays
Companies: Apple, Amazon, Air Astana
We use ‘the’ with:
Hotels: The Holiday Inn
Theatres/Cinemas: The Bolshoi
Newspapers: The Financial Times
Organizations: The European Union
Names with of:
The bank of England, the Tower of London
The University of Cambridge, but:
Cambridge University

13.

Usage of ‘the’
Plural noun for one thing:
These jeans are comfortable.
That is a nice pair of jeans.
-ics nouns (usually singular)
Athletics is fun. Economics is difficult. Politics is
interesting. Gymnastics is hard.
Singular and Plural.
Train is a means of transport. (many means)
Television series is over. ( many series)
Emu is a species of bird. (many species)
Singular nouns with plural verbs:
team, staff, family, audience, government
The government have increased taxes.
The staff are not happy with the conditions.
One thing (money, time, distance)
Five thousand dollars was stolen.
Five years is a long time to be away.
Two kilometers isn’t very far to walk.
Noun+noun (an adjective)
A three-hour break, a 5-year-old woman.

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