Writing Improvement Corner (P. Ng)
Articles
The indefinite
article: a/an
The definite
article: the
The zero
article: no article is used
The
proper use of articles (a/an, the, and zero
article) in English is
something not easily mastered by students for whom English is not a first
language. Incorrect use of
articles (in particular, the indiscriminate use of the) is one of the most conspicuous
deficiencies in their writing.
Learn to use articles correctly, and your writing will read more
smoothly and naturally.
Articles are
words we use before nouns or noun phrases to indicate the kind of reference or
meaning intended:
I
have a plan. (some
plan, but we do not know which one)
Is
this the plan you have been working on? (we now know which one)
Plans are
always necessary for greater efficiency. (a
general statement)
A or an? A is used with words that begin with a
consonant sound:
a plan a
concept a game a university a usual routine (As in university,
u in usual is pronounced ju, a consonant sound.)
An
is used with words that
begin with a vowel sound:
an event an
idea an hour (silent h) an honest (silent h)
person
an organization an
unusual arrangement
Here
is not the place to delve into a full discussion of the subject of
articles. You can consult a good
grammar book (e.g., Collins Cobuild English Grammar,
and Raymond Murphy’s English Grammar in Use) for details. To help you
in a more practical way, let me draw your attention to three things on which
the use or non-use of articles depends: (1) the kind of noun we use, (2)
general or particular meaning, and (3) definite or indefinite reference.
1. The kind of noun
used
1.1 The indefinite article a/an can only
be used with singular count (countable) nouns:
a group a problem a value an idea an organization
1.2 The
definite article the can be used with all kinds of nouns:
the group the
problem the
value the
values the
idea
the ideas the organization the
organizations (all count nouns)
the confidence the
cooperation the
patience the
knowledge
the progress the resistance the
worth (all uncount nouns)
1.3 The zero article is used with (a) plural count nouns
and (b) uncount nouns:
(a) groups
problems values ideas organizations people phenomena
(b) confidence cooperation patience knowledge progress resistance
worth information evidence advice news
1.4 Never use a/an with uncount nouns. We CANNOT say: a
confidence a cooperation a news an advice
a knowledge
However, we can
use a/an with an uncount noun when it is qualified. We CAN say:
a strong confidence
a rare cooperation an
important news a piece of
good advice