Have two types of article:
- Indefinite article
- Definite article
INDEFINITE ARTICLE
- indifinite article refer to a , an
- It is refer to something not specially known to the person you are communicating with.
- Use before nouns that introduce something or someone you havenot mentioned before
Example:
- I saw an elepphant this morning
- I ate a banana for lunch.
DEFINITE ARTICLE
- You use the when you know that the listener knows or can work out what particular person / thing you are talking about.
Example:
- The apple you ate was rotten.
Did you lock the car??
( You should also use the when you have alreadymentioned teh thing you are talking about)
Example:
- She got two children. a girl and a boy. The girl's eight and the boy's fourteen.
- We use the to talk about geographical point on the globe
Example:
- the North Pole. the equator
- We use the to talk about rivers,oceans and seas
Example:
- the Nile , the Pacific.
- We also use the before certain nouns when we know there is only one of a particular thing.
Example:
- the rain. the sun, the wind, the world
NO ARTICLE
- We usually use no article to talk about things in ganeral
Example:
- Inflation is rising
- People are worried about rising crime. (Note! people are ganerally so no article)
- You do not use article when talking about sports
Example:
- My son plays football
- Tennis is expensive
- You do not use article before uncountable nouns when talking about them ganerally.
Example:
- Inforamation is important to any organisation
- Cofee is bad for you
- You do not use article before the names of countries except they indicate multiple areas or contain the word (state. kongdom, republic, union).
Example:
- No article- Italy, Mexico. England
- Use article- the UK, the USA
- Some English sentences require that the subject ‘agree’ with the verbs and vice versa.
- This simply means that a singular subject must have a singular verb.
- However, this is only applicable in sentences using certain tenses which consider the singularity or plurality of the subject of the sentences.
- It includes simple past (be verb), present continuous, past continuous and present perfect.
Sentence s IDENTFYING SUBJECT VER AND AGREEMENT | subject | Verb |
His mother leads a healthy lifestyle. | His mother – singular | Leads – singular |
The triplets speak quietly almost all the time. | The triples – plural | Speak – plural |
We are here. | We – plural | Are – plural |
She was with me all the time. | She – singular | Was – singular |
The children were waiting. | The children – plural | Were – plural |
Amina has talked to the Dean | Amina – singular | Has – singular |
The verb ‘go, do, have’ are plural verbs.
Hence they are preceded by plural subjects.
Singular subject are followed by ‘goes, does, has ‘
VERB | EXAMPLE |
Go – plural | During the Pesta Kaamatan, or the Harvest Festival, most Sabahans go back to their home state to celebrate it. |
Goes – singular | Monica Siliu, of Kadazandusun descent, always goes back to Kota Kinabalu to be with her family for the celebration. |
Do – plural | Kadazandusuns do this since it is their belief that rice, in whatever form, embodies Bambaazan that must be protected from harm. |
Go – plural | During the Pesta Kaamatan, or the Harvest Festival, most Sabahans go back to their home state to celebrate it. |
Goes – singular | Monica Siliu, of Kadazandusun descent, always goes back to Kota Kinabalu to be with her family for the celebration. |
Do – plural | Kadazandusuns do this since it is their belief that rice, in whatever form, embodies Bambaazan that must be protected from harm. |
Does – singular | Her family usually does every ritual related to the festival, which is to honour the spirit, Bambaazan or Bambarayon. |
Have – plural | These people also believe that inanimate items have life and that they are all living things. |
Has – singular | The selected pageant festival queen has the honour of symbolising Huminodun, the daughter of the Creator, Kinoingan. |
The following take on singular verbs :
Co Conditions | Examples |
Indefinite pronouns – everybody, everyone, each, every, somebody, someone, either one, anyone. |
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The use of ‘neither of’ and ‘either of’. |
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Nouns that end in ‘s’ but are singular in nature – physics,economics, athletics, mathematics, and so on. |
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Sum and products of mathematical processes. |
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Nouns that refer to language – French, Italian, German. |
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Nouns preceded by ‘a pair of’. |
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Collective nouns. |
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Nouns preceded by ‘one of the’. |
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PLURAL SUBJECT- PLURAL VERB RULE
The following take on plural verbs:
Conditions | Examples |
Nouns joined by ‘and’ |
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Nouns preceded by ‘a number of’ |
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Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, glasses/ spectacles, pants, shorts, shears. |
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Nouns that refer to nationality – the English, the French. |
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The use of ‘both’ ‘both..and’ ‘several’ ‘many’ ‘few’ ‘others’. |
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The following can either take on plural or singular verbs:
Co Conditions | Examples |
Nouns which refer to a group (e.g. Family, government, jury, committee, team) can take on either singular or plural verbs. |
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Nouns preceded by ‘none of the’. |
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Nouns used with ‘together with’ , ‘along with’ , ‘including’ ,’accompanied by’ , ‘in addition to’ , ‘as well as’ etc (the verb agrees with th earlier noun ). |
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Subjects that come after verbs. |
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Nouns and verbs separated by a relative clause ( the verb agress with the noun referred to.) |
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The use of ‘neither..or..’, ‘Neither…nor’ (The verb agrees with the noun closer to it). |
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Nouns preceded by fractions and percentages ( the verb agrees with the noun, not the fraction ) |
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Units of money, distance and time take on singular verbs if they precede the verbs and take on plural verbs if they come after the verbs. |
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