Употребление артикля в английском языке

Articles

Nouns

Class nouns: in singular and plural (shop-shops)

Collective nouns: only in singular or in plural (foliage – листва, machinery – машины, механизмы; people, police, gentry - дворянство)

Abstract nouns: denote state, quality, action or idea

Nouns of material: water, paper, tea

Nouns: Uncountable (substances or abstract notion, which can not be counted. They have no plural form) and Countable (things, persons, phenomena, abstract notions, which can be counted. They have the singular and the plural form)

Collective nouns are no countable no uncountable. They denote groups of objects or living beings, as undivided bodies.

The indefinite article has the different meanings:

1. the nominative meaning (when we give a name to an object we have in mind – A man and a woman set opposite us)

2. the classifying meaning (when the article assigns an object to a certain class or a kind of similar objects – His brother was a student)

3. the numeric meaning (in the plural nouns with the articles in this meaning may be preceded by the words some, a few, several, many or be numerals; the article has this meaning before the numerals hundred, thousand, million, dozen)

4. the generalizing meaning (the following noun denotes a typical member of a class – A cat is a domestic animal=every cat)

The definite article has 2 meanings:

1. the specifying meaning (shows that the following noun is a particular object, distinct from all others of the same class – Lynn followed the boy)

2. the generic meaning (the reference is made to a class of objects as a whole – The tiger is dangerous)

Some of the adjectives as attributes can influence on the choosing of article.

They are called limiting attributes and used to point out a particular object as distinct from all other objects of the same class, thus they are always preceded by the definite article. Always limiting attributes: the adjectives in the superlative degree, same, only, very (тот самый), main, principal, left, right, central, following, present, former, latter, last, next, wrong.

Note 1: next, last + nouns, denoting time (day, night, morning, afternoon, week, year) can be used with no article. Next, last + numerals are always used with the definite article

Note 2: only + somebody’s child is used the INDEFINITE article – Is he an only child? I am the only child

Note 3: other: one and the other (другой из двух) – The two sisters are very different. One is a good companion, the other doesn’t like to meet people. The others – остальные – My friend and I were sitting in the room and the other guests went out to the garden. Another – ещё один (He has another cup of tea), другой (I have another plan).

The adjectives that don’t influence on the use of article, describe an object or give an additional information about it, are called descriptive attributes. They can be preceded both by definite and indefinite articles. Attributes, expressed by the adjectives, may be limiting or descriptive, depending on the context or on the situation – I saw a tall good-looking woman. The tall man remained sitting, the short one approached us.

The adjectives like necessary, opposite, previous, lower, upper, usual, so called may be used both as a limiting and descriptive attributes, but more often as a limiting ones – I saw the usual crowd of people. It was a usual continental breakfast.

Cardinal numerals are always used as descriptive attributes. The definite article can be used, if it’s required by the situation – The 5 days seemed an age to him. NO ARTICLE is used when a numeral follows a noun – Have you read chapter 10?

Ordinal numerals are usually used as limiting attributes – She was the first celebrity, I interviewed. If the numeral is used in the meaning “another” or “one more”, it is used with indefinite article – I hope you won’t need a second reminder.

1. The article refers to the noun in the Genetive case:

The word in the Genetive case is a proper noun, no article is used – Margaret’s face didn’t show what she was thinking about. Articles before the nouns in the Genetive case have the same meanings as the articles before the nouns in the Common case - The teacher’s book=a book of the teacher, a teacher’s book=a book of a teacher, a book for any teacher

1. The nominative meaning: I heard a woman’s voice

2. The specifying meaning: I didnt’ like the fellow’s manners

3. The generalizing meaning: There must be some poison in a lion’s teeth, because I still have pain in my left leg=the teeth of any lion

4. The generic meaning: the poet’s talent is born with him, but I doubt, if this can be said about this artist

1. The article refers to the head word

The noun in the Genetive case can be used as a descriptive attribute: a women’s college, a children’s hospital, a doctor’s degree

Of-phrases can be used as limiting and descriptive attributes:

The main meanings of the constructions with descriptive of-phrases:

1. A container and its contests – a box of matches, a cup of tea

2. A certain quantity – a slice of lemon, a pinch of salt

3. Measure – a height of 2 meters, a weight of 2 pounds, a distance of 3 miles

4. Origin – a native of Wales, a descendant of a good family

5. Characteristics of an object – a woman of great charm, a man of courage, a question of importance, a matter of urgency

6. Age – a boy of 5, a man of middle age

7. Material, a thing is made of – a box of cedar, a heart of gold

8. Composition – a crowd of people, a flock of birds, a herd of deer, a bunch of flowers, a pile of papers

9. Two objects of the same kind – a pair of gloves

10. Indication of analogy – a beast of a man=He is a man behaving like a beast, He is a fool of a child

11. The double Genetives – an opera of Verdy’s

The most typical kinds of structures with limiting of-phrases:

The city of Chicago

The sound of the bell

The figure of a man

The position of a teacher

The foot of the hill

The manager of a hotel

The edge of the table

The story of his life

The bank of the river

The wife (the daughter) of a local doctor

The number of people

The shadow of a tree

The shot of a gun

The face of a woman

The (a) leg of the table

The (a)wheel of the car

Prepositional gerundial phrases are usually limiting attributes – She went to Africa in the wild hope of making a fortune. It can be a descriptive attribute, especially after the verb “to have” – She had a feeling of missing something important

For certain semantic groups of nouns (for example, scientific terminology, names of plants, living beings, occupation) the Generic use of the definite article is typical – the radio was invented, the rose is difficult to grow, the tiger is dangerous, the talent of the poet. The noun “man” has NO article, when used with the Generic reference. The noun “woman” is used either with the definite article or with No article – God created man and woman

Collective nouns, denoting social classes or groups, are used with the definite article in the Generic meaning: the bourgeoisie, the aristocracy, the proletariat, the nobility, the peasantry, the press, the elite, the public. These words take a verb in the singular. The clergy, the gentry, the police take a verb in the plural. The word “people” in the meaning “люди” has no article, in the meaning “народ” is used with the definite article. The word “public” sometimes take a verb in the singular, sometimes – in the plural. “Public opinion” has no article. “Mankind, humanity” have no article.

Substantivized adjectives are used with the definite article in the Generic meaning. Always take a verb in the plural – the brave, the poor, the wounded. They are often names of nationalities – the British, the French.

The definite article in the Generic meaning is used with the plural nouns, denoting social and religious groups, classes and nationalities as undivided bodies – the Communists, the Social-Democrats, the Tories, the Republicans, the Capitalists, the Catholics, the Protestants, the Russians, the Americans

Usually zero-article is used in the nominative meaning. The use of the article can by modified by descriptive attributes. If the attribute narrows the notion, denoted be the noun, making it less general, zero-article is used. These are the following adjectives:

1. Adjectives, denoting nationality – English literature, Italian music

2. Social characteristics – feudal law, bourgeois prejudice

3. Period of historical time – contemporary poetry, modern art, medieval literature, ancient history

4. Authenticity – real freedom, genuine happiness, true, authentic, false, dubious, reliable, real

5. Degree – perfect, great, sufficient, immense, utter, huge, tremendous, complete, absolute, infinite, sheer

6. Genres and trends in art – dramatic, romantic, detective, classical

7. Adjectives, referring to social and spiritual life – social, public, political, intellectual, spiritual, moral, mental, personal, reasonable

8. Man’s manner and behavior – serious, nervous, polite, formal

9. Position or locality – inside, outside, inner, local, interval, external, internal

10. Idea of continuality – continuous, incessant, constant

The following adjectives and participles – absent, present, proper, involved, concerned – function as limiting attributes – The people involved were asked to come, The deligates present discussed a question

A kind (a sort) of + no article + abstract noun

They are usually used with no article.

The definite article is used, when a personal name has a plural form, used to indicate a whole family.

Personal names, modified by adjectives, denoting constant qualities, tale the definite article – The silent Mr. F. addressed Barbara. The dinner was served by a silent Mr. F.

There are no article before personal names, modified by the adjectives: old, young, dear, poor, little, honest, tiny

The definite article is not used with the names of streets, squares, parks, airports, railway stations, universities, colleges, magazines, bridges and so on. Exceptions –The Tower, The White House.

The definite article is used with the names of hotels, clubs, museums, theatres, monuments, parties, newspapers and so on.

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