The Use of Articles with Material Nouns

Exercise 1. Explain the use of articles with nouns denoting names of materials in the following sentences.

1. “You’re drinking nothing.” “You know I never do. Wine is such horrid stuff!”

2. Several other men dropped in, and the air was soon thick with tobacco smoke.

3. Roy was already sliding down the slope toward the water far below. He was churning up the soft snow as he allowed his body to carry itself hurtling down the slope.

4. Oh, I don’t like tea, I’ll have lemonade instead.

5. “Would you like to have a hot chocolate?” Mrs Page asked.

6. But look at the dirt on that suit. You must have it cleaned.

7. They’ve taken to giving you extremely bad teas in the club.

8. He was covered in fresh snow, his thin cheeks pink and flushed.

9. When the soup was finished Bertha turned round to the fire.

10. She was still warm with the memory of Milly’s pancakes which had dripped with butter, and of the coffee which had been served with real cream.

Exercise 2. Use the required article.

1. He asked for _____ glass of water.

2. ____ Snow covered the ground.

3. Pass me … salt, please.

4. I like _____ coffee for breakfast.

5. ____ Heat is destructive to these plants.

6. This is _____ different tea from the ____ we usually use.

7. ____ Fruit is preserved with and without ____ sugar.

8. ____ Cotton represents a large part of the total value of production of Central Asia.

9. The breeze stirred ____ blue water of the lake into innumerable ripples.

10. ____ Wool is obtained from the fleece of the sheep; and ____ silk is spun by the silkworm.

11. While waiting for ____ water to boil, he held his face over the stove.

12. ____ Snow had melted under ____ rain, and only the hilltops showed white.

13. ____ Snow turned into ____ cold rain.

Exercise 3.

(a) Insert articles or some where necessary (Articles with nouns of materials)

1. We sipped ___ tea so weak that it tasted like ____ metal against the teeth. (Snow)

2. You will be wishing to have ____ tea after your journey, I’m thinking. (Shaw)

3. George said that we must take ___ rug, ___ lamp, ____ soap, ____ brush and ____ comb, ____ tooth-brush, ____ tooth-powder and ____ couple of big towels for bathing. (Jerome K. Jerome)

4. ____ children of his age seldom have natural pleasure in ____ soap and water. (E. Brontë)

5. He bought ____ cold beef, and ____ ham, and ____ French bread and butter, and came back with his pockets pretty heavily laden. (Dickens)

6. There were two bottles of ____ wine, ___ plate of ____ oranges … with ___ powdered sugar. (Dickens)

7. Here, have ____ champagne, I quite forgot to offer you any, or would you rather have ___ tea? (Murdoch)

8. She made ___ coffee. (Murdoch)

9. ____ coffee without ____ bread could never honestly serve as supper. (Saroyan)

10. ___ rest of us had finished eating, but Cave had cut himself another slice of ___ cheese. (Snow)

11. Mrs. Leek … frankly gave way to ___ soft tears while eating ____ bread-and-butter. (Bennett)

12. You’ve caught cold: I saw you shivering, and you must have ___ gruel to drive it out. (E. Brontë)

13. She did not answer, but her face was hard and pale as ___ stone. (Galsworthy)

(b) Insert articles where necessary. (Articles with nouns of materials)

1. She hurried in again and found ___ water almost boiled away. (Lindsay)

2. … ___ blood is thicker than ___ water. (Galsworthy)

3. She went about looking into ___ dining room, which … had been transformed into ___ kind of jewel box glowing with ___ flowers, ___ silver, ____ gold, ____ tinted glass. (Dreiser)

4. Rosa tasted ___ wine. It was harsh but refreshing. (Murdoch)

5. You drank ___ wine with breakfast, dinner, and supper, and fifty people always drank it with you. (I. Show)

6. She looked with ____ eager, hungry eyes at ___ bread and ___ meat and ____ beer that ___ landlady brought her. (Eliot)

7. … Willows replied that he had made friends with ___ sculptor in Pisa … and had commissioned this artist to make ___ bust of himself in ___ marble. (Hardy)

8. ____ coffee was better than Dinny had hoped and very hot. (Galsworthy)

9. Without giving her ___ opportunity to protest any more, he went to ___ telephone and ordered ____ coffee and several sandwiches. (Caldwell)

10. She wears ___ little sailor hat of ___ black straw that has long been exposed to ___ dust and soot of London. (Shaw)

11. The mother was yellow in colour and her skin resembled ___ leather. (Murdoch)

12. The maid brought in ___ pears, ____ cold chicken, ____ tongue, ___ cheese. (Snow)

13. My heart … felt as heavy as ____ lead. (Du Maurier)

14. Every meal was ____ bread and ___ coffee and ____ cigarettes, and now he had no more bread. (Saroyan)

Exercise 4. Supply the required articles for nouns in the following sentences, paying special attention to uncountable concrete nouns (names of materials).

1. “I shan’t have ___ fish,” said Robin.

2. Her room smelled of ___ soot and ____ face powder.

3. ___ mud was drying rapidly, but ____ car was still stuck.

4. James asked for ___ water and drank it thirstily.

5. On the travel he drank ___ tea, but in the cabin it was ____ thick coffee with ___ sugar and ____ tinned milk.

6. They found plenty of ___ signs of ____ deer in ___ snow.

7. ___ men moved heavily as though they were walking in ___ thick mud.

8. They were buying ___ new furniture.

9. ___ equipment from ___ wrecked plane has to be saved.

10. She had ____ brown shining hair which hung down on either side of her face.

11. Dinner began in ____ silence. In ____ silence ____ soup was finished. It was ___ excellent soup, though a little thick. And ____ fish was brought. Someone said: “It’s the first spring day!” “Spring!” said John, “There isn’t ____ breath of ___ air.” No one replied. ____fish was taken away. Then ____ maid brought ____ champagne.

12. Your design requires ____ very expensive equipment.

13. ____ boss took up ____ pen, picked ____ fly out of ____ ink, and shook it on to _____ piece of ____ blotting paper.

14. Monty and I drank ____ beer.

15. “I knit them myself,” I heard ____ woman say, “of ____ thick grey wool.”

16. ____ machinery bores me.

17. But John treated me like ____ precious china.

18. Father at ____ head of ____ table, began to slice____ hot meat.

19. Barber went to ____ bar and ordered _____ coffee, then changed it to ____ brandy because ____ coffee wasn’t enough after _____ talk like that.

Exercise 5. Insert an article where necessary.

1. ___ water is precious in this area and must be paid for.

2. Don’t drink from this pond, ___ water is stale.

3. ____ coal of Newcastle is rich in carbon.

4. ____ coal gas is formed by burning ___ coal; it is ___ gas used for heating and illuminating.

5. ____ hot coal feel from ___ fire and burned a hole in the carpet.

6. They built ____ fire to mark the place for the plane to land.

7. ____ air was filled with the odour of flowers.

8. ____ fresh air was circulating through all the rooms to my uncle’s great discontent.

9. Sacks of ____ sand were taken up in the baloon as ballast.

10. The tide was out and the children were digging in ___ wet sand.

11. This is ____ tea I am particularly fond of. I don’t think there is ____ better tea than this.

12. ____ tea is cultivated in the south of our country.

13. “Two teas and ___ coffee, please, some milk, too.”

14. “What will you have for breakfast?” “____ egg and a cup of ____ coffee.”

15. A sandwich consists of two slices of ____ buttered bread with ____ meat, ____ fish, ____ egg, ____ cheese or something of the kind between them.

16. I won’t eat ____ fish. It’s not fresh.

17. A shark is ___ fish which is destructive to other fishes and dangerous to man.

18. Dishes, piled with ___ fruit, stood at either end of the table.

19. In a week or two ____ fruit in our garden will be ripe.

20. The old man’s head shook from side to side like ____ ripe fruit in the wind ready to drop.

Exercise 6. Translate into English.

1. Пожалуйста, принесите мне кипяченой воды.

2. Молоко, которое я купила сегодня утром, скисло (to turn sour).

3. Где сахар? – Я его купила и положила в буфет.

4. Чай очень крепкий, долейте немного воды.

5. В комнате темно, зажгите огонь.

6. Пожалуйста, дайте мне молока.

7. Мы всегда пьем кофе за завтраком.

8. Дождь прекратился, пойдемте гулять.

9. Вдали мелькнул огонек.

10. Мороз губителен для этих растений.

Exercise 7. Translate into English.

1. Портфель мал, но кожа хорошая.

2. Я люблю зеленый бархат.

3. Он не любил кофе.

4. Ему не понравился кофе.

5. Чай слишком крепкий; я не люблю крепкий чай.

6. Вода слишком холодная.

7. Подлей воды в суп: он слишком густой.

8. Он попросил стакан воды.

9. Снег был очень глубокий.

10. Он стал белым как снег.

11. Очень трудно ходить по глубокому снегу.

12. Чай горячий.

13. Я люблю чай.

14. Подогрей кофе.

15. Положи лимон в чай.

16. Лимон очень полезен.

17. Нарежь лимон.

18. Купи лимон к чаю.

19. Конфеты не заменяют сахар

20. Вино кислое.

21. Я предпочитаю сухое вино.

22. Приходи. Я угощу тебя вином, какого ты никогда не пробовал.

23. Некоторые люди едят мороженое на улице даже зимой.

24. Купи ребенку мороженого.

25. Пока вы разговаривали, мороженое растаяло.