Week 3: Nouns

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Week 3 Nouns Articles
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Errors in using nouns - 1

• Countability and uncountability of English nouns
• Countable nouns - could be used with indefinite
  articles, such as, a, an, or one, two, many, a
  large number of, plenty of. They show the
  number.
• Uncountable nouns - cannot be used with
  indefinite articles, but with  much ,  a
  little ,  a large amount of ,  plenty of ,
  etc. They show the quantity.
• Something that is countable, but rarely counted,
  such as  hair  and  rice , is considered as
  uncountable. Remember uncountable nouns always
  go with singular verbs. Ex.,
• 1. The CNN news is always very informative.
• 2. This ink is not suitable for my pen.
• 3. The rice from Thailand tastes very good.

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Errors in using nouns - 2

• 2. Common errors - determining the real subject
• A box of eggs (is, are) on the table.
• The memoranda (is, are) not important.
• Fifty years (is, are) not a long time.
• The United States (is, are) in North America.
• 3. Parenthetical elements between subject and
  verb
• If a subject is followed by a parenthetical
  element like, as well as, besides, like, together
  with, in addition to, as much as, no less than,
  etc., the verb is often mistaken as plural. Ex.,
• My sister, together with Bob and John, (is, are)
  gone.
• The boy, like his father, (sit, sits) still.
• Your father, rather than your brother, is
  responsible for the act.

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• 4. Colletive nouns
• family crew crowd
• board committee party
• enemy audience reader
• This group of nouns can both be singular and
  plural, depending on the situations.
• This class has only 20 students.
• The class are all gone out to play.
• Other nouns have singular forms but plural
  contents, so the verbs to be used must be plural.
• people, cattle, police, etc.
• Chinese are a hard-working people.
• The cattle are in the shed.
• Fish are cold-blooded.
• Why Iraqs police are a menace?
• The youth of Taiwan have lofty ideals. (loft ?
  lofty dignified, elevated, high, great, etc.)

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Errors in using nouns - 3
5. Plural nouns commonly misused as singular
The following nouns are always plural annals as
hes billiards clothes dregs ( sediment,
grounds, residue) leavings goods obsequies pants
pliers pincers remains scissors shears thank
s trousers tweezers wages 6. Singular nouns with
plural forms acoustics aeronautics athletics civi
cs comics dynamics economics esthetics ethics
hydraulics linguistics magnetics mathematics mean
s news optics phonetics physics politics stat
istics United States whereabouts 7. Incorrect
use of uncountable nouns - There are many
evidences He gave me several informations.
- Several deformations are observed in this
mountain belt. - I have many good news to
tell you This is a good news. - He gave me
many good advices Do you have other softwares?
- What progresses have you made? He has
plenty of knowledges.
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Errors in using articles - 1

• English articles, in comparison with nouns,
  verbs, adverbs, etc., appear to be unimportant
  they are often overlooked by the learner of
  English. However, article is used the most
  frequently among the 10 categories of words. The
  presence or absence of an article may
  significantly change the meaning of a sentence.
  Correct use of article is indeed very important,
  but it is not an easy thing to do.
• Indefinite article exists in two forms a, an
• Test which one is correct?
• Do you have father? Do you have a father?
• I need a secretary and treasurer. I need a
  secretary and a tresurer.
• (two different meanings)
• 3. Happy New Year to you. A Happy New Year to
  you.
• Heineken is a good beer. Heineken is good beer.
• (Material noun in normally uncountable. However,
  if it represents a kind, a part, or a brand, then
  it becomes a countable noun.)

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Errors in using articles - 2

• Definite article -  the 
• The most important concept of  definite
  article  is to distinguish a particular object
  from a group of similar objects. In general, the
  use of a definite article is more flexible and
  complicated than that of an indefinite article.
  Consequently, the chance of misuse is also
  greater.
• Ex.,
• Do you play piano? Do you play the piano?
• Do you play tennis? Do you play the tennis?
• He is very good at baseball. He is very good at
  the baseball.
• Sun usually sets before moon rises. The sun
  usually sets before the moon rises. (unique
  subject needs it other examples the earth, the
  world, the universe, the Pacific)
• The pen is mightier than the sword (abstract
  concept needs it).
• Proper nouns do not need articles unless they are
  rivers, oceans, bays, ranges, islands, or country
  names (The Yangtse River, the Thames, the Japan
  Sea, the Rockies, the Philippines, the U.S.A.)
• Abstract nouns do not need articles
• Honesty is the best policy Diligence is the
  father of success.

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Exercise 1 find the errors

• I have many good news to tell you.
• I saw a flock of sheeps in the meadow.
• The tailor cut the cloth with a scissors.
• I received many e-mails yesterday.
• This cattle is from Australia, not from Holland.
• He has plenty of knowledges.
• Her family is all waiting for her.
• Politics are much more difficult than physics.

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Uncountable or Noncount Nouns

• Food Drink
• beef, bread, cheese, milk, water, rice, ice cream
• Nonfood
• air, coal, plastic, wood, dirt, petroleum, soap,
  steel
• Abstract
• advice, anger, beauty, fun, information,
  knowledge, truth
• Other
• research, clothing, furniture, weather, work,
  equipment
• Language
• English, Mandarin, French

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• Uncountable nouns are not plural
• We need some informations about rainforests.
• He asked me for some advices.
• Wood and steel are used in construction.
• Uncountable nouns always go with singular verbs
• The CNN news is always very informative.
• This ink is not suitable for my pen.
• The rice from Thailand tastes very good.

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• Uncountable nouns do not usually need an article
  (a, an), because those articles imply specific
  individuals
• Furniture makes our houses more comfortable.
• We had some delicious beef for dinner.
• Knowledge is power.
• Time is money.
• Geology is an interesting field of study.

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• But Uncountable nouns do take the referring to
  the group or concept as a whole
• The air in this room is cool.
• The pork in this restaurant is very good.
• The dirt on the wall is very messy
• The knowledge we have gained will be useful to us.

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• Some adjectives for uncountable nouns
• analysis ? a statistical analysis
• paper ? a scientific paper
• calculation ? a computer calculation
• a little rain
• less violence
• more coffee
• enough money
• any homework

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• More examples
• a bottle of water
• a cup of coffee
• a carton of milk
• a loaf of bread
• a piece of advice
• a cubic meter of wood
• a tube of toothpaste
• an item of information
• an article/piece of furniture

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Exercise 2

• Some deformation (is/are) observed in this
  mountain belt.
• A box of eggs (is/are) on the table.
• Fifty years (is/are) not a long time.
• These windows are made of (glass/glasses).
• (Many/Much) clothing is needed in cold weather.
• I ate six (loaves/slices) of bread for breakfast
  this morning.
• In the number 198,700,504,000, there are six
  (0s/0s)

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Pronoun who, which, that

• Who, which, and that take verbs that agree with
  their antecedents
• Dr. Chen is the scientist who is studying vacuum
  drying of wood.
• Dr. Chen, who is studying vacuum drying of wood,
  is a scientist at Virginia Tech.
• Pick a specimen that is clear and straight.
• These specimens, which are clear and straight,
  will be satisfactory for our tests.
• We are reading a book that was written many years
  ago.
• We are reading this book, which was written many
  years ago.

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• Use which with a nonrestrictive clause.
• These apples, which were picked yesterday, are
  not yet ripe.
• This university, which is near Taipei city, has a
  very large campus.
• Use that with a restrictive clause.
• The apples that were picked yesterday are not
  ripe.
• The university that is near Pingtung City has a
  very large campus.

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Exercise 3

• I like the baby (who/which) is in the cradle.
• I like the cat and the man (which/that) are
  coming this way.
• Mary is the most diligent student (who/that) I
  have ever seen.
• I like my sister, (who/which) lives in Taipei.
• I like my sister, (who/which) is an absolutely
  true fact.
• My sister, together with Bob and John, (is/are)
  gone.
• The boy, like his father, (sit/sits) still.

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Use of articles a, an, the

• a is used before a consonant sound
• a teacher
• a student
• a happy person (h is pronounced)
• a useful car (u is pronounced)
• an is used before a vowel sound
• an egg
• an airplane
• an hour (h is NOT pronounced)
• an uncle

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• When to use a/an?
• We will make our field trip on a sunny day next
  week.
• (we do not say which day)
• She wants to study at a university in America.
• (she does not say which university)
• When to use the?
• He is not the boy who cheated in an exam
  yesterday.
• (boy is identified)
• I am going to the train station.
• (train station is identified by implication)

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• Do not use a or an with countable nouns
• We went to the library to look for information.
• Cleaning the house takes a lot of time.
• Do not add articles before abstract nouns
• We cannot live without love.
• I am losing my patience.
• Do not add articles before material nouns
• Drinking water is important.
• Father brings bread and butter home every day.

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• In general, proper nouns do not require articles
• Mary is from Canada.
• Mt. Everest is in Europe.
• Spring is the best season.
• Taiwan is an island.
• June is often very hot in Taipei.
• Queen Elizabeth visited Australia recently.
• Park Street is the main street in this city.
• This road leas to CKS Airport.

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• Do not use articles with names of
• subjects
• Mrs. Lin teaches us history.
• He hates geometry.
• meals
• Did you have lunch?
• Missing breakfast is bad for your health.
• languages
• English is easy to learn.
• Can you speak French?
• sports
• Do you play tennis?
• I really love soccer.

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• Use the with names of
• oceans, seas, gulfs, rivers, deserts
• the Pacific Ocean
• the Mediterranean Sea
• the Yellow River
• the Gobi Desert
• united countries
• the United States of America
• the United Kingdom
• the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
• empires, dynasties, ages
• the British Empire
• the Chin Dynasty
• the Dark Ages

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Exercise 4 add or delete the articles

• The dogs always chase the cats.
• Being honest is virtue.
• We Chinese eat the rice everyday.
• Heineken is good beer.
• I practice the baseball every week.
• Sam does not like to go to the school.
• Can you swim across English Channel?
• Renaissance is a very important era for mankind.
• The President Lincoln is a great person.
• I like the walking in the woods.

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• Bon Courage!

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Quiz 1 (Oct. 16, 2007) Add or delete the
articles 1. Decay and mold resistance of
wood-based building panels can affect an indoor
air quality and extent of structural damage after
the flooding or failure of exterior building
envelope. 2. The trees were harvested from two
separate plantation sites, an coastal site in
the western Washington and a inland site in the
northeastern Oregon. The each grower identified
promising clones from their respective
plantations. 3. Specific objectives of this
research were as follows a. To explore
engineering properties of composites that govern
structural behavior of an proposed joint. b.
To develop database of engineering properties of
materials for future use. 4. Only few paper
fragments bearing writing have been found in Han
tombs. For all we know, Han used paper mostly to
wrap fish. Yet they were writing like mad
poetry, complex mathematical problems, history,
huge dictionary, government reports, and worlds
earliest surviving large scale census
(57,671,400 people in A.D. 2).
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Add articles as necessary 1. Ryokan, who was Zen
master, lived simple life in little but at foot
of mountain. Thief came to hut when Ryokan was
away, but found nothing to steal. Ryokan
returned and caught him. You may have come long
way to visit me, he told prowler. You should
not return empty handed. Please take my clothes
as gift. Thief took Ryokans clothes and slunk
away. Ryokan was naked, watching moon. Poor
fellow, he mused, I wish I could give him this
beautiful moon. 2. When we speak of glass,
ordinarily we mean transparent, shiny substance
that breaks rather easily. We may think of glass
in our windows and glass used in our
laboratories as being same material. Actually
they are not. There are many kinds of glass. One
company has developed more than 65,000 kinds of
glass.