A? An? The? ?

English Nouns Proper Nouns Common Nouns

Proper nouns No 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 Nouns Definite 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 University The Statue of Liberty

Proper Nouns (continued) Plural geographic names (not falls) the Americas, the Hawaiian Islands People the British, the Swiss Deserts & forests the Sahara, the Black Forest Historical periods the Renaissance, the Middle Ages Plural family names the Smiths, the Joneses the Internet More

Count Non-Count A, an The Determiner

Count Nouns Single 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/An To 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 - The Speaker & 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 - The Any 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 Nouns No 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 quantifier I 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 - The Speaker & 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 item I bought fruit for supper. The fruit spoiled too quickly. You tracked sand into the house. The sand is all over everything!

Non-count Nouns - Some Unspecified item Will you have some wine? Do you want to listen to some music? Mom, I need some money for the movie tonight.