1 / 13

International Writers’ Workshop

International Writers’ Workshop. Week 3 – Principles and Practice of Using Articles: A, An, The Dr. Erica Cirillo -McCarthy Assistant Director of Graduate and ADEP Writing. Today’s Workshop:. Article Usage – definite and indefinite Exceptions Editing for Errors

kedem
Download Presentation

International Writers’ Workshop

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. International Writers’ Workshop Week 3 – Principles and Practice of Using Articles: A, An, The Dr. Erica Cirillo-McCarthy Assistant Director of Graduate and ADEP Writing

  2. Today’s Workshop: • Article Usage – definite and indefinite • Exceptions • Editing for Errors • But first – any questions on last week’s workshop – verb tenses and prepositions?

  3. Why use A, An, or The? • Use it to signal to the reader that a noun is about to appear • Ex. The student, the essay, an airplane, a hike • The noun may come right after the article or there may be modifiers (adjectives) between the article and the noun • Ex. The exceptional student, the final essay, an older airplane, a long, winding hike

  4. Using A or An – “one among many” or “any one” • Singular count nouns whose specific identity is NOT known to the reader (being mentioned for the first time or specific identity is unknown to both reader and writer) • Count nouns—persons, places, things that can be counted • A car, ten cars, a house, five houses, a meal, three meals • Ex. I want to go to a school that has diversity. • Ex. The students wanted the experience of living in a big city.

  5. When do I know when to use A vs. An? • A is used before a consonant sound: a book, a car, a dissertation • An is used before a vowel sound: an exciting trip, an assignment, an occasion • Match the article to the following word, even if that word is the adjective and not the noun • Ex. An exciting vacation • Ex. A boring vacation • Ex. A vacation

  6. When do I not use A or An? • Do not use A or An for noncount nouns that are without modifiers • Examples of noncount nouns: sugar, sand, knowledge, ice cream, rice, love • But sometimes you can use A or An with a noncount noun IF you want to express a specific amount: A or An + unit + noncount noun • Ex. A pound of sugar, a ton of sand, a little knowledge, a gallon of ice cream, a bag of rice, a lot of love

  7. Using The – some basic guidelines • The noun has been previously mentioned • A phrase or clause following the noun restricts its identity • A superlative such as best or most intelligent makes the noun’s identity specific • The noun describes a unique person, place, or thing • The context or situation makes the noun’s identity clear

  8. Examples: • Previously mentioned nouns: • A student asked her professor for writing feedback. The professor referred the student to the Writing Center. • Restrictive phrase or clause following the noun: • My classmates warned me that the case study assignment from Org. Behavior class would be a challenge. • Superlative restriction: • Southern California has some of the most beautiful sunsets in the US.

  9. Examples, cont’d: • Unique person, place, or thing: • When heading to LA, I cannot avoid taking the 101. • Context or situation makes the noun’s identity clear: • Make sure you register for the foundations course in your program.

  10. When do I not use the? • Do not use the with plural or noncount nouns meaning “all” or “in general” • Students all over the world are finding college more expensive. (Not “the” students because the sentence refers to all students) • Southern Californians seem nonchalant about an earthquake happening. (not “the” Southern Californians because the sentence refers to “all” Southern Californians) • Do not use the with most singular proper nouns • I will head to Whole Foods after work to pick up dinner. (not “the” Whole Foods)

  11. Exceptions • Some plural proper nouns use “the”: • The Philippines • The United Nations • The Congo • The Pacific Ocean • The Persian Gulf • The Republic of China

  12. Practice Exercises

  13. Thank you! • Questions/Discussions

More Related