A? An? The? ?. English Nouns Proper Nouns Common Nouns.
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Transcript of A? An? The? ?. English Nouns Proper Nouns Common Nouns.
A?
An?
The?
?
English Nouns
Proper Nouns
Common Nouns
Proper nounsNo article
a. Continents
I have been to Europe but not Asia.
b. Countries
I have lived in France.
Exceptions:
The Netherlands, the Philippines
Others?
c. Cities
JCCC is in Overland Park.
d. Names with titles
He voted for President Obama.
e. Lakes
He lives near Lake Michigan.
Proper NounsDefinite Article
a. Rivers, Oceans, Seas
The Missouri River runs between Kansas & Missouri.
The Pacific is bigger than the Atlantic.
b. Mountain ranges
He has climbed the Rockies.
We hiked the Andes.
c. Not individual mountains or lakes
Hilary climbed Mount Everest.We live near Spring lake.
d. Proper names with “of” in the name
the University of Kansas,Kansas State UniversityThe Statue of Liberty
Proper Nouns (continued)
Plural geographic names (not falls)the Americas, the Hawaiian Islands
Peoplethe British, the Swiss
Deserts & foreststhe Sahara, the Black Forest
Historical periodsthe Renaissance, the Middle Ages
Plural family namesthe Smiths, the Joneses
the InternetMore
Count Non-Count
A, an
The The
Determiner Determiner
Count NounsSingle count nouns - A or An?
A (noun/adjective starting with a consonant sound)
A boy, a red apple, a university, a yes-man
An (noun/adjective starting with a vowel sound)
An honor, an honest man, an apple
Count Nouns – A/AnTo make a generalization
A cat makes a good pet.
A man should help his wife.
To identify an unspecified item
There is a dog in the back yard.
A dog chased a cat.
Count Nouns - TheSpeaker & listener both thinking about the same item
Honey, did you feed the dog?
The test next week will be easy.The teacher asked a question. Do you know the answer?
Second time something is mentioned.
A dog chased a cat. The dog caught the cat.
A student was late for class. The student is in trouble.
Count Nouns - TheAny member of a group
Most formal, more restricted use (Technical/scientific writing for inventions,
human groups, non-human groups, plants, parts of the body)
The computer is a necessity for all students.The heart is the most important muscle in the
human body.The Hmong are originally from Laos.
Plurals Count Nouns – Some or
Some - Plural, unspecified items
He had some friends over for supper.
Some students love writing essays.
- To make a generalization
Cats make good pets.
Students should come to class on time.
Non-count NounsNo plural forms but never use a or an
Wine is good for you. I got lots of mail yesterday. This room has too much furniture.Some nouns are both count/non-count.
We had chicken for supper. Chickens are dirty birds.I don’t have time for questions. How many times have you been there.
Use a quantifierI had a glass of wine with supper.
Non-count Nouns - To make a generalization
You should include fruit in your diet every day.
Do you like music?
Did you get any mail today? I got three bills!
Students should always be assigned homework.
Non-count Nouns - TheSpeaker & listener know what item is being referred to
The advice you gave me was very helpful.The vocabulary in this chapter is easy.The history of the United States is covered in that class.
Second mention of an itemI bought fruit for supper. The fruit spoiled too quickly.You tracked sand into the house. The sand is all over everything!
Non-count Nouns - SomeUnspecified item
Will you have some wine?
Do you want to listen to some music?
Mom, I need some money for the movie tonight.