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out of date.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.
