The Use of Articles with set-phrases

Exercise 1. Comment on the omission of the articles in the following examples.

1. Listening to the minutes and other routine business he let his eyes move from face to face.

2. They went on from tune to tune till Fleur said: “My God! I am hungry now!”

3. They walked on again, but only hand in hand.

4. Nevill beat his hands on his sides and moved from foot to foot.

5. They went side by side, hand in hand silently towards the hedge.

6. The young man who had been turning his head from side to side became transfixed.

Exercise 2. Supply the required articles for nouns in the following sentences, paying attention to those used phraseologically.

1. He went to … rotten log near at … hand and began to dig under one end of it with his knife.

2. It was … holiday, and no games on … account of … rain.

3. So I thought we would have … good dinner and go to … ballet.

4. His father had crept several times on … tiptoe into … room to see if he was stirring.

5. Let’s go by … underground.

6. He took one of … books at … random.

7. I came across … book by … chance.

8. After she had … leisurely dinner downstairs Julia played … piano for … while.

9. There was nothing to be said in … answer to such … bitter accusations.

10. His name was mentioned in … connection with … ping-pong championship.

11. He spent part of … afternoon telling them … news he could not tell them by … telephone.

12. … little car in … question now stood outside … front door.

13. He knew Marion Sharpe by … sight as he knew everyone in Milford.

14. … transport must come by … sea to Plymouth.

15. I broke my spectacles by … accident and then found I didn’t really need them.

16. He was so uneasy that his presence was out of … question.

17. “Are you … bad sailor?” she asked quickly. “About as bad as is possible, in … spite of having been at … sea so much.”

18. They are at … sea now. They write that they are having … marvelous time.

19. Anna and her husband went out after … tea to play … cards, and took their baby, though Eugene said it would get … pneumonia.

20. She went by … coach, because it was cheaper.

21. Before long I reached several conclusions in … relation to my unknown friend.

22. He tore open … parcel that came for him by … post.

Exercise 3. Insert articles where necessary. (Articles with set expressions.)

1. I trust you to tell me … bare truth, whatever it is. (Snow)

2. The maid, looking to right and left, spoke in … low and hurried voice. (Galsworthy)

3. On his trip round … world with Fleur he had often put his nose out and watched the dancing on … deck. (Galsworthy)

4. He decided that he would not at … present explain to her who he was. (Bennett)

5. I saw … good deal of him during … war. (Snow)

6. He has taken his death very much to … heart indeed. (Collins)

7. What did her education and her accomplishments amount to? She could keep … house. (Bennett)

8. All seemed perfectly at their ease, by no means in … hurry. (Dickens)

9. Somebody important must have been arriving from Europe by … air. (Greene)

10. Am I dealing, young people, with … case of … love at … first sight? (Galsworthy)

11. We’ve had some tea already on … board … yacht. (Shaw)

12. Rosa was well aware that she had never taken … trouble to get to know Annette. (Murdoch)

13. You will go to … sea and forget all about me in … month. (Galsworthy)

14. He was about to start on … long journey, … difficult one, by … sea, and no soul would know where he was gone. (Eliot)

15. It is … pleasure to see you. (Galsworthy)

16. He held … very guarded conversation with her on his way home, for fear that she would take … additional offence. Argument was out of … question. (Dreiser)

17. On … other hand, if he was beaten he took it with complete good humour. (Maugham)

18. He is beginning to lose … heart, they say. (Reade)

19. She burned like … fire from … head to … foot. (Hardy)

20. I got into conversation with him by … chance at … concert. (Shaw)

21. She’s taken quite … fancy to you, Ridgeon. (Shaw)

22. … furniture was all sent round by … water. (Austen)

23. I returned at once, and found Ada sitting at … work by … fireside. (Dickens)

24. He played … flute. (Miller)

25. Somewhere … great many men were singing. (Greene)

26. He was chronically in … debt. (Snow)

27. … woman I fixed my eye on was … woman who kept … house for me at my cottage. (Collins)

28. It is … pity to worry her if she has … talent for … uneasiness. (Galsworthy)

29. He has given … permission to go up and see her there. (Priestley)

30. Behind … house was … large garden, and in summer, … pupils almost lived out of … doors. (Ch. Brontё)

31. … rain had stopped: and we went on … foot to … Ebury Street. (Snow)

32. They started at … dawn, and … boy I sent with them didn’t come back till next day. (Maugham)

33. On being informed […] that her departure would be delayed […] she had flown into … violent passion. (Collins)

34. All of … sudden, his face had become stony. (Snow)

35. Dear, dear! It seems only … other day since I took you down to school at Slough! (Galsworthy)

36. Mr. Byron Waller could play … violin. (Lee)