Articles
冠詞
Articles are words that modify nouns.
冠詞用來(lái)修飾名詞
We place articles right before the noun it is modifying.
我們把名詞放在名詞的前面當(dāng)它被修飾的時(shí)候
Some common articles are:
常見的的冠詞有
the
a
an
some
If we are talking about a singular countable noun, we need to use an article.
如果我們敘述單個(gè)物品時(shí)我們需要使用冠詞
Have you seen the dog?
Can I borrow a pen?
Indefinite & Definite Articles
a, an and some are indefinite articles
a,an和some 是不定冠詞
the is a definite article
the 是定冠詞
When do we use indefinite articles (a, an, some) and when do we use definite articles (the)?
我們何時(shí)使用定冠詞和不定冠詞？
Indefinite articles
不定冠詞
Indefinite articles are usually used for things that are not specific.
不定冠詞用于不具體事物
I want to buy a dog.
The dog is not specific- the person wants to buy a dog, but they don’t know which one yet.
Definite Articles
定冠詞
Definite articles are used for things that are specific.
定冠詞用于具體事物
I want to buy the brown dog in the pet store.
The dog is specific – the person knows exactly which dog they want to buy.
(a, an) or the?
Can I borrow a pen?
I want to buy an apple.
I want to buy the red bicycle that I saw in the store yesterday.
Can you give me the blue pen on your desk?
No Article Needed
不需要冠詞
When we are speaking about things in general, we usually use the plural form of the noun, but we don’t use an article.
當(dāng)我們敘述普遍事物時(shí)，我們使用名詞復(fù)數(shù)，但我們不使用冠詞
I like dogs.
Cars are fast.
Cats chase mice.
Definite Articles
We use the in front of a noun when we believe the reader or listener already knows what we are talking about…
我們用定冠詞修飾讀者或聽者已經(jīng)知道的事物
…when the noun is one of a kind
The president of The United States.
The sun is very bright today.
The Queen of England.
Who is she? She is the president of our company.
Our company has only one president.
Who is he? He is a worker in our company.
Our company has many workers.
…when there is only one that we would talk about
We went to the park.
There is only one park nearby.
My cat is in the basement.
Houses only have one basement.
Indefinite or Definite?
We use indefinite articles (a, an, some) when we are talking or writing about something that is unknown and being mentioned for the first time.
我們用不定冠詞來(lái)修飾讀者或聽者不知道或第一次提及的事物
We use definite articles (the) for things that have already been introduced or are already known.
我們用定冠詞來(lái)修飾已經(jīng)被介紹或已知事物
I see a dog.
The dog is brown.
There is a man.
The man is wearing a jacket.
That is a girl.
The girl is ten years old.
A or An?
We use a if the noun starts with a consonant sound.
a cat
a potato
a monkey
We use an if the noun starts with a vowel sound.
an apple
an orange
an egg
an hour*
A, An or Some?
A and an are singular indefinite articles.
I want a kitten.
I found an apple.
Some is a plural indefinite article.
I want some water.
I want some potatoes.
Some can be used with both countable and countable nouns.
Other Rules-Jobs
When we say what people’s jobs are, we use a or an.
當(dāng)我們說(shuō)一個(gè)人的職業(yè)時(shí)我們用a或an
He’s a basketball player.
My father is a lawyer.
She’s an accountant.
Other Rules
DO NOT use an article with countries, states, counties or provinces, lakes and mountains,
China
當(dāng)我們說(shuō)到國(guó)家，州，省，湖和山時(shí)我們不使用冠詞
Shanghai
Lake Michigan
except when the country is a collection of states such as The United States.
Other Examples
My friend lives in Australia.
I live in Beijing.
I want to visit Mount Fuji.
My brother studies in The United Kingdom.
? DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about meals, places, and transportation.
? 當(dāng)我們說(shuō)到三餐，地點(diǎn)和交通工具時(shí)我們不使用冠詞
? I eat dinner.
? I go to school by bus.
? DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about sports, academic subjects, nationalities or languages.
? 當(dāng)我們說(shuō)到運(yùn)動(dòng)，學(xué)科，國(guó)籍和語(yǔ)言時(shí)我們不使用冠詞
? I play football.
? He is British, but he speaks Chinese very well? and he also loves science.
