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Use of articles with common nouns - Coggle Diagram
Use of articles with common nouns
indefinite article
the object is presented by a noun belonging to a certain class
with a predicative noun (he was an artist)
the meaning of "one" (a stitch in time saves nine)
time, measure, weight, the numerals hundred, thousand, million and the nouns dozen, score
definite article
an object is singled out by the speaker
the speaker and the hearer know which object is meant
when the speaker uses an attribute to point out a particular object
when the situation itself makes the object definite
the noun denotes a unique thing or a class (the Sun, the bourgeoisie)
with nouns used in a generic sense (the tiger has always had a reputation of being a man-eater)
when the noun "man" is used in this sense no article is used
when the noun "woman" is used in this sense the definite article is used or no article
superlative degree
in word-groups when the first component is some, many, none, most, + of
with nouns modified by the pronoun "same" or adjectives "wrong", "right", "very"
with substantivized adjectives and participles ("only the simple and the humble were abroad at that early hour")
the use of articles modified by attributes
particularizing attribute (singles out an object from all the objects of the class)
He knocked at the door of a very neat house
descriptive attribute (describes an object or gives additional information about it)
In a fortnight I got a letter which I considered odd
Nouns of material
with nouns of material used in a general sense no article is used (Honey is wholesome)
the definite article is used when a definite part of the substance is meant (Pettinger gulped down a glass of the sherry which Cornelius had finally brought)
when an indefinite part is meant we use "some" (we took some bread and cheese with us)
Abstract nouns
when they are used in a general sense no article is used (while there is life there is hope)
definite article is used when abstract nouns are modified y a particularizing attribute or when the situation makes the idea definite
can be used with indefinite article which denotes a certain kind of a quality, feeling, state
indefinite article is used with the nouns "period", "population", "distance", "height', "salary" etc. + of + numeral + noun (Simpson was out of the city for a period of ten days)