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(In)definite Articles (a/an/the) - Coggle Diagram
(In)definite Articles (a/an/the)
Indefinite + Definite Nouns
Definite
which particular person, place or thing is being talked about
Can you ask a which questions about it?
Which
food was terrible?
The food
we had for lunch was terrible.
Indefinite
non-specific
one out of many of the same group or class
We saw
a
gigantic
lion
on today's excursion.
generic
all members of a class or category of persons, places, or things.
Giraffes
are native to the African continent
the first time we mention it
I'm reading about
an
endangered animal. The animal lives in West Africa.
Indefinite Article
A/an
use w/ singular count nouns
Our City needs
a
good
zoo
She wants to be
an anthropologist
Zero Article (No article)
indefinite plural count nouns
This area used to have wild
animals
indefinite non-count nouns
Platinum
and
gold
are valuable minerals
names of people
Mr. Jama is a zoologist.
names of most countries
New York is found on the east coast of
North America.
habitual actions
People spend most of their time at
work
, at
school
, or at
home.
Definite Article
The
non-count nouns and sing. and plural nouns that are definite for you and your listener or reader
The food
we had for lunch was terrible
to describe a unique thing
The world
is certainly an interesting place.
The sun
gives us light and heat
an adjective that makes a noun sound unique
first, last, only, right, comparative adjectives (stronger), superlative adjectives (the worst)
The last
passenger pigeon died in 1914
The stronger of the two animals
is the older one
inventions
The wheel
was invented thousands of years ago
musical instruments
Helen plays
the piano
parts of the body
The brain i
s the seat of inteligence
public places
the
bank,
the
post office,
the
library
geographical features
the Grand Canyon, the Pacific Ocean
a few countries
the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the United States
the name of ships
the Titanic, the Queen Mary
Generic Nouns + Articles
definite article
pl. count noun
The whooping cranes
are making a comeback
sing. count noun
The mountain gorilla
is considered critically threatended
zero article
non-count noun
Water
is essential for survival of animals, humans, and plants
pl. count noun
Dogs
are domestic mammals related to
wolves
and
foxes
indefinite article
count noun
A whale
is a large marine mammal that inhabits the world's oceans