Article Meanings (theory)
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The Article
Lesson 1
Plan
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Determiners as a class of words
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Functions of the article
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Meanings of the articles
1. Determiners as a class of words
Determiners
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A. - used to identify things as known or unknown to the listener |
B. - “quantifiers”
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1.Articles
2. Possessive pronouns
3. Demonstrative pronouns
4. Nouns in the Genitive Case
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Two specific features of determiners that distinguish them from other words in a noun phrase are:
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only one determiner can be used in a noun phrase
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as a rule, a determiner comes first in a noun phrase
a beautiful red rose, the manager’s office, his new black suit
2. Functions of the article
1) The morphologic function: the article serves as a formal indicator of a noun, that is, the presence of the article shows that what follows is a noun
2) Syntactic functions:
a) The article separates the noun phrase from other parts of the sentence.
John has bought a magazine.
an interesting magazine.
an interesting English magazine.
b) The article may connect sentences within a text by correlating the noun it modifies with a word /group of words in the previous context.
John has bought a magazine. The magazine is interesting.
3) Communicating function:
a) A noun with the indefinite article introduces new information in the sentence; the information is the focus of our attention (the “rheme” of the sentence):
A pretty girl ran into the room.
b) A noun with the definite article in the initial position usually indicates given information (the “theme” of the sentence):
The girl ran into the room.
3. Meanings of the articles
The Indefinite Article
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MEANING |
USAGE |
CLASSES OF NOUNS |
EXAMPLES |
NOTES |
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1. nominating |
- to give a name to the object; to describe what kind of object the speaker has in mind. |
Countable Singular |
She pushed a button on the wall. |
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2. classifying |
- to assign an object to a certain class of similar objects |
Sir Walmer is a good neighbour to us. |
The noun usually functions as a predicative or apposition in a sentence. |
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3. numeric |
- the meaning of “oneness” is predominant here. |
An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening. |
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4. generalizing |
- to denote a typical member of the class |
A tiger is dangerous. A cat is a domestic animal. |
The article in this function is similar in meaning to the pronoun “any.” |
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5. aspective |
- to bring out a certain aspect of the notion |
Uncountable |
He was a man of a supernatural courage. I was aware now of a sickness. |
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The Definite Article
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MEANING |
USAGE |
CLASSES OF NOUNS |
EXAMPLES |
NOTES |
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1. specifying |
- to denote a particular object(s) as distinct from all others of the same class, as unique
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Countable, Plural and Singular |
a) Nothing was natural in the room, except the plants.
b) the sky, the world, the moon etc. |
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2. generic |
- to make reference to a class of objects as a whole |
Countable Singular |
The tiger is a man-eater. |
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3. restricting |
- to restrict
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Uncountable |
a) He slowly pulled on the gloves, concentrating on fold in the leather.
b) I didn’t wish to betray the anxiety I felt. |
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The Zero Article (The meaningful Absence of the Article)
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MEANING |
USAGE |
CLASSES OF NOUNS |
EXAMPLES |
NOTES |
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1. nominating |
- to give a name to the object; to describe what kind of object the speaker has in mind. |
Countable Plural and Uncountable |
We didn’t take beer or wine: they are a mistake on a trip. Mr. Low found marriage a very satisfactory state.
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2. classifying |
- to assign an object to a certain class of similar objects |
Her brothers were students at Balliol College. |
The noun usually functions as a predicative or apposition in a sentence. |
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3. generalizing |
- to denote a typical member of the class |
Tigers are dangerous. Water is a colourless liquid. |
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