Using English articles (#4), more English

Using English Articles (#4)     Because the English articles (a, an, the) are often very challenging for learners of the language, the next several Hints will provide guidelines on their usage. _____________________________   The Definite Article The     The definite article the is used in several different ways in English. One use is with nouns (singular or plural, countable or uncountable) that are specifically identified because the listener or reader knows (or can assume) that only one specific noun is being talked or written about. Another use of the happens when a non-specific noun is mentioned more than one time: the first time the noun is mentioned, a or an is used (because at that point the noun is non-specific). After the noun has been mentioned the first time, however, the is used (because at that point it's clear which noun is being referred to, so it's specific). Examples: Tony bought a computer yesterday. He paid for the computer with money he earned by working after school. ***** Yesterday there was an accident on the freeway. The accident was caused by ice on the road. ***** Two weeks ago, I bought some* milk. I opened the milk today and found that it was sour. ***** There will be a special meeting tomorrow morning. The meeting will begin at 9:30 AM. ***** Did you know that Elsa has a horse? She keeps the horse at her uncle's farm. ***** I heard that Samira had a baby. Do you know the baby's name? ***** Fred won some* money in the lottery. He'll use the money to buy a car. ***** Dave Sperling has two children, a boy and a girl. The boy's name is Benjamin and the girl's name is Shannon. ***** Professor Vázquez received an honorarium for his conference speech. The honorarium was $500. ***** A friend of mine made an interesting website in 1995. The website is called www.tron.prv.pl " _______________________________________________ Special Note: The indefinite articles a and an can be used only with countable nouns; uncountable nouns use some or a quantifier (for example, a lot of / a carton of / a quart of / a bottle of). The definite article the can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns, however. _____________________________ Next: more on articles

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