The Use of Articles with Uncountable Abstract Nouns

Exercise 1. Explain the use or the absence of the article before the nouns in bold type.

1. Andrew was the first to break the silence. (A.C.)

2. There was silence for a few moments. Then he said …. (A.C.)

3. There was a silence, Edward forgot all that he wished to say. (A.C.)

4. There was a reflective silence. (J. H.)

5. They walked a few more yards in silence. For more minutes there was again the silence of the open. (P.A.)

6. The silence in the room was oppressive. It was a silence that was alive. (W.M.)

7. Light was coming into the cellar from somewhere. With light there had returned hope. (Lnd.)

8. Soon he saw a light in the distance and understood that he was on the right track.

9. He turned the handle and was in the room before he was seen. The light was shaded, his mother was sitting on the far side of the bed. (P.A.)

10. After a time, when they had walked a short distance and returned, they sat down beside a timber which they found half buried in the sand. (A.S.)

11. He looked up at Rita with a grin. “Have I ever told you about the time I worked on the Northern Pacific?”

12. Asking Dave to talk about Spain was time wasted. (A.S.)

13. Quiet settled over the little community of Stilleveld, a quiet that was in tune with the stillness of the night. (P.A.)

Exercise 2. Explain the use of articles with uncountable abstract nouns in the following sentences.

1. His face had a calmness that was new to her.

2. There was a look of such deep loneliness on her mother’s face that Lucy felt her heart turn over in pity.

3. The ownership of the land was less important to him that the work and sweat he had put into it.

4. However, I don’t propose to discuss politics, sociology or metaphysics with you.

5. I was wrapped in the security of childhood.

6. An instinctive kindness made him want to protect Gorin.

7. After dinner, of which he ate little, thinking with dreary satisfaction how grief destroys appetite, he went round to see his confessor.

8. She anticipated the time when they would begin the life which she was sure would give her at last perfect happiness.

9. We were having spring weather when it began to freeze again.

10. Hospitality was a passion with him.

11. Each moment was sensually enhanced because of the love inside me.

12. She said it without malice, there even was genuine sympathy in her voice.

13. He nodded and turned his eyes away with a sense of guilty discomfort.

14. Anthony read the book with the most passionate attention.

15. He could tell a story with dramatic intensity.

16. I think that we must all have a feeling of profound satisfaction.

17. She talked about herself with a frankness that startled me.

18. He spoke with the awkwardness of a man unused to words.

19. During his first talk with them he felt a certain uneasiness.

20. He had been brought up to admire French culture.

21. When I heard the news I felt perfect relief.

Exercise 3. Insert appropriate articles where necessary.

1. ____ dampness of this part of the country disagreed with the travelers.

2. ____ dampness in the air is called humidity.

3. There always was ____ certain dampness about the room. The ceiling and walls were covered with wet patches.

4. She gazed steadily out of the window, with her back to the room, and ____ prolonged silence set in.

5. The breakfast proceeded in ____ silence with nobody daring to look up from the plate.

6. ____ silence grew oppressive.

7. After all these hours of excitement and nervous strain they all relapsed into ____ silence of fatigue.

8. ____ grayish light came through the small window in the garret.

9. Hours passed. He could only see ____ faint light of the night thought the dirty window.

10. No sooner had the nurse drawn the curtains aside when ____ light flooded the room.

11. When it had grown dark in the hall, the servant brought in ____ light.

12. Somebody asked for ____ light and I heard a match strike.

13. What ____ pleasure to see you again!

14. You will read the book with ____ pleasure.

15. I’m looking forward to ____ pleasure of entertaining you and your wife.

16. He was silent for ___ time and drew thoughtfully at the pipe.

17. He was silent all ____ time.

18. ____ time files when one is happy and creeps when one is in ____ grief.

Exercise 4. Supply the required articles for nouns in the following sentences, paying special attention to uncountable abstract nouns.

1. This thought gave him ____ immense satisfaction.

2. She thought that Francis would give her ____ happiness Guy couldn’t.

3. He rose from ___ chair and stood by ____ window in ____ agitated silence.

4. She went back to bed feeling ____ curious emptiness.

5. I had ____ terrible youth though my father was ____ great man.

6. I feel ____ real fear as I watch Robert suffering.

7. ____ music and ____ philosophy are like wine – they are intended to enhance ____ pleasure of being alive.

8. The woman was on her feet with ____swiftness amazing in ____ person of her age.

9. He enjoyed ____ warmth of her approval.

10. Dave played ____ piano with ____ peculiar delicacy.

11. He arranged everything with ____ competence.

12. A look of ____ joy came into his eyes.

13. ____ kindness was not one of ____ things she had normally met with in ____ life.

14. ____ humour teaches ____ tolerance.

15. I have ____ greatest admiration for Racine.

16. My first inclination was not to give it ____ serious attention.

17. He was sorry to leave his friend in ____ comparative poverty.

18. In ____ acute distress I turned to ____ window.

Exercise 5. Supply the required articles for nouns in the following sentences, paying special attention to the nouns that do not admit of the indefinite article.

1. Everyone hates to have to go out in ____ rainy weather.

2. ____ weather was so warm that we decided to go swimming.

3. What ____ fine weather we’re having today!

4. At first I found it difficult to understand ____ English money.

5. I turned the radio on and listened to ____ nine o’clock news.

6. In ____ warm weather I spent most of the afternoon reading out in ____ garden.

7. That morning ____ nature was at its loveliest.

8. I did not enjoy my holiday because ____ weather was very cold.

9. What’s ____ news?

10. “Congratulations. That was ____ very smart work altogether,” he said.

11. Have you heard ____ news?

12. We have been having ____ frosty weather for ____ week.

13. I lent him five pounds last week. Do you think he will pay ____ money back?

14. ____ birds don’t like this sort of ____ weather.

15. “James is not coming tonight.” “Oh, that is ____ bad news.”

16. You ought to stay at home in ____ cold weather.

17. I know ____ work I’ve done is ____ good work, the best of my life.

18. He began to think of ____ fun he had planned for this day.

19. ____ weather is changing for the worse.

20. I’m not the man to give you ____ advice.

21. He suddenly became aware that Mike had stopped ____ work.

22. Now he remembered that he had given ____ permission to remove _____ crate.

23. That’s ____ best news I’ve heard yet.

24. We hid his watch for ____ fun.

25. Uncle Nick made me feel that we had ____ tremendous work to do.

26. Do you like such ____ weather?

27. ____ news from home is bad.

28. I’m going to cut ____ grass in ____ garden. It’s ____ hard work, but it has to be done.

29. Oh, this is not ____ friendly advice.

30. I was trying not to think about ____ work I was set to do.

31. Even if he comes with ____ news I’m hoping for, the situation will remain difficult for a couple of days.

32. I just want to ask you for ___ advice.

33. ____ advice he had got from most of his friends was to turn down ____ offer.

34. The Lieutenant told us to come back with ____ information. So we must find out how many guns they have.

35. “I didn’t work there long. I fell ill and had to give up the job.” “That’s ____ hard luck.”

36. ____ information they received allowed them to prepare ____ new defense position.

37. What ____ good luck that I found you in!

Exercise 6. Insert articles where necessary. (Articles with abstract nouns)

1. We both appreciate ____ simplicity. (Du Maurier)

2. It is such ___ weary, weary work. (Dickens)

3. I’ve reason to believe she [Fleur] has never properly got over ___ feeling she used to have. (Galsworthy)

4. His footsteps were now heard striking upon ____ stony road at ____ distance of about twenty yards. (Hardy)

5. We had ____ wonderful weather. (Du Maurier)

6. You must learn to face ____ life seriously, Stephen. (Shaw)

7. However, ____ life of such striking monotony does not seem to depress him. (Durrell)

8. May you be happy in ____ life you have chosen! (Dickens)

9. She was brilliantly familiar with ____ literature, ____ tongues, ____ art, ____ history, ____ physics, ____ metaphysics, ____ philosophy, and ____ politics (in which I include ____ modern politics). (Bennett)

10. It was ____ cold, bleak, biting weather. (Dickens)

11. ____ weather was sunny and dry. (Handy)

12. ____ modern science is ____ wonderful thing. (Shaw)

13. Their blue eyes became filled with ____ gaiety and ____ ferocity and ____ joy, and their mouths with ____ laughter. (Murdoch)

14. Jon laughed, and ____ sound of ____ laugh was hard. (Galsworthy)

15. Then she gave ____ crisp, ironic, almost cheerful laugh … (Snow)

16. ____ reason is ____ greatest discovery ever made by ____ man. Yet it is ___ most disregarded and least used. (Jones)

17. ____ what I offer is ____ security and ____ respect. That doesn’t sound very exciting, but perhaps it’s better than ____ passion. (Greene)

18. ____ expression on her face ____ hungry and hard and feverish – had the most peculiar effect upon Soames. (Galsworthy)

19. At that age I had ___ very faulty view of ____ geography. (Miller)

20. He longed for ___ comfort of his sister’s society. (Marryat)

21. He pines for ____ kindness. (E. Bronte)

22. Miss Cherrell, I am going to do all I can to remove ___ unpleasant impression you have of me. I am your very humble servant, and I hope some day to have ___ chance to be something else to you. (Galsworthy)

23. Then all four sat down and began to inspect Hunter and Calvin with ___ air of suspicion and curiosity. (Murdoch)

24. How quietly you live, John. I love ____ silence of this room and garden. (Murdoch)

25. At other times he would come and sit for long periods in her room in ___ silence. (Murdoch)

26. What ____ noble thing ____ courage is. (Reade)

27. What ____ delightful weather we are having! (Wilde)

28. Pray, don’t talk to me about ____ weather, Mr. Worthing. Whenever ____ people talk to me about ___ weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. (Wilde)

29. Such ___ weather makes everything and everybody disgusting. (Austen)

30. Owen saw ____ figure of Edward at ____ distance of two or three hundred yards. (Hardy)

31. Ada sat at ____ piano, Richard stood beside her. She touched ____ notes so softly, and sang so low, that ____ wind, sighing away in ____distant hills, was as audible as ____ music. (Dickens)

Exercise 7. Translate into English.

1. Молодость – лучшая пора жизни.

2. Его специальность – литература. Сейчас он уже много лет занимается советской литературой.

3. При изучении языка необходимо глубоко изучать грамматику.

4. Нам его рекомендовали как человека с хорошим знанием языка.

5. Гостеприимство – характерная черта русских.

6. Иностранцы, приезжающие к нам, поражаются гостеприимству нашего народа.

7. Она, должно быть, была красавицей в молодости.

8. Это было такое переживание!

9. Все народы земли хотят мира.

10. Я очень ценю в людях скромность и простоту.

11. Музыкант должен знать историю оперы.

12. Я с детства люблю музыку.

13. Он изучает английскую историю.

14. Он изучает историю Англии.

15. Если вы плохо себя чувствуете, не выходите в такую погоду.

16. Мой брат очень любит архитектуру и мечтает стать архитектором.

17. Меня интересует история английского романа.