QUANTIFIERSDEFINITE & INDEFINITE ARTICLESTara L. Lockhart

Proper nounsWhich is incorrect?

a. The teacher gave us a test.

b. The Tara gave us a test.

c. Tara gave us a test?

Proper nounsWhich is incorrect?

a. A / The teacher gave us a test.

b. The Tara gave us a test.

c. Tara gave us a test?

WHY? We usually use articles for common nouns, but NOT for proper nouns with exceptions of course….more on that later.

Proper nounsA proper noun is the name of a particular group (people), place or thing. They’re usually unique. There is only one.

Proper nouns are ALWAYS capitalized.*exception: seasons (spring, summer, autumn/fall, winter)**sometimes we use [the]unique: the Internet the autumn*people: Tara, Scottishplaces: Charlottetown, Canadamonths: October. April, languages: English, French, Greek

Nounscount

dollar(s) / cent(s)hour(s) / minute(s)….animal(s)cup(s) / glass(es) / milliliter(s)cup(s) bowl(s)slice(s)book(s)hat(s)

non-count / uncountable

moneytimepork / beefliquid: water, oil, beerricespaghettibreadairpants / jeans

How to count uncountable nouns?

a piece of cake.

I’ll have a piece of cake please.

A: Can I have some cake?B: Of course! Do you want a big slice of cake or a small slice of cake?

This grammar point is a piece of cake! (= is easy)

MORE EXAMPLESThe entire thing can be counted, of course.A: How many cakes did you get for the party?B: Since there were 60 people, we got 2 cakes.A: How many pizzas did you order?B: We ordered 27 large pizzas. I think I ate 3 slices of pizza!

BUT if someone asked you:A: Did you have any cake?B: Yes, I ate 2 cakes and 3 pizzas. A: What?! Did you really eat 2 whole cakes and 3 whole pizzas?! (Were they tiny cakes and pizzas? Ha ha)

How do we count uncountable nouns?

cup(s) / glass(es) / milliliter(s)• The recipe calls for 2 cups of water. bowl(s)• He ate a bowl of rice with his lunch.handful(s)• They threw handfuls of money into the crowd.slice(s)• A large pizza has 8 slices.a pair of• She packed 2 pairs of shoes and 4 pairs of pants and

shorts for the trip.

Non-count nouns….(cont’d)• gold / silver / copper (metal) = a bar of, a piece of,…

• abstract words: courage, fear, goodness, hatred, love, laughter, education, time, art, thoughts,…..

• activities: bowling, teaching, farming, running, hiking,….

• fields of study: English, chemistry, biology, medicine, mathematics,….

• List of abstract nouns• http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-abstract-

nouns.html

Non-count nouns….(cont’d)Some non-count nouns don’t fit in a category

equipment – a piece of equipment, some, etc

homework – some homework, a little, no, etc

newsfurnitureinformationwork

Non-count nouns….(cont’d)Some non-count nouns don’t fit in a categoryRemember that if it is uncountable, it’s considered singular.

equipment – a piece of equipment, some, etcSome of the equipment is old.I bought a lot of equipment for the camping trip. It is in the car.homework – I only have a little homework, and thankfully it is really easy. news - The news is exciting. (a piece of news)furniture – How much furniture do you want to buy? (a piece of furniture)

Non-count nouns….(cont’d)Remember that if it is uncountable, it’s considered singular.

clothing – The clothing at this store is really expensive.work – I’m finished. I don’t have any more work to do. weather – The weather was bit cold yesterday. The cold bothers me.information – We can look up a lot of information online.corn – Corn always tastes better on the cob.

Quantifierscount

someenougha lot ofa fewseveralmany------------------------------------not + any

enougha lot ofmany

non-count

someenougha lot ofa littlea great deal ofmuch--------------------------------------not + any enough a lot of much

Speaking Activity – talk with a partner1. How many hours do you spend on the Internet every

day?2. How much time do you waste online every week?3. How many planets do you think have life on them?4. How much money do you have on you?5. What is something you have too much of?6. How many pets do you have / would you like to have?7. How many people are in your immediate family?8. How much water should you drink every day?9. How many cups of coffee/tea do you usually drink every

week?

ANY: negatives & questions

Did Tara give us any homework in class today?Tara didn’t give us any homework.

Is there any beer?No, there isn’t any beer.

Are there any bears in Halifax?Nope! There aren’t any bears in Halifax.

*These examples are in the simple present, but remember you can use other verb tenses.

Speaking activity – take turns asking each other questions. Answer using complete sentences.Answer the question using the negative + any!

1. Do you have any drugs you can sell me?2. Did you shoot any birds this morning?3. I need to borrow some money. Do you have any spare change?4. Does your grandmother have any tattoos?5. Will you buy any honey at Sobeys this week?6. Have you bought any dog food this month?7. Do you have any questions?8. Are there any monkeys in your bedroom?9. Do you own any camping equipment?10. Have you lived on any other planets besides Earth?

FYIcouple = 2few = 3 -4 several 5-6

We ordered a couple of pitchers of beer.He has a couple of dogs.

She went to Montreal for a few days.I’m planning on buying a few things at the store on the way home.

There are several restaurants in my neighbourhood.

few – a few > used for countable nouns

• [a] few + plural noun• a few = some but not many (positive)• few (without a) = nearly none (negative)

James has a few friends. = He doesn’t have a lot, but he has some. He has enough friends. He has a good number of friends.

He has few friends. He doesn’t have a lot of friends. He is probably lonely. He doesn’t have enough friends.

little vs a little> used for non-countable nouns

• [a] little + uncountable noun• a little = some but not much (positive)• little (without a) = nearly none or nearly nothing (negative)

James has a little money = He doesn’t have a lot, but he has some. He has enough money. He has a good amount of money.

He has little money. He doesn’t have a lot of money. He is probably broke. He doesn’t have enough money.

Re-state the sentencesEx: They have some money. = They have a little money.They are poor. They don’t have a lot of money. = They have little money.1. I’ve got some friends. 2. The fridge is nearly empty.3. Her French is really good. She doesn’t make many mistakes.4. He knows how to speak some Spanish.5. They wanted to Chinese food, but they don’t have enough rice.

Re-state the sentences1. I’ve got some friends. = I’ve got a few friends.

2. The fridge is nearly empty. = The fridge has little in it.There’s little food in the fridge. / There are few items / things in the fridge.

3. Her French is really good. She doesn’t make many mistakes. = She speaks a little French.

4. He doesn’t really know how to speak some Spanish. He’ll have to ask a Spanish speaking person to translate for him. = He speaks little Spanish.

5. They wanted to Chinese food, but they don’t have enough rice. = They have little rice.

much & many – questions & negatives• How many days do we have until Halloween?• How much time do we have until Halloween?• There are __ days until Halloween. / There’s lots of time before

Halloween.

• How much money did you spend while on vacation?• They didn’t spend much (money) while on vacation.• How many dollars did you spend at the Dollarama store?• I spent about five dollars. / I didn’t spend much money.

• Is there much food in the fridge?• There’s not much food in the fridge.• There aren’t many drinks in the fridge.

A ANTHE

definite and indefinite articles[ a ] is an indefinite article used before a general noun that starts with a consonant SOUND. = a hamburger

[an] is an indefinite article used before a general noun that starts with a vowel SOUND. = an hour

[the] is a definite article used before a specific noun. BE AWARE that there are TWO pronunciations.

thᵊ boat | thiː apple

Articles: indefinite & definite

general noun (a / an)

an applea boata chaira dozen eggsan egga french frya giant french fryan houra hot day……..

specific noun (the)

the apple > / thiː/ applethe boatthe chairthe dozen eggsthe eggthe french frythe giant french frythe hour > /thee/ hour

*french refers to the style of cut – it’s cut long and thin.

french = style of cutalso called juliennewhich is why it is not capitalized

Articles: indefinite & definite> general / more than 1 / unknown / first time we mention something> specific / only one / known

I saw a man walking around the block with a dog.

Is it clear which man / dog the speaker is speaking of?Is this new information?

“the block” - Is it clear where the man & dog are walking?

There are 5 windows.Can you open a window?

There are 5 windows. There’s only one next to the door. There’s only one door.Can you open the window next to the door?

Can you open the window? The speaker knows which window you’re going to open / it’s the window closest to you.

Guess the article!

Can you pass ___ salt?

“Omens” is __ really good book.

Where are ___ dogs?

Hi! I’d like __ old-fashioned donut and _ cup of coffee.

Can I ask __ question?

“Avengers” is __ awesome movie.

Where is he sitting?

Are you okay?No, I have __ headache.

She has __ flu.

Soup of the day: The tears of our enemies.

We say “the” when it’s clear which thing or person we mean.

• the floor (of a room)• the ceiling (of a room)• the roof (of a house)• the door (of a room / house / apartment…)• the carpet (of a room)• the light (in a room / on a table)• the kitchen (of a house)• the bathroom (of a house)• the bus stop / station (train, subway) (of a town/city/one’s

neighbourhood)• the airport (of a city / province)• the government (of a country)

We use the when it’s clear which thing / person we mean.

What is the name of your country? (There’s only one name.)Who is the best cook in your family? (There’s only one….)What’s the time? (The time now)My apartment is on the third floor. (There’s only one 3rd floor.)

the + city centre / same / nearest…We live in the same apartment building.There’s a really good pub in the city centre. / in the centre of the city.Where’s the nearest bathroom?Pluto is the farthest planet* from the Earth. (*became a planet again in 2015)

We say….The Earth is the third planet from the sun.the sun / moon / world / sky / sea / ocean / country*

I grew up in the country of Canada. = I grew up in Canada.I grew up in the country. (= not a town or city)She grew up in the city. (= not in a small village or the woods!)

the police / fire department / army (of a city / country, etc)

What did you just do? I’m calling the police!

FYIWe really only capitalize “sun and moon” when talking about them as objects in space or in reference to other planets. However, there is no hard and fast rule and you’ll often see the words “sun and moon” un-capitalized.The Sun = Earth’s sunThe Moon = Earth’s moonThe Earth is closer to the Sun than Mars.The Earth is closer to the sun than Mars.

We say….the top / middle / end / bottom / left / right

• Look at the top of page 65.• I like to sit in the middle of the movie theatre.• Their house is at the end of this street.• The boardwalk is at the bottom of the hill.• Do you drive on the left or on the right of the road in your

country?

We say…the + musical instruments

Tara plays the piano and the ukulele. Can you play the drums?

the + radio / Internet

Does anyone listen to the radio anymore?It’s amazing what you can find on the Internet.

TV vs a / the TV (television)If you watch a lot of TV, you’re called a couch potato.What’s on TV / television tonight?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Turn off the TV.I bought a new TV 2 months ago.Where’s the remote to the TV?

the TV = the television set; the actual machine

We do not use the with: breakfast / lunch / dinner / supper / tea / coffee

What did you have for supper last night?OMG I’m so hungry. I can’t wait for lunch.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------social function / event / specific food

The Queen came to the tea on Saturday.The tea / coffee at Starbucks is quite expensive.The dinner we ate last night was really delicious.

We do not use the with: next / last + week / month / year / summer / Monday

My parents are coming to visit next week.Let’s go to Your Father’s Moustache next Thursday!Last year, we visited Montreal.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------The first week of the month is usually easy, but the next week is usually filled with quizzes and assignments.

We always have a test the last Tuesday of the month.

the + places Note that there are still many more rules. This is just a list of some of them.

Remember:Some countries have “the” as part of their names.Example: The United KingdomThe United States of AmericaThe Republic of South Korea

etc

*In English, we usually just say:

The U.KThe U.S.(South) Korea

The End!