- •§ 1. The article is a structural word specifying the noun. The absence of the article, which may be called the zero article, also specifies the noun and has significance. J
- •§ 4. With uncountable nouns, the indefinite article serves to bring out a special aspect of the notion expressed by the noun. In this case its function may be called aspective.
- •§ 5. When used with countable nouns, either concrete or ab- stract, the definite article has two distinct functions:
- •§6. With uncountable nouns, the function of the definite arti- cle may be called restricting.
- •§ 7. The absence of the article (the zero article) has only one function with common nouns — the nominating function.
- •§ 8. Countable nouns in the singular may be used with the in- definite article in its nominating function and with the definite ar ticle in its individualizing function.
- •§ 10. The use of articles with countable nouns modified by ad- jectives. Attributes expressed by adjectives are usually descrip- tive.
- •§ 12. The use of articles with countable nouns modified by participles. Attributes expressed by participles.
- •§ 15. The use of articles with countable nouns modified by clauses. Nouns can be modified by two kinds of clauses — attrib- utive (a) and appositive (b).
- •§ 16. The use of articles with countable nouns modified by nouns in the common case. Attributes expressed by nouns in the common case are usually descriptive.
- •§ 19. There are certain uses of the definite article which are to be regarded as a matter of tradition:
- •§ 24. In English there are a number of verbs which in the Ac- tive Voice require the use of nouns as objective predicatives (a) and in the Passive Voice — as subjective predicatives (b).
- •§ 25. The rules given for the use of articles with predicative nouns and nouns in apposition also hold good for nouns intro- duced by as.
- •§ 27. The article is not used with nouns in appositive of-phras- es when the head-noun denotes a title or a post, e.G. They nominated candidates for the post of President and
- •§ 31. The definite article is found within an of-phrase preceded by one, some, any, each, many, most, none, all, several, the first, the last, the rest, the majority.
§ 27. The article is not used with nouns in appositive of-phras- es when the head-noun denotes a title or a post, e.G. They nominated candidates for the post of President and
Vice-President.
He got the degree of Master of Arts.
When I was a young man, the position of schoolmaster car- ried with it a sense of responsibility.
§ 28. The article is not used in the adverbial pattern from - to, in which the same noun is repeated after the prepositions, as in: from tree to tree, from street to street, from town to town, from day to day, etc. Such combinations are to be regarded аs free combinations (not set phrases) as the number of nouns thus used is practically unlimited. Care should be taken not to confuse such free combinations with set phrases, which are somewhat similar to the above mentioned pattern but limited in number:
a) from head to foot, from top to toe, from top to bottom, from beginning to end, from South to North. (Here after the prepositions from ... to we find two different nouns, not the same noun. The number of such units is limited.)
b) hand in hand, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, face to face, day by day. (The same noun connected by different prepositions is repeated here. The number of such units is also limited.) § 29. There is no article with nouns in direct address. e.g. "How is my wife, doctor?" § 30. After the exclamatory what we find the indefinite article with singular nouns. e.g. "What a car!" she exclaimed. I thought what an unhappy man he must be! What a narrow-minded, suspicious woman Maria was! With plural nouns there is no article, in accordance with the general rules.
e.g. What marvellous books you've got!
It is noteworthy that no article is used after the interrogative what modifying a noun.
e.g. What question did you want to ask me?
§ 31. The definite article is found within an of-phrase preceded by one, some, any, each, many, most, none, all, several, the first, the last, the rest, the majority.
e.g. "One of the letters is from Tom," she said.
Most of the lecturers had other jobs in the town.
Several of the boys knew that my father had "failed in busi-
Compare the above given combinations with: one letter, most Lecturers, several boys, etc.
§ 32. There is a fluctuation in the use of articles in the follow- ing type of combinations: a sort of (a) man, the sort of (a) man, what sort of (a) man, this sort of (a) man, that sort of (a) man, some sort of (a) man; a (the, some, what, this, that) kind of (a) man, a (the, some, what, this, that) type of (a) man.
e.g. He showed us a new type of bulb.
"What sort of a day have you had?" I asked him