Lessons (Dec. 29, Jan. 5) Articles: A, an, the.

The Indefinite Articles: A, An The indefinite articles are a, an, and .  is a special symbol. This symbol shows that no indefinite article is used. Nouns in the plural have no indefinite article. Example:  Slide-rules are more expensive than  ordinary rulers. Nouns which can be plural take a or an in the singular. E xample: A slide-rule is more expensive than an ordinary ruler.

The Indefinite Articles: A, An A is used before a consonant sound, and an is used before a vowel sound. Note: it is the sound which matters, not the letter. an umbrella ( ʌ m ˈ brel ə ) – ‘a’ sound a university ( ˌ ju ː n ɪˈ v ɜː s ə ti) – ‘y’ sound unit of length ugly duckling uniform field European

The Indefinite Articles: A, An Plural nouns never take a or an. Which non-plural nouns take a or an in the singular? – Countable: yes. Book is a countable noun: a book, two books, etc. An angle, a number, a line. – Uncountable: no. We cannot in English count bread. We can't say a bread, two breads etc. Therefore bread is an uncountable noun. Other uncountable nouns: – heat, water, power, knowledge.

coffee oil year bottle wool quantity wheat sand chemistry point grass steam brush engineering filter advice importance exception physics travel information machinery equipment apparatus training Which nouns in the following lists are countable?

Uncountable Nouns The following are usually uncountable: – names for languages English, French, Arabic, Hindi,.... – names for subjects physics, geography, chemistry,.... – names for interests photography, swimming, stamp-collecting,..... – names for solids coal, steel, limestone,.... – names for liquids water, nitric acid, milk,.... – names for gases air, oxygen, methane,.... – names for powders salt, sand, sugar,..... These nouns are also usually uncountable: – advice, evidence, machinery, strength – behaviour, furniture, produce, sunlight – cardboard, grass, progress, timber – cloth, gravel, research, traffic – clothing, health, rubble, training – concrete, heat, safety, transport – damage, homework, scaffolding, treatment – energy, information, shipping, vegetation – equipment, luggage, slag, work

Nouns that are both countable and uncountable Unfortunately, a number of nouns in scientific English, can be both countable and uncountable. They will be called 'double' nouns. Calculation – The act of calculating in general is not countable: Calculation of the Fourier transform is simple by tedious – A particular example is countable: A calculation of the reflection index has been performed.

Nouns that are both countable and uncountable Diamond: – The substance is not countable: Diamond is a carbon crystal. – The stone is countable: He gave her a diamond for her birthday. Fire: – The general concept is not countable: Fire is both useful and destructive. – A physical instance of fire is countable: A fire broke out at the factory.

Nouns that are both countable and uncountable Football: – The game is not countable The kids love playing football after school. – The ball used in the game is countable He brought a football in his bag. Glass – The substance is not countable The windows are made of glass. – The container made of glass is countable She accidentally broke a glass in the kitchen.

Nouns that are both countable and uncountable Man – It is not countable when used to mean human beings in collective. Man has gone to the moon. – A male person is countable. A man has just gone into the laboratory. Sound – The physical concept in general is not countable. Sound travels at 740 mph at sea level. – A particular occurrence of sound is countable. Listen! I just heard a sound downstairs!

I saw a tail of a cat. I saw a tail of the cat. I saw the tail of a cat. I saw the tail of the cat. I saw an eye of a cat. I saw an eye of the cat. I saw the eye of a cat. I saw the eye of the cat. Which of the following sentences are correct? Explanation: 1.A cat has only one tail. Once a/the cat is mentioned, there is no doubt about which tail we are talking about. Hence, the tail is specific. 2.Normally, a cat has two eyes, unless it is a very special cat. Hence, when we mention a non specific cat by “a cat”, we cannot yet be definite about which eye was seen by the subject “I”. 3.However, when we mention “the cat”, this cat is specific and it is possible that it has only one eye. In this case, there is no doubt about which eye we are talking about. E.g. Peter has a one-eyed cat. I saw the eye of the cat. possible

Workshop proper noun general concept followed by “of” non-specific, plural g.c. counting.