3. Nouns & Articles 3.1. Nouns 3.1.1. Plural Nouns in General Statements When making a general statement, a plural noun is preferably used rather than a singular noun with an article. In my free time, I like to read a book. In my free time, I like to read books. (better example) A dog is faithful to humans. Dogs are faithful to humans. (better example) 3.1.2. Possessive Forms of Nouns The meaning of the possessive pattern 'X's Y' is typically 'the Y belonging to X.' 1) Add an apostrophe ( ' ) and -s to a singular noun. Mary's dress is red. 2) Add only an apostrophe ( ' ) to a plural noun that ends in -s. The boys' books are on the desk. 3) Add an apostrophe ( ' ) and -s to plural nouns that do not end in -s. Children's songs sound nice. 3.1.3. Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns 1) Countable Nouns Countable nouns are individual objects, people, places, or ideas that can be counted. Countable nouns have both singular and plural forms. - singular forms: Countable nouns may be preceded by a(n) in the singular. a family, a bottle, an idea, an invention - plural forms: Countable nouns take a final -(e)s in the plural. a book - two books an apple - two apples a dish - two dishes - There are also irregular forms of plural nouns. one man - two men one tooth - six teeth one child - three children one person - five people Regular Plurals song - songs auto - autos bell - bells photo - photos boy - boys piano - pianos box - boxes potato - potatoes glass - glasses hero - heroes dish - dishes tomato - tomatoes baby - babies lady - ladies city - cities wife - wives life - lives thief - thieves Irregular Plurals man - men foot - feet goose - geese child - children ox - oxen person - people deer - deer fish - fish sheep - sheep analysis - analyses hypothesis - hypotheses thesis - theses bacterium - bacteria datum - data criterion - criteria alumnus - alumni syllabus - syllabi stimulus - stimuli 2) Uncountable Nouns Uncountable nouns are materials, concepts, or information that cannot be counted. - An uncountable noun has no plural form, so it does not take a final -(e)s. furnitures (X) furniture (O) informations (X) information (O) I like swimmings. (X) I like swimming. (O) I need to concentrate on studyings. (X) I need to concentrate on studying. (O) - Units of measure are used with uncountable nouns to express a specific quantity. Units of Measure Uncountable Nouns a piece of / two pieces of advice bread furniture information equipment a slice of / two slices of bread a bar of / two bars of soap 3.2. Quantifiers 3.2.1. Little, Few, Many, Some, Any, All, Less, Fewer An expression of quantity may precede a noun. 1) little / a little Little / a little is used only with uncountable nouns. Little has a negative meaning of "not a lot." A little has a positive meaning of "some." We have little time. (not a lot) We have a little time. (some) 2) few / a few Few / a few is used only with countable nouns. Few has a negative meaning of "not a lot." A few has a positive meaning of "some." We made few mistakes. (not a lot) We made a few mistakes. (some) 3) many, much Many is used only with countable nouns, and much is used only with uncountable nouns. Much is usually used in negative sentences and questions. Jimmy has many friends in school. I don’t have much money left. 4) some, any, all, a lot of Some, any, all, and a lot of are used with both countable and uncountable nouns. Some is used in positive sentences, and any is used in negative sentences and questions. The children are going to make some Christmas cards. Caroline is going to make some coffee. He has some relatives in Hawaii. He does not have any relatives in Hawaii. Does he have any relatives in Hawaii? All roses are beautiful. Tom spent all the money he had. There are a lot of men and machines in the factory. Mary drank a lot of water after she ran. 5) less, fewer Use less when referring to uncountable nouns, and fewer when referring to countable nouns. There is fewer water in the fish tank. (X) There is less water in the fish tank. (O) There are less students in the class. (X) There are fewer students in the class. (O) Countable Uncountable (a) few fewer many a lot of + Countable Nouns some any all (a) little less much a lot of + Uncountable Nouns some any all 3.2.2. Each / Every Each and every have the same meaning as "all." However, they are followed by a singular countable noun. Each student has a book. Every student likes the teacher. 3.3. Articles 3.3.1. Indefinite Article: a(n) Usually a(n) is used to refer to something singular but not unique. 1) Use a(n) to refer to a person, place, thing or an idea for the first time. We have a cat. 2) Use an when the beginning sound of a word is a vowel. an apple, an elephant, an old egg, an hour I would like an apple, please. 3) Use a(n) when you are saying what someone is or what job they have. I’m a doctor. Tom Cruise is an actor. 4) Use a(n) to mean ‘per’ or ‘every’ in phrases of measuring or frequency. My mother goes to the dentist six times a year. 5) Never use an indefinite article with a plural or uncountable noun. She gave me a presents. (X) She gave me presents. (O) I need an information. (X) I need information. (O) 6) Use a(n) to refer to a species of animals. A dog is a faithful animal. 3.3.2. Definite Article: the Usually the is used in front of a noun to indicate the noun is known and specific. 1) Use the to talk about a noun for the second time. We have a cat and a dog. The cat is old, but the dog is just a puppy. 2) Use the in front of some nouns that refer to something that the speaker and the listener already know. Please open the window. 3) Use the in front of nouns that refer to something unique. The sky is blue and the sun is shining. 4) Use the in front of superlative adjectives and same. Jane is the tallest girl in our class. Matthew and I like the same music. 5) Use the in front of ordinal numbers such as first, second, and third. Susan was the first woman to arrive here. 6) Do not use the in front of the name of a person, country, or city. I live in the Korea. (X) I live in Korea. (O) 7) Use the with body parts in certain phrases. He looked me in the eye. She patted me on the back. 8) Use the in front of names of large bodies of water, groups of mountains, and islands. The Arctic Ocean is unique on Earth in its physical and biological properties. The Rocky Mountains are a broad mountain range in western North America. 3.3.3. Zero Article 1) Never use an indefinite article with a plural or uncountable noun. She gave me a presents. (X) She gave me presents. (O) I need an information. (X) I need information. (O) 2) Don't use articles with gerunds. The whale hunting is illegal in many countries. (X) Whale hunting is illegal in many countries. (O) cf. A 'gerund + of' structure is made specific and therefore takes the definite article the. The hunting of whales is illegal in many countries. (O) 3) Don't use articles before sports and meals. He always plays the basketball after school. (X) He always plays basketball after school. (O) What time do you have a breakfast? (X) What time do you have breakfast? (O) 4) Do not use the in front of the name of a person, country, or city. I live in the Korea. (X) I live in Korea. (O) (Exceptions: the United States, the Netherlands, the Philippines) 5) Do not use articles in front of pronouns. I went to the his house. (X) I went to his house. (O) A someone took his wallet. (X) Someone took his wallet. (O) The this house looks old. (X) This house looks old. (O) 6) Do not use articles in front of verbs. I the watched a movie on the weekend. (X) I watched a movie on the weekend. (O)