Tuesday, March 27, 2018

The English Articles System, Part 2: Indefinite or Definite?

Hello, students!

This week we began to talk about when to use the indefinite articles (a/an, some/0/any). It got a little confusing on Tuesday. We found out that we can use 'a' to make a generalization about a singular count noun.

A child should not be left alone all day.

We can also make a generalization with a non-count noun and with the plural form of a count noun by using no article at all!

Children should not be left alone all day.
Water is necessary for life.

I think that this lack of an article should not be confused with zero article that is interchangeable with "some" when we are talking about indefinite plural count nouns and non-count nouns. Perhaps we should give them different names.

Let's see if Jennifer can simplify things for us. She has a knack for explaining English. Enjoy your long Easter weekend!

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