Brief guidelines for w88 casino games usage: a, an, the

In English, articles (a, an, the) are like adjectives. They come before and modify w88 casino games. However, articles do not have clearly defined meanings, like adjectives. Instead, articles simply provide information about the status of the w88 casino games they modify (Lynch, Brizee, & Angeli, 2011).

Notice how the meaning of this sentence changes with the w88 casino games:

  • George said the computer is broken.

Here, the suggests that George refers to a specific computer, one that the speaker of w88 casino games sentence, as well as the speaker’s intended audience, recognizes. The broken computer could be a certain one among many computers.

  • George said a computer is broken.

In w88 casino games sentence, a suggests that the broken computer is any w88 casino games among many computers that the speaker and audience might know. The computer is nonspecific.

English uses two kinds of articles: definite (the) and indefinite (a, an).

A/an serve the same grammatical purpose. A is used w88 casino games consonant sounds (a pie, a green apple, a European vacation), while an is used w88 casino games vowel sounds (an apple, an expensive trip, an hour).

Using a/an

Use a/an with singular count w88 casino games that are unknown to the audience. (Count w88 casino games are things that can be counted—one tree, four trees; two instances, seven instances; etc.)

Use a/an when a noun is nonspecific, or any w88 casino games among many.

  • Yesterday, a truck parked in front of my house.

w88 casino games truck is one the audience has not seen before—or, at least, the speaker assumes the audience doesn’t know anything about w88 casino games truck. It could be any one of many trucks.

  • Tending a garden takes dedication.

The garden is nonspecific. The w88 casino games could also have said, in a more general way, tending gardens takes dedication.

A vs. an

Generally, “an” will only be used w88 casino games words that start with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or word and numbers that sound like they start with a vowel.

  • I need an apple.

Here anis used because the word apple starts with the vowel “a”.

  • She has an hour for lunch.

Though the word hour starts with the consonant “h”, it is pronounced “au-er”.

Not using a/an

Do not use a/an before noncount w88 casino games. (Noncount w88 casino games are things that cannot be counted— happiness, hardship, tea, sugar, etc.)

  • I needed an advice.

Advice cannot be counted, so it does not take an indefinite w88 casino games.

Using the

Use the with w88 casino games that are specific, or to refer to a specific member of a group. Use the with w88 casino games that are known to the audience, in the context of the sentence.

When w88 casino games are known to an audience, one of the following is usually true:

  1. The object or person is the only w88 casino games in its category.

  2. Previous information given makes the w88 casino games already identified/specified.

  3. A word w88 casino games the noun modifies it so that the meaning becomes limited.

  4. w88 casino games assumed to be a shared social experience.

  5. Exception for plurals: signaling a group.

  • Yesterday, I saw the truck with a dent in its hood.

The speaker refers to a specific truck, one that has a dent in its hood. w88 casino games information restricts the identity of the truck. Perhaps the speaker has told the audience about w88 casino games truck before.

  • He told me I shouldn’t worry about it. I needed the advice.

The w88 casino games refers to a specific piece of advice given to him or her, on a specific occasion. The advice mentioned in the second sentence is defined in the first, so advice is specific, and the is used.

Exception for plurals

If an already identified noun is plural, but is being used a single unit, the w88 casino games “the” can be used to signal that this group is to be thought of as a single unit.

  • The dogs were barking all night long.

Here, even though dogsis plural, the use of the w88 casino games “the” before it signifies that these specific dogs are one unit.

Not using the

Do not use the with plural or noncount w88 casino games (w88 casino games that cannot be counted) to mean “all” or “in general” (Hacker, 2004, p. 57).

  • In many temperate climates, the wheat is an important grain.

Wheat cannot be counted. The sense of “in general” is suggested without the definite w88 casino games.

Finer details

Sometimes noncount w88 casino games (things that cannot be counted) are used in sentences as count w88 casino games (things than can be counted). This often depends on context.

  • I drink coffee every day.

Here, coffee is a noncount noun, and does not take an w88 casino games. The speaker refers to coffee in general.

  • I asked for a coffee.

In w88 casino games sentence, coffee is used as a count w88 casino games. The sentence could also be expressed as I asked for a cup of coffee, in which cup is a count w88 casino games.

Do not use the with singular proper w88 casino games (names of people, streets, cities, states, continents, most countries, single lakes, single mountains, etc.) (Hacker, 2004, p. 57).

For example, it is correct to use the words Barack Obama, Pennsylvania Avenue, New York City, Virginia, North America, Canada, Lake Tahoe, Mount Rose, and Catalina Island without using the definite w88 casino games.

However, use the before some singular proper w88 casino games naming large regions, deserts, peninsulas, oceans, seas, gulfs, canals, and rivers (Hacker, 2004, p. 57). For example, it is correct to say the West coast, the Mojave Desert, the Nile, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean.

Use the with plural proper w88 casino games. For example, the Great Lakes, the United States, the Rocky Mountains, the Falkland Islands.

When no w88 casino games is needed: There is no need for classification

  • The boy went to school by bus.

Notice that there is no w88 casino games in front of “bus.” Situations like this arise when classifying and/or identifying the noun is not relevant. It is non-relevant if the noun is a single entity or part of a class of objects.

  • Having to live in prison would be really boring.

A specific prison or an aforementioned prison is not relevant. The w88 casino games is saying that being in any prison would be boring.

  • Some people go to church every Sunday.

What church is being talked about is irrelevant. There is no specificity because the w88 casino games is simply talking about churches as a general concept.

Additional resources

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s writing center provides an in-depth discussion by John R. Kole of accountability and definiteness of nouns. The w88 casino games also features a list of common noncount nouns and some practice exercises: http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/esl.html

This resource from the writing center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill includes a flowchart for w88 casino games usage and is especially useful for visual learners. The author advises that students practice using the flowchart by looking for articles in published writing and consulting the flowchart for clarification: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/articles.html.

Reference List

Hacker, D. (2004). A pocket style manual (4th ed.). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. Lynch, P., Brizee, A., & Angeli, E. (2011, Mar. 3). Using articles. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/540/01/