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Файл:English Articles in Use. Артикли. Объяснение, употребление, тренинг
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CHAPTER 5
On my way home I met a Spenser.
He is driving a brand new Jaguar.
There was a rack of books and among them he saw his favour-
ite – a Hemingway.
The defi nite article is found in the following cases:
with countable or uncountable, singular or plural nouns 1)
modifi ed by limiting attributes or specifi ed by the context:
Judy has three little children. Every morning she takes the
kids to her parents.
Did you follow the advice I gave you?
Put the baby in the pram, will you?
Pass me the salt, please.
with nouns commonly used with this article: 2)
I raised my head and saw the moon in the sky.
When the ship reached the equator everybody had a swim in
the ocean.
When did you visit the Bolshoi Theatre for the last time?
I didn’t enjoy the Mediterranean; it’s too hot for me.
with substantivized adjectives or participles:3)
This magician can perform the impossible.
She works in the charity organization that helps the home-
less.
The zero article occurs in the following cases:
with countable plural nouns without a limiting attribute:1)
Your refusal will only make things worse.
He shut the door of his study and handed us cigars.
I prefer historical novels to detective stories.
with uncountable nouns denoting abstract notions or sub-2)
stances which are not modifi ed by a limiting attribute. A
descriptive attribute doesn’t affect the choice of the article:
She has nothing in the medicine chest but toothpaste and
mouth-wash and shampoo.
What fi ne weather we are having!
He felt sincere admiration for his colleague.
with proper names commonly used with the zero article:3)
Have you ever visited Southern France?
There was a letter from Susan at the table.
I don’t want to disturb Mother. She’s sleeping.
with nouns denoting a unique post (rank, state) which can 4)
be occupied by only one person at a time:
They appointed him secretary of the new Committee.
He was chosen chairman of the Society.
71
CHAPTER 5
5.5. Articles with nouns in apposition
Apposition is a type of an attribute which occupies a postposition to the head noun and is separated from it by a comma (commas). Appositive nouns can be used with the indefi nite, the defi nite and the zero article.
The indefi nite article is found with countable singular
nouns thus performing a classifying function:
Jimmy Langton, a fat, bold-headed, rubicund man of forty-fi ve, had a passion for the theatre.
Tim Robbins, a friend of mine, is a prosperous lawyer.
The defi nite article is used in the following cases:
with nouns denoting a unique post (rank, state, occupa-1)
tion). The choice of the defi nite article is affected by the
context:
The report was made by David Watson, the chairman of the
association.
So one day I took an opportunity to talk to Mr. Pyke, the as-
sistant director of the fi rm.
with nouns denoting family relations modifi ed by limiting 2)
prepositional phrases:
Then he was introduced to an unpretentious mousy girl, the
daughter of a local doctor.
One of the young men, the son of an eminent writer, failed his
exam two times on end.
with nouns modifi ed by limiting attributes:3)
Then Jack, the most impudent person there, interrupted me.
He had left his hat on the table, the tall hat, in which he always went to church.
Monday, the day of our departure, was cold and rainy.
with common nouns preceding proper names in such 4)
phrases as the painter Hogarth, the girl Martha, the
student Jones, the critic Hudson, the widow Douglas, the dog Balthasar etc.
with common nouns which denote foreign titles and pre-5)
cede proper names: the Emperor Napoleon, the Tsar
Peter the Great, the Baron Munchausen.
with appositive nouns referring to a well-known person:6)
These stories by W. S. Maugham, the famous short-story
writer, are set in and around Malaya.
The zero article occurs in the following cases:
with countable plural nouns in the classifying meaning:1)
72
CHAPTER 5
«The only people you don’t know here are Mr. and Mrs. St. Clair,
new friends of ours», said Clara.
My friends, all students then, often discussed the war.
with nouns denoting a unique post (rank, state, occupa-2)
tion, title) followed by proper names:
Lord Byron, Queen Elizabeth, Sir Charles, President
Bush, Princess Margaret, Professor Smith, Colonel Drake,
Lady Macbeth.
Note. If modifi ed by a limiting attribute such combinations
are used with the defi nite article:
the late Professor Smith, the celebrated play-write
J. B. Priestley.
with nouns denoting a unique post (rank, state) which can 3)
be occupied by one person at a time:
Mr. Turner, head of the fi rm, spent a few days there waiting
for a ship.
W. Carl Johnson, Superintendent of the School, received me
in his offi ce.
with nouns 4) son and daughter, if the appositive noun is the
focus of the utterance and indicates the social state of a
person, the subject of the sentence:
Margaret, daughter of a history professor, was working as
secretary to a Labor party member.
John, son of a retired politician, was a student at Oxford.
5.6. Articles with nouns used as adverbial
modifiers
Due to their broad semantics nouns may serve as various
types of adverbial modifi ers. The choice of the article depends
both on the type of an adverbial modifi er and on the type of a
head-noun. Consequently, we follow the general rules of the use
of articles with certain classes of nouns. Nouns usually occur as
adverbial modifi ers of place, time, manner and comparison.
5.6.1. Articles with nouns used as an adverbial
modifier of place
The defi nite article may indicate a certain place. It is regularly found:
with a noun (the theme of the utterance) which denotes the 1)
circumstances where the action of the predicate (the rheme
of the utterance) is taking place. The choice of the article
depends solely on the contextual situation while the presence of a descriptive attribute is of no importance here:
73
CHAPTER 5
They went into the restaurant and sat down at the small
round table by the window.
It was very dark in the forest.
Jane spends more of her time either in the kitchen or on the
phone.
We lay lazily on the steep bank, looking at the tall reeds.
with a noun modifi ed by a limiting attribute, which is usu-2)
ally represented by a subordinate clause:
Why not stay in the town where all your relations live?
They have a mile more to walk. But we are already at the pla-
teau, which is our common destination.
with locative nouns denoting both rural and urban no-3)
tions: the city, the country, the countryside, the for-
est, the fi elds, the desert, the jungle, the land, the
mountains, the plains, the seaside, the taiga, the
tundra etc., and also the theatre, the cinema, the pictures, the slums preceded by the preposition to / at:
We had an early dinner and went to the theatre.
I took Marian aside and we went for a walk to the fi elds.
with nouns used in the absolute genitive case preceded by 4)
the preposition at / to:
If you had gone to the doctor’s in time, you would feel much
better now.
My coat is dirty. I’ll have to take it to the dry-cleaner’s.
with proper names traditionally used with the defi nite ar-5)
ticle:
New York City is situated at the mouth of the Hudson Riv-
er on the East coast of the USA.
If you want to visit a city within the Arctic Circle go to Mur-
mansk, which is on the Barents sea.
in certain idiomatic expressions:6)
to beat about the bush, like a bolt from the blue, to
bring smth into the open, between the devil and the deep
blue sea, to be at the end of one’s tether, to keep smb’s
nose to the grindstone, etc.
The indefi nite article is found in the following cases:
with nouns modifi ed by a descriptive attribute:1)
His offi ce was in a fi ne, gay, busy little street.
They lived in a newly painted house.
sometimes with nouns denoting a certain place well-known 2)
to the interlocutors:
We found that the fi lm was on at a cinema across the river.
74
CHAPTER 5
The zero article occur in the following cases:
with nouns denoting geographical names traditionally 1)
used with the zero article:
After our wedding we spent a fortnight in Monaco.
Stonehenge is located on Salisbury Plain, in southern Eng-
land.
with nouns 2) bed, college, camp, hospital, home, church,
jail, prison, school, sea, town as part of set phrases when
they lose their concrete meaning and denote the function of
these objects:
«How long were you in hospital with this wound?» she
asked.
He went to bed early, but lay awake for a long time.
with nouns in set phrases: 3) on board, on deck, at hand,
at war, from top to bottom, from South to North.
5.6.2. Articles with nouns used as an adverbial
modifier of time
The temporal meaning is expressed by a noun used in a prepositional phrase. The choice of the article depends either on the
context or on the semantic class of the noun.
The defi nite article is regularly found:
with a noun modifi ed by a limiting attribute or determined 1)
by certain contextual conditions:
It happened on the very day of my return.
We stayed in Paris during the summer and worked without
a break.
I could see a few faint stars in the clear night.
with nouns in adverbial set phrases:2)
in the morning, in the evening, in the daytime, all
through the night (day), the other day, early in the autumn, late in the summer, all the winter, in the past, in
the future, etc.
The zero article is used:
with nouns denoting days of the week, months, seasons:1)
We have Grammar classes on Monday and Friday.
He was born in winter.
with nouns in adverbial set phrases:2)
at present, in future (отныне, впредь), at night, at
dawn, by noon, about midnight, after sunset, from morning till night, day and night etc.
75
CHAPTER 5
with nouns denoting parts of the day if they are preceded 3)
by the words «tomorrow» and «yesterday» or names of the
weekdays:
I went to Aunt’s house on Friday evening.
She was here yesterday afternoon.
with nouns in set phrases: 4) for ages, from day to day, in
time, in advance, etc.
5.6.3. Articles with nouns used as an adverbial
modifier of manner
The noun in this syntactic function is a part of prepositional
adverbial phrases. The most common prepositions are in, with,
without, by.
The zero article is found in the following cases:
with uncountable nouns irrespective of the presence of de-1)
scriptive or limiting attributes:
He began to speak with sudden heat.
The old man looked at the boy with curiosity.
He turned round in annoyance, and then walked away.
Countable nouns in such phrases also tend to accept the zero
article:
The door closed without sound.
He spoke with effort.
He refused to help us without apparent reason.
He hates doing anything by halves.
with nouns in adverbial set phrases with the preposition 2)
by where the noun has an «instrumental» meaning:
by train, by plane, by boat, by air, by sea, by post, by
mail, by radio, by phone, by accident, by mistake, by hand,
by chance, by letter, by sight etc.
There are other phrases with prepositions in and on:
in detail, in person, on foot, on tiptoe, on business etc.
The indefi nite article is used in the following cases:
before countable singular nouns either with or without a 1)
descriptive attribute:
after in: in a hurry, in a whisper, in a low (loud) voice, in a
mess etc.
after with: with a nod, with a sigh, with a yawn, with a look etc.
with uncountable abstract nouns it may acquire aspective 2)
meaning and thus single out a certain quality of a notion:
He walked in a solemn silence.
76
CHAPTER 5
He smiled at me with a grave sympathy.
with3) uncountable nouns if they are modifi ed by the adjec-
tives certain, peculiar or by a descriptive subordinate
clause:
She spoke to strangers with a peculiar intimacy.
He entertained with an originality that pleased.
The defi nite article occurs before a noun modifi ed by a limi-
ting attribute:
He rose from the ground with the greatest effort he had ever
made in his life.
5.6.4. Articles with nouns used as an adverbial
modifier of comparison
Nouns in this syntactic function are found in adverbial phrases with the prepositions like and as and can be preceded by all
three articles.
The indefi nite article is used with countable nouns in the
singular form and has a clearly expressed classifying meaning:
She sat still like a statue.
A change of activity is as good as a rest.
Nell had a waist like a sand-clock.
The zero article is used with uncountable nouns and countable nouns in the plural form:
They fought like young lions.
Oh, stop it! You’re behaving like little kids!
It was as thick as London’s fog.
The defi nite article appears if the noun is modifi ed by a
limiting attribute:
He spoke as the only person capable of solving the problem.
5.7. Articles with nouns used as direct address
Direct address is not a part of a constituent structure of the
sentence but rather an independent component of it. Direct address appears at the initial or the fi nal position in the sentence
and may be expressed by both common nouns and proper names.
In all cases the zero article is used:
What’s the matter with you, Mr. Walker? − You’d better ask
me what is not the matter with me, doctor.
How are you, old chap? − Not bad, thanks.
Exceptions from this rule are always contextually bound.
77
CHAPTER 5
5.8. Articles with nouns used as parenthesis
The use of the articles with the nouns in parenthetical phras-
es is fi xed due to a long-standing tradition.
Most common of these expressions are: to tell the truth,
from the point of view, to cut a long story short, to be on
the safe side, to make things worse, to say the least, etc.
78
Exercises to chapter 1
Limiting and descriptive attributes
Comment on the use of articles with nominal phrases 1.
in bold type. Say whether the adjectives are limiting
or descriptive attributes.
A) 1. She was easy enough to fi nd out if you knew the right
people. 2. He has an iron hook instead of a right hand, and he
claws with it. 3. Can you write with the left hand? 4. It comes so
easy to me, ma’am! No trouble at all! A real pleasure, I assure
you! – Why, it’ll be a pleasure to you and a real help to me. 5.
Mr. Clerk, will you tell us, please, what is the very stiffest pen-
alty we can impose for each of these offences? 6. Jo blundered
into a wrong message in one of your father’s letters, and I made
her tell me. 7. Billy answered. There was a drunk on the other
end. It was a wrong number. 8. She didn’t yet know that Tink
hated her with the fi erce hatred of a very woman. 9. He often
met unfairness, but he always forgot it. I suppose that was the
real difference between him and all the rest. 10. He led the way
to the stable-yard, Ronald following him with a most mistrust-
ful expression. 11. This is real life again, his is once more the
great world from which I have been missed so long! 12. I only said
that this was the right sort of place and that here we should
fi nd him. 13. «Food poisoning is a most serious thing», Jessup
pursued relentlessly. 14. That’s the very idea I’ve tried to express. 15. The approaching car was the very one he had stolen
out of the yard of the Red Lion Hotel; and the people in it were
the very same people he had watched in the coffee-room. 16.
It’s the most diffi cult task imaginable. 17. That’s the right
thing to do. 18. They found themselves standing on the very
edge of the wood. 19. There was no more talk once the very real
contents of the basket had been tumbled out on the table. 20.
His plane suffered from severe vibration, but he found some open
space of land and had a most lucky escape. 21. Portly had soon
been comforted by the promise of a treat – a jaunt on the river in
a real boat. 22. Only the most searching investigation could
disclose it. 23. What he had felt earlier in the day was a mere trifl ing qualm. This was the real thing at last, and no mistake. 24.
Supper was a most cheerful meal; but very shortly afterwards
a sleepy guest had to be escorted upstairs by his considerate host.
25. Every one pronounced it was the most remarkable piano
79
EXERCISES TO CHAPTER 1
ever heard. But I think the real charm of it lay in the happiest
of all happy faces which leaned over it. 26. The little girls, ho-
wever, considered it a most agreeable and interesting event,
and Jo got little comfort from them. 27. That was a thing Lewis
would have to learn in due time: to fi nd the right woman.
B) 1. He was merely enjoying his passive role tonight – hav-
ing someone else to do the entire work. 2. In the last few
years he had taken to spending more and more time in London.
3. This falling in love was the best thing he had ever done. 4.
«Salt instead of sugar!» exclaimed Jo, remembering that she had
given a last hasty powdering to the berries out of one of the
two boxes on the kitchen table. 5. Football is the only extrava-
gance I can allow myself, and for that I’d travel anywhere. 6.
Columbia is the second-biggest coffee exporting country
in the world. 7. They crept silently up the carriage-drive to the
front entrance. 8. Suddenly the voices in the next room were
still. 9. At nine o’clock the next morning I went out. 10. The
last drenching night in the tree-house had left me with a bad
cold. 11. «Before we go down, have a last – I mean, another look
at the pilots». Janet fl ashed a grateful smile at him. 12. With
a last effort Peter pulled her up the rock and lay down beside
her. 13. I got him another fl ight, which was showing the same
movie as the fi rst one. 14. The central newspapers give very
full attention to local as well as national affairs. 14. «How nice!
but I wish she’d let us have them now», observed Amy, taking a
last look at the diamonds. 15. The previous autumn Mule had
joined the Navy. 16. «Now, the very next time this happens»,
said a gruff and suspicious voice, «I shall be exceedingly angry».
17. Captain Black was stretched out with his eyes closed in the
front seat of the jeep.
Fill in the blanks with the proper articles. Pay atten-2.
tion to the nouns modifi ed by adjectives used as limiting attributes.
1. Janet was fully occupied for ... next half hour preparing and
serving meals. 2. It was a nightmare that would shriek across ...
front pages of a hundred newspapers. 3. «Do it through ... main
board, will you?» asked the controller. 4. With a quiet request,
«Weather», he then consulted ... latest meteorological reports. 5.
That was ... only topic that could rouse them out of their apathy.
6. Peter crossed to ... telephone beside ... nearest bed. 7. From ...
observation balcony ... two men took ... last look over ... fi eld. 8.
80
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