1. Week 13 – Articles a / an, the, Ø
retrieved and adapted for use by Joe Ratermann from on Nov. 25, 2015

2. The Indefinite Article a / an
The Use of Articles
The Indefinite Article a / an
You cannot use a singular count noun (a noun that can be counted) alone—it needs to be preceeded by a determiner such an an article (a, an, the), a quantifier (one, each, any, another, every, etc.) or a determiner such as my, her, John’s, this, that, etc.

3. The General Rule for a/an
Use the indefinite articles when we are talking about one of many–a star, an hour, a hairdresser, an angry person, a happy person, etc.
I just saw a giant whale swimming near the beach.
(Unit 70)
Use an indefinite article when something is mentioned for the first time.
A large group of people are now watching the whale.
(Unit 71)
Use an indefinite article when we sometimes to refer to how many or how much. (replaceable with “per”)
I earn 15¥ an hour, eight hours a day.
(Unit 71)

4. The General Rule for the
Use the definite article the when we are talking about something that is already known or been mentioned.
A man said that the giant whale was a blue whale.
(U71)
Use the definite article the when we are thinking about one particular thing—when the thing is the one and only.
The large group of people who were watching the whale are having a party now.
(U71, 72)

5. Use the definite article the to talk about the following:
Inventions
When was the telephone invented?
Species of animals
The cheetah is the fastest land animal.
Rivers, seas and oceans
The Yangtse River flows into the East China Sea.
Mountain ranges
They went skiing in the Swiss Alps.
Island groups
The Seychelles are a group of islands in the Indian Ocean.

6. Use the definite article the to talk about the following:
Deserts
The Sahara is the largest desert in the world.
Hotels
The Shangri La Hotel is on
Zhongshan Lu.
Cinemas, theatres
We are going to the Odeon this evening
Newspapers
Which newspaper should I buy – the Independent or the Herald?

7. Use the definite article the to talk about the following:
Nationalities (some—others use Ø article)
The British are famous for their fish and chips.
Museums, art galleries
You should go to the Smithsonian Museum. It has everything imaginable.
Organisations
He used to work for the BBC..
With superlatives
Pavillions Shopping Mall is located below the tallest building in Dalian.

8. Use of the Ø Article Use no article (the zero article) to talk about:.
Continents
They are travelling through Asia
Countries
Have you been to Russia?
Mountains
They have reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Lakes
Chicago is on Lake Michigan.

9. Use of the Ø Article Villages, towns, cities We live in Dalian.
Streets, roads, etc.
He lives on Wuyi Lu.
Magazines
Do you read Time magazine?
Major Illnesses
He’s got cancer.
Uncountable, plural and abstract nouns used in their general sense
Love makes the world go round.
We buy fruit and vegetables at the market.

10. Use of the Ø Article ♦ To / at / from school / university / college
♦ In / to class
♦ To / in / into / from church
♦ To / in / into / out of prison / hospital / bed
♦ To / at / from work
♦ For / at / to breakfast / lunch / dinner
♦ By car / bus / bicycle / plane / train / tube / boat
♦ On foot

11. Homework for Week 14 1. Quia Quiz beginning Saturday, 9:00 a.m. until
Sunday, 9:00 p.m.
2. Week 14– Comparatives and Superlatives Units
104 – 107
a. Complete all of the exercises for each Unit.
3. Student -Teachers– prepare a lesson for the Unit
you have been assigned.
a. Do not just copy the information from the
page of the Unit!
4. Students responsible for Vocabulary List– send
in or bring to class on USB

12. Put the articles where necessary:
William Shakespeare, … greatest English playwright, was born in 1564 in …Stradford-on-Avon in … England. …Stradford is … small country town in … farming district near … centre of … England. … Avon, which is … pretty river with … grass and … trees all along its banks, runs through … Stradrord. Not much is known of … Shakespeare’s father. He was … farmer who, at … different times of his life, sold … meat and bought and sold … wool. He was poor and was often in … money difficulties. Very little is known about … life of his only son William also. … little house in which … great writer was born still stands It is now … museum. William went to … school in … Stradford. In 1586 he went to … London. Probably … first work he did there was at one of

13. … the two theatres that there were in … London at that time
… the two theatres that there were in … London at that time. Then he became … actor and soon began to write … plays for … company of actors to which he belonged. Shakespeare bought … largest house in his home town in 1597, but he did not spend much time there till He spent … last years of his life mostly in … Stradford, but he often visited … London. He died in 1616.