Use of articles with countable nouns modified by attributes

When a noun is modified by an attribute, the latter can influence the use of articles. There are two types of attributes - limiting and descriptive.

Descriptive attributes do not influence the use of articles. Both the definite and indefinite articles can be used with the noun modified by a descriptive attribute in accordance with the general rules of the use of articles:

A young girl entered the room.

He turned round. The young girl was following him.

A limiting attribute is used to point out a particular object or a number of objects from the other objects of the same class or kind. A noun modified by a limiting attribute is used with the definite article:

Jane was the oldest girl in our group.

Words belonging to different parts of speech can be used as limiting or descriptive attributes:

ATTRIBUTES EXPRESSED BY ADJECTIVES

- Adjectives in the superlative degree are limiting attributes;

It is the most interesting film I have ever seen.

- Adjectives same, only, very, main, principal, left, right, central, following, present, former, last, next, wrong are limiting attributes:

It is the same person. We took the wrong turn and lost our way.

Note 1: Nouns denoting time (day, week, month, year, etc.) do not take article when they are modified by the adjectives next and last in the present time context and are used in the function of the adverbial modifier of time:

They finished school last year. Next week we are going to Moscow.

Note 2: The adjective only is used as a descriptive attribute with the nouns son, daughter, child: John is an only child.

- The adjective whole and the pronoun all used as an adjective are descriptive attributes and articles with the nouns modified by them are used according to the general rules:

It took him a whole day to write this composition.

I spent the whole evening writing letters.

All people like holidays.

All the people in the room are my friends.

ATTRIBUTES EXPRESSED BY NUMERALS

- Ordinal numerals are usually used as limiting attributes:

The first day in the camp was rather boring.

Note: If an ordinal numeral means ‘ another’, the noun it modifies takes the indefinite article:

She was thirsty. She drank a second glass and felt better.

- Cardinal numerals can be used as limiting attributes and take the definite article with the meaning of 'these/those':

I watched the people at the next table. The two men looked hostile.

We have missed the ten o’clock train and have to wait for the next one.

Note: No article is used if the cardinal numeral is used in post-position:

We are to read text 2 and to answer the questions.

ATTRIBUTES EXPRESSED BY NOUNS

- Nouns in common case are usually descriptive attributes and articles are used according to the general rules:

The book cover was bright and attractive. A paper bag attracted her attention.

Last year we had only a two-week holiday.

Proper nouns in common case are usually limiting attributes:

The Broadway theatres are very popular.

- Nouns in genitive case can be both limiting and descriptive attributes. The article usually refers to the noun in the genitive case if the noun denotes a particular person or thing and both articles can be used:

A child's toy lay on the grass. I don't like the child's behaviour.

The noun in the genitive case denoting qualitative relations or of the nouns denoting time, space or weight is a descriptive attribute and the article refers to the head-noun:

We don’t have to wear a student’s uniform.

The student’s uniform at Oxford hasn’t changed.

The lake is not very far; it’s just a two miles’ walk.