Articles

The indefinite article: 'a/an (1)

A General statements with 'a/an' and zero.

   1)       A and an have exactly the same meaning. We use a in front of consonant sounds (a man, a year) and an in front of vowel sounds (an umbrella, an eye, an hour).

   2)      We can talk about people or things 'in general' with a/an or with the plural.

Instead of: Cats are domestic animals. (= 'cats in general')

We can say: A cat is a domestic animal. (= 'cats in general')

Write: Make the singular sentences plural and the plural sentences singular.

1 A small computer isn't expensive. ......Small computers aren’t expensive.

2 A quartz watch doesn't last for ever. ..................................

3 I like plays with messages. ..................................

4 I admire politicians who are sincere. ..................................

5 A big city is always fascinating. ..................................

6 Even an efficient system can break down. ..................................

7 A road map is always out of date. ..................................

8 A rule is meant to be broken. ..................................

9 Restaurants shouldn't charge too much. ..................................

10 How much do car radios cost? ..................................

11 A bus leaves here every hour. ..................................

12 How long does a letter take to get here? ..................................

The 'plural form' of 'a/an'

   1)       The plural of a/an is zero (ø) when we refer to 'things in general':

A cat is a domestic animal. → (ø) Cats are (ø) domestic animals.

   2)       The plural of a/an is some or any when we refer to 'quantity' :

There's a sandwich on the plate. → There are some sandwiches on the plate.

We use numbers in place of a/an and some/any only when we are counting:

There's only one sandwich left. → There are only four sandwiches left.

Write: Turn these sentences into the plural, making all necessary changes.

1 She's an architect. .........They are architects.

2 Do you want a potato? …..

3 A doctor needs years of training. …..

4 How well can a cat see in the dark? …..

5 Have you got a cat at home? ….

6 Why should a compact disc be so dear? .….

7 1 borrowed a compact disc. ….

8 Can you lend me a compact disc? …..

9 Why is a car so expensive? …..

10 There isn't a car in the street. .….

Describing people and things with 'a/an' + noun: 'He's a doctor'

   1)       We use some words as adjectives or nouns when we want to describe people.

When we use them as countable nouns, we always put a/an in front of them.

- nationality: She's American. (adjective) or: She's an American. (noun)

- religion: She's Anglican. (adjective) or: She's an Anglican. (noun)

- politics: He's Conservative. (adjective) or: He's a Conservative. (noun)

   2)       We use some words only as countable nouns (people and things) and we always put &an in front of them: He's a doctor. (Not 'He's doctor. 9 It's a tree. (Not *It's tree).

We can also use adjective + noun: She's a good girl. (Not 'She's good girl).

   3)      We can use &an in front of proper nouns (names spelt with a capital letter) for:

-members of a family: He's a Forsyte. (= a member of the Forsyte family)

-literature and art: It's a Dickens novel. It's a Brecht play. Sometimes we can use the name

on its own. We can say It's a Rembrandt painting or It's a Rembrandt.