English language. English - grammar - article - use of the indefinite article. English Grammar: Interjections

Definite and indefinite articles

What is an article and why is it actually needed?- Many of those who begin to learn English ask, because in Russian we manage without the article and nothing terrible happens, but for some reason the British needed it. What for? Let's start with the fact that in the Russian language, it turns out, there are also articles, only they are used a little less often and for some reason are embarrassed to be called articles, but this does not prevent them from performing the same functions as their English counterparts.

I know one man and this person can help you. Did you find anything strange in this proposal? Why say "one person" if it is already clear that he is alone? We often use the word "one" only to indicate vagueness or the first mention of a subject. If we are talking about the subject a second time, then as a rule we use the demonstrative pronoun "this" or "this". Remember, the beginning of many Russian fairy tales and anecdotes sounds like this: " One man ... And went this man once..." or something like that.

In order not to take up your precious time, I will simply say: in this function, the Russian word "one" is an analogue of the English indefinite article "a". And he, in turn, historically comes from the word "one" - "one", and that is why it is used only with singular nouns.

The definite article is even easier - it often replaces our demonstrative pronouns "this", "this", "this", "these". But since the British, and the Americans, Canadians and others like them, no less respected, Australians are very accustomed to these articles, they use them wherever possible, and sometimes even where it is impossible, and therefore in many cases they simply do not are being translated. Now we can, perhaps, go directly to the articles.

Indefinite article.
I saw a man crossing the street. - I saw (some or one) person crossing the street.

And the definite article.
I've heard the guy is very rich. - I heard that this the guy is very rich.

When translated into Russian, the difference is obvious. In the first case, we do not know what kind of person we are talking about, it is likely that we see him for the first and last time.
In the second case, we are definitely talking about some famous person that we heard about or even saw somewhere.
There are only two articles in English - the definite the and indefinite - a/ an. In some cases, nouns are used without articles at all, just like ours!
Let's take another example:
For breakfast I had a sandwich and an apple. The sandwich wasn't very nice.
For breakfast I ate a sandwich and an apple. The sandwich was not very tasty.
The first time we speak a sandwich and an apple, in the second case, we say the sandwich, because we know what kind of sandwich we are talking about: the one that was for breakfast.
You probably noticed that the indefinite article has two types: a or an.
" a" is used when it is followed by a word that begins with a consonant, but if the word begins with a vowel, we use "an".
It is also worth mentioning here that if a noun is used with an adjective, then the article is placed before the adjective and the a/an rule remains in force.

For instance:
A g oose - goose
An a cpress is an actress.
A c omfortable chair - comfortable chair
A n ice girl - cute girl.
A d ifficult job is hard work.
An a ctive man - an active person.
This is easy to remember, because without a small letter "n" it will be very difficult to pronounce such words and phrases. Try saying: a animals, a actor, a elephant. Inconvenient, right? And yes, it does sound weird.
But like this: an animals, an actor, an elephant, you see, it's a completely different matter!
So we use the indefinite article a/ an when it is not about a specific subject:
Please sit down on a chair. - Please sit on a chair. (for any chair you like).
When we talk about a specific subject, we use the definite article. the:

She sat down on the chair nearest the door. She sat down on the chair closest to the door. (a very specific chair, exactly the one next to the door).
We also use the, when the meaning is clear what or who we are talking about:
Can you turn off the light, please? - Could you turn off the light? (It makes sense that you need to turn off the light in the room or room in which they are located).
Now let's talk about articles in more detail.

Indefinite article a/an used:

1. Before a singular countable noun when it is used for the first time:

• I've seen a movie last night. - I saw a movie last night.

Before a singular countable noun when it denotes a member of a class of things:

• A child needs love. - A child needs love. (i.e. all children (any child) need / need).

When the noun is part of a compound nominal predicate:

• He is a talented writer. - He is a talented writer.

In some expressions denoting quantity. Most often the following:

• a lot of…
• a great many…
• a great deal of…
• a couple…
• a dozen…
• a way too…
• for example: a way too much - too much

In expressions denoting price, speed, etc., replacing the preposition per- in, for:

• $5 a kilo - $5 per kg
• Twice a day - twice a day
• 20 km an hour - 20 km per hour

In exclamations before a singular countable noun:

• What a pretty baby! - What a pretty baby!

When the article can be replaced by the word "one" (one):

• Recently I "ve met a man. - I recently met a man. (You can say: with one man).

After quite, such

• Such a wonderful day! - Such a wonderful day!

Please note that the indefinite article is not used with proper names, but in rare cases it can be used before Mr / Mrs / Miss + surname, indicating that the person is not familiar to the speaker:
There's a Mrs. Newman to see you. - A (certain) Mrs. Newman came to see you.

Definite article the used:

1. With objects that are one of a kind, such as:

• The Earth
• The sea
• The sky - the sky
• The stars - stars
• The Prime Minister - prime minister
• The queen

Before a noun that has already been used:

• There was a man talking to a woman near my house. The man looked English but I think the woman was foreign. - Some man and woman were talking near my house. The man looked like an Englishman, but the woman, I think, was a foreigner.

Before a noun after which there is a definition expressed by a phrase or a subordinate clause:

• The girl in white was very attractive. The girl in white was very attractive.

Before an adjective in a superlative degree (we are talking about the degree of comparison):

• The highest place in the country. - The highest place in the country.

Before ordinal numbers (that is, those numbers that indicate the order in counting and answer the questions: which? which?)

• She lives on the fifth floor. - She lives on the fifth floor.

Front only in the meaning of "only":

• She was the only beautiful woman in his life. She was the only beautiful woman in his life.

Before a singular noun when it denotes a class of animals or objects:

• The whale is in danger of becoming extinct. - The whale is on the verge of extinction. (it is clear that not one whale).

Before an adjective without a noun, denoting a class of people (the so-called substantiated nouns - you don’t have to remember the name)

• The old - old people
• The poor - the poor, the poor

Before "next, last" + time period:

• the next day
• the last time.

Often, but not always, the definite article is used with the names of musical instruments:

• He plays the piano.

With the names of nationalities, summarizing all the representatives of this people:

• the Americans

with some expressions like:

• On the right/left, at the top/bottom, in the middle, at the cinema/theater the radio.

If you have carefully read up to this point, you already know that the indefinite article with proper names is almost never used. With the definite article, the situation is somewhat different.

The definite article is used with proper names in the following cases:

1. Before the names of rivers, seas, canals, straits, groups of islands (namely groups), mountain ranges (namely chains), deserts, regions, countries in the plural:

Before the surname in the plural, denoting all family members, like, say, Ivanovs or Petrovs:

• The Browns, The Smiths

Before titles followed by "of":

• The Prince of Wales - Prince of Wales

In the titles of books, films and television and radio programs, the presence or absence of the article usually depends on the author's desire.

*Often, Americans call their country abbreviated with the article: He came to the USA 5 years back. - He came to the USA 5 years ago. Gasoline price in the U.S. decreased slightly. - The price of gasoline in the US has fallen slightly. Often USA is used without the article, while the U.S. always with an article. In the meantime, note that the U.S. write correctly with dots, probably not to be confused with a pronoun us - us, us.

The article is not used at all:

1. Before plural nouns and uncountable nouns (uncountable nouns are those that cannot be counted: water - water, air - air, tea - tea, etc.). This clause applies only to the indefinite article. It should be noted that with uncountable nouns, the pronoun "some" is often used instead of the indefinite article: Would you like some milk? - Do you want some milk? Some sources refer to the word "some" in this function as an article.
2. Before breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, unless they are preceded by an adjective. Compare:

• We have breakfast at 9. - We have breakfast at 9 o'clock.
• We had a good breakfast. - We had a good breakfast.

Before the names of people, the names of languages, the names of games, as well as the names of days of the week, months, public holidays.

• with mike

• in Russian
• on Sunday

With words bed, church, court, hospital, prison, school, college, university, sea when these places are visited or used for their intended purpose. For instance:

• To go to hospital - go to the hospital (as a patient, not on an excursion)
• To go to church - go to church (pray);

In the following established expressions, it is advisable to remember them:

• all day/night long, all day/night through, day after day, from morning till night, from dusk till dawn, day and night.

• at night, by day/night, at midnight, at sunset, for example, on time, in harmony, to take place, to catch cold

In expressions denoting the mode of movement:

• by bus - by bus
• by plane, (by air) - by plane (by air)
• on foot - on foot

That, it seems, is all we need to know about the article in order to speak correctly. It remains only to add a small fly in the ointment: native speakers often use the article quite freely, but we, language learners, do not want to do this.

Now let's test your knowledge! Use the correct article: a/ an, the or the absence of an article.

1. I wrote my name at __ top of __ list.
2. __ Soviet Union was __ first country to send __ man into space.
3. After lunch we went for __ horseback ride.
4. I am not very hungry. I had __ big breakfast.
5. Tim lives in __ small village.
6. __ Chile is __ country in South America.

The article is a functional word showing that the word behind it is a noun and describing some of its features. Articles allow you to distinguish from other parts of speech. They perform other tasks as well.

There are two articles in English: uncertain — a (an) and definite — the.

The indefinite article before words that begin with a consonant sound is used in the form a[ə], for example: a desk [ə'desk], a book [ə'bʊk]; before words that begin with a vowel - in the form an[ən], for example: an animal [ən'ænɪməl], an eye [ən'aɪ]. The name of the article itself (without a noun) always sounds [еɪ].

Definite article the before words that begin with a consonant sound, it is pronounced as [ðə], for example: the table [ðə'teɪbl], the pen [ðə'pen]; before words that begin with a vowel - like [ðɪ], for example: the apple [ðɪ'æpl], the arm [ðɪ'ɑːm]. The name of the article itself is always pronounced as [ðɪ].

When writing and pronouncing articles, it is important with which sound the word begins, and not with which letter. For example, if the initial letter u reads like [ʌ], then you need to put an(an uncle [ən'ʌŋkl]), but if both, then - a(a union [ə'ju:nɪon]).

Another example: if at the beginning of a word a letter h pronounced, then you need to put a(a hen [ə'hen] chicken), but if not pronounced, then - an(an hour [ən'auə] hour).

Indefinite article
• has two forms - a and an;
• denotes an incomprehensible / unfamiliar object.

Definite article
• has one form the;
• denotes an understandable/familiar subject.

Articles are never stressed and in speech merge with the word following them. If there is an adjective, the article is placed before it. Compare: an apple - a big green apple.

Use of the article

When using articles, it is important to consider in what number (singular or plural) the noun is and what its type is, namely: is it common or proper, countable or uncountable, abstract or concrete.

In many cases, the use (or absence) of the article is regulated by grammatical rules, but in some cases it is traditional. Such cases must be remembered.

Indefinite article

The indefinite article comes from the numeral one(one). It is usually not translated into Russian, but it could be translated as “one”, “one of” or “some”, “some”. Therefore, the indefinite article can only be used with countable nouns and only in the singular.’

The indefinite article is used:
1. When an object, creature or person is mentioned for the first time, for example: I see a boy (I see (some) boy).
2. If turnover is used there is, for example: There is an apple in my pocket (I have an apple in my pocket / in my pocket (there is)).
3. If turnover is used have something/ have got something, for example: I have (got) an orange (I have an orange).
4. If the profession, position, nationality and other characteristics of a person are called, for example: I am a teacher (I am a teacher); Her son is a pupil (Her son is a student).
5. When it is necessary to indicate that a given object (creature, person) belongs to a certain group (the property of a group is expressed by an adjective), for example: Do you know that town? Yes, it is a nice small town (Do you know this town? Yes, it's a nice little town). (In this case, it is not necessary that the subject be mentioned for the first time.)
6. If you need to specifically emphasize that there is only one subject, for example: Do you have pencils? Yes, I have a pencil (Do you have pencils? Yes, there is (one)). (Here, too, the subject need not be mentioned for the first time.)

Definite article

The definite article comes from the demonstrative pronoun that(this). He singles out a specific object from among similar ones (“this”, “exactly this”, “the same”).

The definite article is used:
1. If the subject has already been mentioned and the speech continues about it, for example: My friend has got a dog. He walks with the dog every day (My friend has a dog. He walks with the dog every day). But: My friend has got a dog. My sister also has a dog (My friend has a dog. My sister also has a dog).
2. If the object or objects belong to some special group, for example: The flowers in our garden are very beautiful (The flowers in our garden are very beautiful). (Here in our garden is a special group, so the word flowers is written with a definite article. In this case, the word may be mentioned for the first time, but the article will be definite.)
3. If the noun is preceded by an ordinal number, for example: The second lesson is English (The second lesson is English). (In this case, we are talking about the specific and the only one: there can be only one second lesson.)
4. If the noun is preceded by a superlative adjective, for example: Not is the best pupil in our school (He is the best student in our school). (In this case, we are talking about the specific and unique: there can be only one best student.)
5. When it comes to a unique phenomenon or object. (Therefore, the Earth and the Sun are usually written. Here, the use of the definite article is similar to the capitalization of the word in Russian.)
6. If we are talking about familiar furnishings and the world around us, for example: Where is my coat? It hangs at the door (Where is my coat? It hangs at the door). (It is not necessary to refer to a specific door - it simply refers to a familiar piece of furniture).
7. If an abstract noun is used in some of its particular manifestations, for example: I cannot see anything in the darkness! (I can't see anything in this darkness!)

No article (zero article)

In the absence of an article, they also say that there is a zero article.

The article is missing in the following cases.
1. When an object (thing, creature, person) is mentioned for the first time in the plural, for example: I see boys in the street (I see (some) boys on the street).
2. If turnover is used there are with a plural noun, for example: There are apples in my pocket (I have apples in my pocket).
3. If turnover is used have something/ have got something, for example: I have (got) oranges in my fridge (I have oranges in the fridge).
4. If the profession, position, nationality and other characteristics of two or more people are called, for example: We are teachers (We are teachers); Her sons are pupils (Her sons are students).
5. When it is necessary to indicate that these items belong to a certain group (the property of the group is expressed by an adjective), for example: Did you hear these songs? Yes, these were very nice songs (Did you hear these songs? Yes, they were very nice songs). (In this case, it is not necessary that the word be called for the first time.)
6. If an abstract noun is used in the most general sense, for example: Darkness is the absence of light (Darkness is the absence of light).
7. If the noun is preceded by a possessive pronoun, for example: My house is yellow (My house is yellow).
8. If a noun is preceded by a negative no(not not!), for example: We have no bread on the table (We have no bread on the table).

It's important to know! If in cases 1-5 uncountable nouns are used (they do not have a plural), then the article is also absent. All these cases are analogous to the use of the indefinite article with singular countable nouns.

Use of the article with proper names

Proper names are usually used without an article, for example: Moscow, New York, Elizabeth, Trafalgar Square, Elbrus.

The definite article is used in the following special cases.
1. Names of rivers, seas, oceans, for example: the Mississippi - Mississippi (river); the Baltic Sea - the Baltic Sea; the Atlantic Ocean - the Atlantic Ocean.
2. The names of some states, for example: the Russian Federation - the Russian Federation; the Ukraine - Ukraine; the Brazil - Brazil; the USA - USA; the United Kingdom - United Kingdom.
3. Some other geographical names (with the article - according to tradition), for example: the Caucasus - the Caucasus; the Crimea - Crimea; the Hague - The Hague (a city in the Netherlands).
4. Names of mountains (mountain systems), for example: the Alps - Alps.
5. The names of the cardinal points: the North - north; the South - south; the East - east; the West - west.
6. Names of newspapers and magazines, for example: the Times - The Times.
7. Names of hotels, for example: the Savoy - "Savoy".
8. The name of the whole family (all family members) by last name, for example: the Krasnovs - Krasnovs (Krasnov family).

The following proper nouns are used without the article.
1. Names of continents, for example: America - America; Asia - Asia; Africa - Africa.
2. The names of most countries, for example: Russia - Russia; India - India; France - France; Great Britain - Great Britain.
3. City names, for example: London - London; Paris - Paris; Moscow - Moscow.
4. Names of streets and squares, for example: Green Street - Green Street; Red Square - Red Square.
5. The names of the months and days of the week, for example: I'll see you in September / on Sunday (See you in September / on Sunday).
6. Names and surnames, for example: Jack Black, Ivan Petrov.

Phrases with and without articles

Combinations without articles

after school / work - after school / work
at half past two - at half past two
at night - at night
at home - at home; at work - at work
at school - at school (in the classroom)
at table - at the table (that is, at dinner, etc.)
by heart - by heart
by post - by mail
from beginning to end - from beginning to end
from morning till night - from morning to evening
go to bed - go to bed
in front of - ahead
play football / hockey - play football / hockey
to go / come home - go / come home

Combinations with the indefinite article

at a quarter past two - at a quarter past two
go for a walk - go for a walk
have a good time - have a good time
have a look - look
in a hurry - in a hurry
in a low / loud voice - quiet / loud
It's a pity! - It's a pity!
It's a pleasure! - Very nice!
It's a shame! - Ashamed!

Combinations with the definite article

go to the theater / cinema - go to the theater / cinema
in the country - outside the city, in the countryside
in the morning/afternoon/evening - in the morning/afternoon/evening
keep the house - stay at home
on / to the right / left - right, right / left, left
play the piano/guitar - play the piano/guitar
the other day
What is the time? - What time is it now?

Good day, dear readers. You have already made significant progress in learning English. But few people know where this language came from, how it appeared. It's time to find out. Everyone knows that Latin has become the basis of modern European languages. So, for example, the German dialect is a mixture of Latin and Gothic, French is Latin and Gaulish, and English appeared as a result of a mixture of Latin and Celtic.

English language

The history of modern English began in the distant 8th century BC. During this period, the territory of modern Great Britain was inhabited by the Celts, who communicated in the Celtic language. So the very word "Britain" came from the Celtic - brith — painted. Also from the Celtic came such words as "slogan" = sluagh + ghairm = battle cry, "whiskey" = uisce + beathadh = living water.

After Britain was conquered by the great Caesar, and in the 1st century BC. it began to be considered part of the Roman Empire. Some Romans began to move to the province, who had to closely communicate with the local population, that is, with the Celts, which was reflected in the language. So, in modern English there were words with Latin roots.

For instance, "street" = via strata = paved road, common nouns - "wine - vinum, pear - pyrum, and many place names Manchester, Lancaster. So the Romans and the Celts interacted with each other, forming new English words right up to the 5th century AD, until the territory of Britain was invaded by Germanic tribes, and a new period began in the history of the development of English.

This period covers the period from 449 to 1066. In 449 AD the ancestors of the English language, the Celts and Romans, were invaded by the Germanic tribes of the Angles, Saxons, Frisians and Jutes, who in their numbers significantly exceeded the local population. So the Anglo-Saxon dialect gradually began to displace the Celtic dialect, destroying or transforming the existing words.

Only in remote and remote areas of Britain the Germans could not reach, and there to this day the Celtic languages ​​\u200b\u200bhave remained. These are Wells, the Highlands of Scotland, Cornwall and Ireland. Therefore, if you want to touch the progenitors of modern English, then go there.

Celtic alphabet Thanks to the Germanic tribes, many words appeared in English with common Germanic roots, which were also borrowed from Latin at one time. These are words like " butter, Saturday, silk, mile, pound, inch". In 597 the Roman Church began to Christianize pagan Britain, and by the beginning of the 8th century CE. most of the British Isles were already practicing the new religion.

The close interaction of these cultures naturally reflected in the language. Borrowing words from Latin and assimilating them with Germanic dialects, many new lexemes appeared. For example, school derived from Latin schola, Bishop- from " Episcopus", "mount"- from "montis" and many others. It was during this period that over 600 words with Latin and Germanic roots came into the English language.

Then, in the second half of the 9th century, the Anglo-Saxon lands began to be conquered by the Danes. The Scandinavian Vikings intermarried with the Anglo-Saxons, mixing their Old Norse language with the dialect spoken by the local peoples. As a result, words from the Scandinavian group came to English: amiss, anger, awe, aye. The combination of the letters "sc-" and "sk-" in English words is a clear sign of borrowing from the Scandinavian languages: sky, skin, skull.

Middle English period of the development of the English language

This is the period from 1066 to 1500. AD In the middle of the 11th century, in the Middle Ages, England was conquered by the French. Thus, in the history of the development of the English language, the era of three languages ​​\u200b\u200bbegan:

• French - for the aristocracy and the judiciary
• Latin - for science and medicine
• Anglo-Saxon - for the common people

The mixing of these three dialects gave rise to the formation of the English that the whole world is studying today. Thanks to the mixing, the vocabulary has doubled. In the vocabulary, there was a split into high (from French) and low (from German) variants of the language. The same distinctions can be traced in the semantic rows, synonyms that arose as a result of the use of the languages ​​of the aristocracy and peasants.

Map of Britain 11th century So, the names of domestic animals that have Germanic roots, that is, worker-peasant ones, can serve as an example of social division: swine, cow, sheep, calf. But the name of the meat of these animals, which the intelligentsia ate, came from French: pork, beef, mutton, veal. However, despite not all external factors influencing English, its core still remained Anglo-Saxon.

In the 14th century, English becomes literary, that is, exemplary, it also becomes the language of education and law. In 1474 the first book in English appeared. It was William Caxton's translation of R. Lefebvre's A Collection of Stories of Troy. Thanks to the activities of Caxton, a lot of English words have gained completeness and integrity.

During this period, the first grammar rules appeared. Many verb endings disappeared, adjectives acquired degrees of comparison. Changes are also taking place in phonetics. In the early 16th century, the London pronunciation became popular in Britain. This dialect was spoken by about 90% of the total population of the country.

With the beginning of mass migration from England to North America, the language began to change there in a different direction. This is how British, American and other varieties of modern English appeared, which today differ significantly from each other, both grammatically, phonetically, and lexically.

New English period of the formation of English

This period begins from 1500 to the present day. William Shakespeare is considered to be the founder of modern literary English. It was he who cleared the language, gave it shape, introduced many idiomatic expressions and new words that English speakers now use to communicate. In the Enlightenment in 1795, L. Murray's textbook "English Grammar" was first published. For almost 200 years, everyone has studied from this book.

Lindley Murray Linguists argue that modern English is a mixture of different languages, and even today it is not static, constantly being updated. This is the main difference between this language and other European dialects. English not only allows, but welcomes neologisms, different dialects and variants. As you can see, he still keeps the tradition of "mixing dialects."

The early 20th century saw the globalization of the English language, aided by the colonial policies of the United Kingdom. In the middle of the last century, the world significance of the United States increased, which also contributed to the popularity of the American version of the language.

English has long been not only the language of international communication No. 1, but also the language of science, media, education, technology. Today it is difficult to calculate exactly how many people speak this language. Numbers from 700 million to 1 billion are called. Someone is its carrier, and someone, like you and me, is trying to learn it.

One thing is clear that English, having undergone many changes, has become the most important means of communication in the era of the globalization of the world. And perhaps it is the history of its appearance and formation that will help you understand the origin of some words, and make it easier for you to memorize complex phonetic and grammatical rules.

Wish you success! Till!

Mikhail Zadornova - about English

We present you the first article in the series "English Grammar for Beginners". In this series of materials, we decided to state all the rules briefly and in simple words, so that beginners from scratch or those who do not remember the basics of English well can independently understand the grammar, understand it and apply it in practice.

Plural in English

In English, as in Russian, all words are divided into countable and uncountable. This is important to understand when forming the plural of a word. Countable nouns denote those items that can be counted, for example: table (table), book (book), apple (apple). Uncountable nouns are abstract concepts, liquids, products, etc., that is, something that cannot be counted. For example: knowledge (knowledge), water (water), meat (meat), flour (flour). These words do not have a plural or singular.

Countable nouns can be used in singular and plural. A singular noun denotes one object, this is the form of the word that is indicated in the dictionary: apple - apple. The plural noun denotes several objects: apples - apples.

How the plural of nouns is formed:

Usually the plural of nouns is formed by adding the ending -s to the word: book - books (book - books). However, there are several spelling peculiarities:

• If the word ends in -o, -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, then add the ending -es: hero - heroes (hero - heroes), bus - buses (bus - buses).

  Exceptions: photo - photos (photo - photographs), video - videos (video recording - video recordings), radio - radios (radio - several radios), rhino - rhinos (rhinoceros - rhinos), piano - pianos (piano - several pianos), hippo - hippos (behemoth - hippos).

• If the word ends in -f, -fe, then change the ending to -ves: knife - knives (knife - knives), leaf - leaves (leaf - leaves), wife - wives (wife - wives).

  Exceptions: roof - roofs (roof - roofs), giraffe - giraffes (giraffe - giraffes), cliff - cliffs (cliff - cliffs).

• If the word ends in -y, which is preceded by a consonant, then we change -y to -ies: body - bodies (body - bodies).
• If the word ends in -y, which is preceded by a vowel, then add the ending -s: boy - boys (boy - boys).

In English there is exception words, which form the plural not according to the rules. You just need to learn such words by heart, fortunately, there are not very many of them.

Singular	Plural
man - a man	men - men
woman - woman	women - women
child - child	children - children
person - person	people - people
foot - foot	feet - feet
mouse	mice
tooth - tooth	teeth - teeth
sheep - sheep	sheep - sheep

Try our quiz to see how well you've learned the material.

English Plural Noun Test

Articles in English

There are two types of article in English: definite and indefinite. They are not translated into Russian. In the overwhelming majority of cases, one of these articles must be placed before a noun in the singular.

The indefinite article a/an is used only with singular countable nouns: a girl (girl), a pen (pen). If the word begins with a consonant, we write the article a (a girl), and if the word begins with a vowel, we write the article an (an apple).

The indefinite article a/an is used in the following cases:

• We call any, some kind of indefinite object, and we have only one, so we use the article a, which comes from the word one (one):

  It is a book. - This is a book.

• We first mention the subject in a speech:

  I see a shop. - I see (some, one of the many) store.

• We talk about a person’s profession or indicate his belonging to a certain group:

  He is a teacher. - He is a teacher.
  She is a student. - She's a student.

We put the definite article the when we are talking about a specific subject familiar to us. This article can appear before a noun in the singular or plural.

The definite article the is used in the following cases:

• We have already mentioned the subject earlier in our speech:

  I see a shop. The shop is big. - I see a store. (This) Store is big.

  It is believed that the definite article comes from the word that (that), therefore it is intended to point to some specific object familiar to the interlocutors.

• We are talking about an object that in this context is one of a kind, it cannot be confused with something else:

  Honey, I'm washing the car. - Honey, I'm washing the car. (the family has one car, so we are talking about a specific subject)
  look at the girl in the red dress. - Look at the girl in the red dress. (we point to a specific girl in a specific dress)

• We are talking about a one-of-a-kind object, there is no other like it: the sun, the moon, the world, the President of France, etc.:

  The earth is our home. - Earth is our home.

verb to be

There is always a verb in an English sentence. And if in Russian we can say “I am a doctor”, “Mary is beautiful”, “We are in the hospital”, then in English this is unacceptable: in all these cases, the subject must be followed by the verb to be. Therefore, you can remember a simple rule: if there are no ordinary verbs in the sentence, then the verb to be is needed.

The verb to be has three forms:

• Am is added to the pronoun I when we talk about ourselves:

  I am beautiful. - I'm beautiful.

• Is put after the pronouns he, she, it:

  She is beautiful. - She's beautiful.

• Are is used after you, we, they:

  You are beautiful. - You are handsome.

The verb to be in English is most often used in the following cases:

• We inform you by whom is a person (name, profession, etc.):

  I am a doctor. - I'm a doctor.

• We inform you what a person or object possesses a quality:

  Mary is beautiful. - Mary is beautiful.

• We inform you where there is a person or object:

  We are at the hospital. - We're in the hospital.

Sentences with the verb to be in the present tense are constructed as follows:

affirmative sentences	Negative sentences	Interrogative sentences
The principle of education
I + am	I + am not ('m not)	Am + I
He/She/It + is	He/She/It + is not (isn't)	Is + he/she/it
We/You/They + are	We/You/They + are not (aren't)	Are + we/you/they
Examples
I am a manager. - I am a manager.	I am not a manager. - I'm not a manager.	Am I a manager? - I am a manager?
He is awesome. - He's great.	He is not awesome. - He's not great.	Is he awesome? - He's great?
She is a doctor. - She is a doctor.	She isn't a doctor. - She's not a doctor.	Is she a doctor? - She is a doctor?
It (ball) is red. - It (the ball) is red.	It (ball) isn't red. - It (the ball) is not red.	Is it (ball) red? - Is it (the ball) red?
We are the champions. - We are champions.	We aren't the champions. - We are not champions.	Are we the champions? - We are champions?
You are ill. - You are sick.	You are not ill. - You are not sick.	Are you ill? - You are sick?
They are at home. - They are at home.	They aren't at home. - They're not at home.	Are they at home? - They are at home?

We think you are now ready to take the test and test your knowledge.

Test for the use of the verb to be

Present Continuous Tense - present continuous tense

Present Continuous Tense most often shows that the action is happening at the moment.

Every English sentence has a subject and a predicate. In Present Continuous, the predicate consists of the auxiliary verb to be in the required form (am, is, are) and the main verb without the particle to, to which we add the ending -ing (playing, reading).

She is playing tennis now. - She is now plays to tennis.
I am reading a novel at the moment. - I am currently I read novel.

The verb to be in this tense is an auxiliary verb, that is, it is a word that comes before the main verb (playing, reading) and helps to form tense. You will meet auxiliary verbs in other tenses, this kind of verbs include to be (am, is, are), do/does, have/has, will.

Pay attention to the following words-indicators of time Present Continuous: now (now), at the moment (at the moment), today (today), tonight (tonight), these days (these days), nowadays (these days), at present (currently), still (still).

Affirmative sentences in Present Continuous tense are formed as follows:

Usually at this time, you just need to add the ending -ing to the main verb: walk - walking (walk), look - looking (look). But some verbs change like this:

• If the verb ends in -e, we remove -e and add -ing: write - writing (write), dance - dancing (dance).

  An exception: see - seeing (see).

• If the verb ends in -ie, we change -ie to -y and add -ing: lie - lying (to lie), die - dying (to die).
• If the verb ends in a stressed syllable with a short vowel that stands between two consonants, the final consonant is doubled when -ing is added: begin - beginning (to begin), swim - swimming (to swim).

In negative sentences in the Present Continuous, you just need to insert the particle not between to be and the main verb.

She isn't cooking at the moment. - She is currently doesn't cook.
You are not listening to me now. - You don't listen me now.

In interrogative sentences in Present Continuous, you need to put the verb to be in the first place, and after it put the subject and the main verb.

Is she cooking at the moment? - She trains Currently?
Are you listening to me now? - You got me now listening?

And now we offer to take a test on the use of Present Continuous time.

Test for the use of Present Continuous

We have presented you the first 5 basic topics of the English language. Now your task is to thoroughly understand them and work them out as productively as possible with the help of exercises. In order not to immediately load you with a large amount of grammar, we will release the next article in this series in a few weeks. Subscribe to our newsletter, then you will definitely not miss important information. We wish you success in learning English!

The Article ["RtIkl]

The article is a function word, which is one of the main formal features of a noun.

It has no independent/separate meaning and is not translated into Russian. There are two articles in English, the indefinite and the definite. There are no articles in Russian.

1 Indefinite article has two forms: a and an .

Form a with a consonant sound: man Human, a table table, a big apple Big apple, a woman , a good engineer . Form an used before words that begin from a vowel: an answer answer, an apple Apple, an old man old man, an uncle , an hour , an old woman , an engineer .

The indefinite article is derived from the Old English numeral anone, so it is used only before countable nouns in the singular. In the plural, it is omitted (the so-called "zero article"), and sometimes replaced by indefinite pronouns someseveral, anyany, anyone.

2 Definite article has one graphic the, which is pronounced [ Dq] before words that begin with a consonant sound (the book book, the woman , the good engineer ), and [ DI] before words that begin with a vowel (the author author, the apple Apple, the old house, the engineer, the old woman).

The definite article comes from the demonstrative pronoun thatthat and is used before singular and plural nouns.

The article, as a rule, is unstressed and is pronounced together with the word following it.

1 with indefinite article when it names some - any object from the entire class of homogeneous objects.

This is a table. This table. (an object that is usually called a table, not a chair, etc.)

His father is a doctor. His father - doctor . (one of those who are called the word doctor, and not a teacher, driver, etc.)

2 Noun used with definite article, when it comes to a specific object (or objects) selected from the class of objects to which it belongs. Such a selection occurs in the presence of at least one of the three individualizing factors: individualizing definition in the text, clear out of context(according to what has already been said) or clear depends on a situation.

Thank you for the book you have bought me. thanks for book that you bought me.

John has brought a book. The book is interesting.John brought book. (some) The book is interesting. (the one he brought)

The doctor examined John.Doctor looked at John. (specific doctor, the one who was called)

Consider an example:

Additional information conveyed by the articles themselves means:

a) He knocked on the door he knew(which I specifically found, or it was the only one) and someone's voice, completely unfamiliar, answered him.

b) He knocked on some door(any, at random) and suddenly familiar voice(known to him) replied.

The noun in the sentence can be explained and specified by various words and phrases that give additional characteristics to the noun. In a generalized sense, they are all called definitions of a noun. It is fundamentally important to understand by meaning whether this definition is individualizing or descriptive.

Individualizing (other names - restrictive, limiting) definition selects an object (person, object, concept) as the only one of all other objects that have the same name. In this case, be sure to face the creatures. put the definite article the.

Descriptive definition gives an object (person, object, concept) additional characteristics, but does not distinguish it as the only and unique one from the category of similar objects. This definition does not affect the choice of the article. It can be defined the- if there are other individualizing factors, uncertain a (an) - if there are none, or zero (absence of the article) - in the plural in the absence of individualizing factors.

Indefinite article a(an) used before countable nouns (that can be counted) in the only number.

1 First mentioned. When a person, object or concept appears in context for the first time. They are still unknown to the interlocutor or reader.

When a person or object is mentioned again, the definite article is used:

Often an object still unknown to the reader or interlocutor is there is (there was, there will be). Then before countable nouns in the singular the indefinite article is used:

There is a map on the wall.	Hanging on the wall map.
I think there's a letter for you.	I think there is for you letter.

And countable nouns in plural in this case they are used without an article or with pronouns someseveral(in affirmative sentences) , anyany, not at all(in question and negative sentences), which are often omitted when translated into Russian:

There are maps on the wall.	Hanging on the wall cards.
There are some pencils in the box. Are there any pencils in the box? There aren't any pencils in the box.	The box has pencils (several pencils). Whether there is a pencils (any car.) in the box? Not in the box pencils (none pencils).

2 V classifying meaning. The presence of the indefinite article shows that the given object (person, animal) is a representative of this particular class of objects (persons, animals).

I took a taxi.	I took Taxi (any taxi, but not a tram, etc.).
I have a pencil.	I have pencil.
This is a dictionary.	This dictionary.
He is a student.	He student. (and not a schoolboy, etc.)

At the same time, a noun may also have a descriptive definition (adjective, participle, etc.), which does not distinguish it (as the only one) from the category of similar ones.

This is a new house.	This is (some) new House .
He is a famous writer.	He famous Writer.
He made her an expensive present.	He made her expensive present.

3 V generalizing meaning. A noun with an indefinite article in this sense denotes any, anyone, every an object (person, animal) from this class of objects (persons, animals). It is understood that the mentioned quality (property, etc.) is typical and characteristic of any representative of this class.

4 V numerical value. In some cases, the indefinite article retains its original meaning - one .

I shall come in an hours.	I will come through one) hour.
give me a beer, please.	Let me one beer, please.
We walked a miles or two.	We passed one or two miles.

It is used along with the numeral one one front hundred one hundred, thousand one thousand, million million, dozen dozen:

5 V exclamatory sentences. Before a singular countable noun after a word what what kind of:

What a lovely day!	What a wonderful day!
What an awful film!	What a terrible film!

There is no article before uncountable nouns and before plural countable ones:

what beautiful pictures!	What wonderful paintings!
What pleasant weather!	What a good weather!