Articles
In the context of languages and linguistics, "articles" are words that precede a noun to indicate the type of reference being made. In English, there are two types of articles: definite (the) and indefinite (a, an). Articles play a crucial role in specifying whether a noun is specific or nonspecific and are an essential part of grammar in many languages.
4 Key excerpts on "Articles"
eBook - ePub- Peter T Bradley, Ian Mackenzie(Authors)
- 2004(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Chapter 3 Definite and indefinite Articles Articles in Spanish may be categorized as definite, indefinite and neuter. Definite Articles are used before nouns to designate what is already known or specific, corresponding to English ‘the’. The indefinite forms are used when the noun does not refer to a specific person, place or thing: English ‘a’ and ‘an’ in the singular, and ‘some’ in the plural. 3.1 Forms of the Articles The definite and indefinite Articles vary in form to indicate gender and number. The forms are as follows: Masculine Feminine Singular Plural Singular Plural Definite article el los la las Indefinite article un unos una unas The neuter article is lo. 3.1.1 El used with a and de When preceded by a or de, the e of the masculine singular form el is usually dropped, so that a + el > al and de + el > del : When the article is an integral part of a title this contraction is not made, in writing at least: Es reportera de El Universo. She is a reporter on El Universo. De/a + él There is no contraction before the subject pronoun él : Esta copa es de él ‘This glass is his’. 3.1.2. El and un before feminine nouns Immediately before singular feminine nouns beginning with a stressed a or ha, the forms el and un are used...
eBook - ePub- Roger Hawkins, Richard Towell(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...2 Determiners For the purposes of this grammar, the term 'determiner' refers to three classes of items that modify nouns: Articles : definite, indefinite and partitive Demonstrative determiners Possessive determiners Each class functions in different (but sometimes overlapping) ways with the others to specify the status of the entity or concept referred to by the noun in the discourse. Definite Articles indicate that the entity/concept referred to by the noun is uniquely identifiable by both speaker and hearer. If you say Passe-moi la fourchette ‘Pass me the fork’, both speaker and hearer know that there is a unique, identifiable ‘fork’ in the context in which the conversation is taking place. Indefinite Articles are used with count nouns (bouteille ‘bottle’, billet ‘ticket’) and indicate that the entity/concept referred to by the noun is not sufficiently ‘known about’ or ‘specified’ to justify the definite article. If you say Passe-moi une fourchette ‘Pass me a fork’, this implies there is no uniquely identifiable ‘fork’ in the context of the conversation (perhaps because there are several of them). Partitive Articles (du, de la, des) serve the same function as indefinite Articles, but are used with mass and abstract nouns: J’ai acheté du lait ‘I bought (some) milk’, Il faut avoir de la patience ‘You must have (some) patience’. The plural partitive article des is used with nouns that are mass or abstract by virtue of their meaning, but happen to be grammatically plural: des tripes (fpl) ‘tripe’, des cheveux (mpl) ‘hair’, des renseignements (mpl) ‘information’. Demonstratives are the forms ce/cet, cette, ces ‘this/these, that/those’...
- Éamonn Ó'Dónaill(Author)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Teach Yourself(Publisher)
...2 Articles and nouns In this unit you will learn about • Articles • Uses of the definite article • Avoidance of double article • Gender of nouns • How to recognize masculine and feminine nouns • The various cases of the noun • Initial changes in the nominative/accusative cases • Initial consonants and vowels in the plural • Strong-plural and weak-plural nouns • Declensions Articles There is only one article in the Irish language, that is, the definite article: an páiste (the child) Páiste, therefore, without the definite article (an) can mean either child or a child. In the singular, the form is an. (Exception: in the genitive singular, feminine, na is used.) The form in the plural is na : na páistí (the children) The article combines with cé and with the simple. prepositions do, de, faoi, i, ó to form the compounds cén, don, den, faoin, sa (used before consonants), san (used before vowels), and ón. Cén fáth a ndeachaigh tú ansin? (Why did you go there?) Cén áit a raibh tú inné? (Where were you yesterday?) Thuirling mé den bhus. (I got off the bus.) Thug mé an t-airgead don bhean. (I gave the money to the woman.) Bhí mé i mo sheasamh faoin droichead. (I was standing under the bridge) Bhí sí sa bhaile ag an deireadh seachtaine. (She was at home at the weekend.) D’fhan mé san óstán...
eBook - ePub- Professor Martin Maiden, Dr Cecilia Robustelli, Martin Maiden, Cecilia Robustelli(Authors)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...4 The Articles 4.1 The forms of the definite and indefinite Articles The definite and indefinite Articles vary not only according to the gender and number of the noun they precede but also, as will be explained below, according to the nature of the sound at the beginning of the following word: Definite article Indefinite article (singular) The variant forms of the masculine singular and plural Articles and of the feminine singular Articles, illustrated above, depend exclusively on the nature of the sound at the beginning of the immediately following word, regardless of the nature or function of that word: il presidente l'ex-presidente lo studioso famoso il famoso studioso gli Stati Uniti etc. i lontanissimi Stati Uniti ● Masculine il, i, un and feminine la, le, una are used before words beginning with a consonant (with a series of important exceptions for the masculines, as explained below): il gatto – i gatti – un gatto; la gatta – le gatte – una gatta, etc. ● Masculine lo, gli, uno are selected before any word beginning with: – s + consonant: lo spazio – gli spazi – uno spazio; lo scoglio – gli scogli – uno scoglio; lo svizzero – gli svizzeri – uno svizzero,...
