Week 3: Nouns & Articles

Errors in using nouns - 1

1. Countability and uncountability of English nouns
Countable nouns - could be used with indefinite articles, such as, a, an, or one, two, many, a large number of, plenty of. They show the number. Uncountable nouns - cannot be used with indefinite articles, but with much , a little , a large amount of , plenty of , etc. They show the quantity. Something that is countable, but rarely counted, such as hair and rice , is considered as uncountable. Remember: uncountable nouns always go with singular verbs. Ex., 1. The CNN news is always very informative. 2. This ink is not suitable for my pen. 3. The rice from Thailand tastes very good.

Errors in using nouns - 2

2. Common errors - determining the real subject
A box of eggs (is, are) on the table. The memoranda (is, are) not important. Fifty years (is, are) not a long time. The United States (is, are) in North America.

3. Parenthetical elements between subject and verb

If a subject is followed by a parenthetical element like, as well as, besides, like, together with, in addition to, as much as, no less than, etc., the verb is often mistaken as plural. Ex., a. b. c. My sister, together with Bob and John, (is, are) gone. The boy, like his father, (sit, sits) still. Your father, rather than your brother, is responsible for the act.

4. Colletive nouns
family board enemy crew committee audience crowd party reader

This group of nouns can both be singular and plural, depending on the situations. This class has only 20 students. The class are all gone out to play. Other nouns have singular forms but plural contents, so the verbs to be used must be plural. people, cattle, police, etc.

Chinese are a hard-working people. The cattle are in the shed. Fish are cold-blooded. Why Iraqs police are a menace? The youth of Taiwan have lofty ideals. (loft = ? lofty = dignified, elevated, high, great, etc.)

Errors in using nouns - 3

5. Plural nouns commonly misused as singular
The following nouns are always plural: annals ashes billiards dregs (= sediment, grounds, residue) goods obsequies pants pincers remains scissors thanks trousers tweezers

clothes leavings pliers shears wages

civics esthetics magnetics optics statistics

6. Singular nouns with plural forms

acoustics comics ethics mathematics phonetics United States aeronautics dynamics hydraulics means physics whereabouts athletics economics linguistics news politics

7. Incorrect use of uncountable nouns

- There are many evidences; He gave me several informations. - Several deformations are observed in this mountain belt. - I have many good news to tell you; This is a good news. - He gave me many good advices; Do you have other softwares? - What progresses have you made? He has plenty of knowledges.

Errors in using articles - 1

English articles, in comparison with nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc., appear to be unimportant; they are often overlooked by the learner of English. However, article is used the most frequently among the 10 categories of words. The presence or absence of an article may significantly change the meaning of a sentence. Correct use of article is indeed very important, but it is not an easy thing to do.

Indefinite article exists in two forms: a, an

Test: which one is correct? 1. Do you have father? Do you have a father? 2. I need a secretary and treasurer. I need a secretary and a tresurer. (two different meanings) 3. Happy New Year to you. A Happy New Year to you. 4. Heineken is a good beer. Heineken is good beer. (Material noun in normally uncountable. However, if it represents a kind, a part, or a brand, then it becomes a countable noun.)

Errors in using articles - 2

Definite article - the
The most important concept of definite article is to distinguish a particular object from a group of similar objects. In general, the use of a definite article is more flexible and complicated than that of an indefinite article. Consequently, the chance of misuse is also greater. Ex., 1. Do you play piano? Do you play the piano? 2. Do you play tennis? Do you play the tennis? 3. He is very good at baseball. He is very good at the baseball. 4. Sun usually sets before moon rises. The sun usually sets before the moon rises. (unique subject needs it; other examples: the earth, the world, the universe, the Pacific) 5. The pen is mightier than the sword (abstract concept needs it). 6. Proper nouns do not need articles unless they are rivers, oceans, bays, ranges, islands, or country names (The Yangtse River, the Thames, the Japan Sea, the Rockies, the Philippines, the U.S.A.) 7. Abstract nouns do not need articles: Honesty is the best policy; Diligence is the father of success.

Exercise 1: find the errors

I have many good news to tell you. I saw a flock of sheeps in the meadow. The tailor cut the cloth with a scissors. I received many e-mails yesterday. This cattle is from Australia, not from Holland. He has plenty of knowledges. Her family is all waiting for her. Politics are much more difficult than physics.

Uncountable or Noncount Nouns

Food & Drink: beef, bread, cheese, milk, water, rice, ice cream Nonfood: air, coal, plastic, wood, dirt, petroleum, soap, steel Abstract: advice, anger, beauty, fun, information, knowledge, truth Other: research, clothing, furniture, weather, work, equipment Language: English, Mandarin, French

 Uncountable nouns are not plural

We need some information[s] about rainforests. He asked me for some advice[s]. Wood and steel are used in construction.

Uncountable nouns always go with singular verbs

The CNN news is always very informative. This ink is not suitable for my pen. The rice from Thailand tastes very good.

 Uncountable nouns do not usually need an article (a, an), because those articles imply specific individuals
Furniture makes our houses more comfortable.
We had some delicious beef for dinner. Knowledge is power.

Time is money.
Geology is an interesting field of study.

 But Uncountable nouns do take the referring to the group or concept as a whole
The air in this room is cool.
The pork in this restaurant is very good. The dirt on the wall is very messy The knowledge we have gained will be useful to us.

 Some adjectives for uncountable nouns

analysis paper calculation a statistical analysis a scientific paper a computer calculation

a little rain less violence more coffee enough money any homework

 More examples
a bottle of water a cup of coffee a carton of milk a loaf of bread a piece of advice a cubic meter of wood a tube of toothpaste an item of information an article/piece of furniture

Exercise 2
Some deformation (is/are) observed in this mountain belt. A box of eggs (is/are) on the table. Fifty years (is/are) not a long time. These windows are made of (glass/glasses). (Many/Much) clothing is needed in cold weather. I ate six (loaves/slices) of bread for breakfast this morning. In the number 198,700,504,000, there are six (0s/0s)

Pronoun: who, which, that

Who, which, and that take verbs that agree with their antecedents
Dr. Chen is the scientist who is studying vacuum drying of wood. Dr. Chen, who is studying vacuum drying of wood, is a scientist at Virginia Tech. Pick a specimen that is clear and straight. These specimens, which are clear and straight, will be satisfactory for our tests. We are reading a book that was written many years ago. We are reading this book, which was written many years ago.

 Use which with a nonrestrictive clause.

These apples, which were picked yesterday, are not yet ripe. This university, which is near Taipei city, has a very large campus.

Use that with a restrictive clause.

The apples that were picked yesterday are not ripe. The university that is near Pingtung City has a very large campus.

Exercise 3
I like the baby (who/which) is in the cradle. I like the cat and the man (which/that) are coming this way. Mary is the most diligent student (who/that) I have ever seen. I like my sister, (who/which) lives in Taipei. I like my sister, (who/which) is an absolutely true fact. My sister, together with Bob and John, (is/are) gone. The boy, like his father, (sit/sits) still.

Use of articles: a, an, the

a is used before a consonant sound
a teacher a student a happy person (h is pronounced) a useful car (u is pronounced)

an is used before a vowel sound

an egg an airplane an hour (h is NOT pronounced) an uncle

 When to use a/an?

We will make our field trip on a sunny day next week. (we do not say which day) She wants to study at a university in America. (she does not say which university)

When to use the?

He is not the boy who cheated in an exam yesterday. (boy is identified) I am going to the train station. (train station is identified by implication)

 Do not use a or an with countable nouns

We went to the library to look for information. Cleaning the house takes a lot of time.

Do not add articles before abstract nouns

We cannot live without love. I am losing my patience.

Do not add articles before material nouns

Drinking water is important.

Father brings bread and butter home every day.

 In general, proper nouns do not require articles

Mary is from Canada. Mt. Everest is in Europe. Spring is the best season. Taiwan is an island. June is often very hot in Taipei. Queen Elizabeth visited Australia recently. Park Street is the main street in this city.

This road leas to CKS Airport.

 Do not use articles with names of:

subjects
Mrs. Lin teaches us history. He hates geometry.

meals
Did you have lunch? Missing breakfast is bad for your health.

languages
English is easy to learn. Can you speak French?

sports
Do you play tennis? I really love soccer.

 Use the with names of:

oceans, seas, gulfs, rivers, deserts
the Pacific Ocean the Mediterranean Sea the Yellow River the Gobi Desert

united countries
the United States of America the United Kingdom the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

empires, dynasties, ages

the British Empire the Chin Dynasty the Dark Ages

Exercise 4: add or delete the articles

The dogs always chase the cats. Being honest is virtue. We Chinese eat the rice everyday. Heineken is good beer. I practice the baseball every week. Sam does not like to go to the school. Can you swim across English Channel? Renaissance is a very important era for mankind. The President Lincoln is a great person. I like the walking in the woods.

Bon Courage!

Quiz #1 (Oct. 16, 2007)

Add or delete the articles: 1. Decay and mold resistance of wood-based building panels can affect an indoor air quality and extent of structural damage after the flooding or failure of exterior building envelope. 2. The trees were harvested from two separate plantation sites, an coastal site in the western Washington and a inland site in the northeastern Oregon. The each grower identified promising clones from their respective plantations. 3. Specific objectives of this research were as follows: a. To explore engineering properties of composites that govern structural behavior of an proposed joint. b. To develop database of engineering properties of materials for future use. 4. Only few paper fragments bearing writing have been found in Han tombs. For all we know, Han used paper mostly to wrap fish. Yet they were writing like mad: poetry, complex mathematical problems, history, huge dictionary, government reports, and worlds earliest surviving large scale census (57,671,400 people in A.D. 2).

Add articles as necessary: 1. Ryokan, who was Zen master, lived simple life in little but at foot of mountain. Thief came to hut when Ryokan was away, but found nothing to steal. Ryokan returned and caught him. You may have come long way to visit me, he told prowler. You should not return empty handed. Please take my clothes as gift. Thief took Ryokans clothes and slunk away. Ryokan was naked, watching moon. Poor fellow, he mused, I wish I could give him this beautiful moon. 2. When we speak of glass, ordinarily we mean transparent, shiny substance that breaks rather easily. We may think of glass in our windows and glass used in our laboratories as being same material. Actually they are not. There are many kinds of glass. One company has developed more than 65,000 kinds of glass.