LECTURE 8
1. Nouns:
proper nouns,
common nouns,
count nouns:
concrete: cat, doll,
abstract: limit, difficulty,
noncount nouns:
concrete: milk, bread,
abstract: music.
2. Partitive constructions:
Both count and noncount nouns can enter constructions denoting part of a whole, which relate to the quantity and quality:
a piece/kind/sort of furniture,
a piece of a leather belt,
a blade of glass.
3. Three classes of determiners:
central determiners (the, a, this),
predeterminers,
postdeterminers.
We also distinguish:
a negative determiner no: no smoking,
a negative dual determiner: neither: neither of the paintings.
4. Articles:
the definite article:
marks a NP as definite,
the use of the depends on shared knowledge of the world (situational reference) and of English grammar, e.g.: Do you see the bird sitting on the lower branch?
the zero article:
occurs with noncount and plural count nouns before indefinite NP,
occurs in fixed phrases such as: in turn, with intent to, by heart,
the indefinite articles:
is used when a reference cannot be regarded as uniquely identifiable from the shared knowledge of speaker and addressee, e.g.: She has a son.
5. Abstract nouns and articles:
abstract nouns are typically countable when they refer to unitary phenomena/events and as noncount when they refer to activities, states, qualities, e.g.:
We are conducting a research.,
Research has to be done thoroughly.
6. Proper nouns:
are names,
they are not typically preceded by determiners or numerals (with some expectations); the precedes:
some titular names: The Prince of Wales,
geographical names in plural:
mountain ranges: the Himalayas,
rivers (but NOT lakes): the Thames,
names of ships: The Mayflower,
theatres, galleries, major buildings: The National Gallery,
journals: The Economist, The Sun.
7. Number - plural forms:
/iz/ = watch - watches, house - houses,
/s/ = book - books,
/z/ = floor - floors.
Voicing: knife - knives.
Vowel change: mouse - mice, goose - geese.
Zero plural: many sheep, five hundred (however, such nouns of quantity have normal plural forms when not preceded by numerals: hundreds of people).
Singular nouns: news.
Plural nouns: police, trousers.
8. Gender:
inanimate nouns,
animate nouns:
Animate nouns
Personal Nonpersonal
dual (police officer) female common (baby) familiar animal (F/M/D)
male collective (family) less
familiar
animal