The indefinite article

I. An abstract uncountable noun may be used with the indefinite article when a certain aspect of the notion is meant, the noun is modified by a descriptive attribute, and the sentence is emphatic. It may also be a substitution of the phrase “a kind of”.

E.g. He scanned her face: it expressed a dramatic eagerness, a fantastic readiness to trust the stranger.

You will never believe it, but John used to have an incredible thirst for knowledge.

I can’t imagine a future without you.

II. If an abstract noun is modified by the adjectives ‘certain’ or ‘peculiar’, the indefinite article is obligatory.

E.g. There was a peculiar tension about her, and yet her face didn’t show it.

There is a certain danger in nationalism.

 

III. The nouns pity, shame, disgrace, pleasure, relief, comfort, disappointment are always used with the indefinite article in sentence with ‘formal it’ as a subject and in exclamatory sentences after ‘what’.

E.g. It’s a pity we didn’t meet her. What a shame! What a disappointment!

 

IV. The following nouns are never used with the indefinite article: advice, assistance, control, evidence, guidance, health, fun, information, luck, money, nature, news, nonsense, permission, progress, trade, weather, work.

E.g. What nasty weather we are having today! No news is good news. That’s good advice. It’s great work! She is in good health. Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh! Oh, that’s bad luck.

 

EXERCISE 1. Find all the abstract uncountable nouns in the passage.

There is a saying that no man has tasted the full flavour of life until he has known poverty, love and war. The justness of this reflection commends it to the lover of condensed philosophy. The three conditions embrace about all there is in life worth knowing. A surface thinker might deem that wealth should be added to the list. Not so. When a poor man finds a long-hidden quarter-dollar that has slipped through a rip into his vest lining, he sounds the pleasure of life with a deeper plummet than any millionaire can hope to cast.

It seems that the wise executive power that rules life has thought best to drill man in these three conditions; and none may escape all three. In rural places the terms do not mean so much. Poverty is less pinching; love is temperate; war shrinks to contests about boundary lines and the neighbors' hens. It is in the cities that our life gains in truth and vigor.

The Complete Life of John Hopkins (by O. Henry)

 

 

EXERCISE 2. Explain the articles in the following sentences.

1. Father Gatsby always said that youth was wasted on the young.

2. These birds are said to bring good luck.

3. A lion is a symbol of courage and strength in many societies.

4. Children usually develop speech in their second year, but recognition of sounds starts earlier.

5. The area hadn’t had rain for months. Starvation threatened whole villages.

6. They want to conduct basic research into the nature of human cells.

7. By law, an advertiser can't use a person's name for commercial purpose without permission.

8. Legend has it that the poor midwife was put to death for practising witchcraft.

9. She hopes to start a teaching career in secondary education.

10. High blood pressure increases with age.

11. Small grocery stores are going out of business in the face of stiff competition from the large supermarket chains.

12. In the future, breadth of knowledge may be more important than technical proficiency.

13. In the competition, the whole team played with great skill and determination.

14. The sound of the traffic kept me awake.

15. Health and education need cash from the government more than war and intelligence.

16. Any policy that creates unemployment is likely to meet with strong resistance.

17. Jenny didn’t have the strength to end the relationship.

18. The force of the explosion blew out all the windows.

19. It is difficult for the poor in remote villages to get good legal assistance.

20. You may see compassion as a weakness, but I see it as a strength.

 

EXERCISE 3. Fill in the gaps and explain your choice.

Fill in the gaps and explain the use of articles in the following sentences:

1. I can still remember ___ happiness I felt when my son was born.

2. We respect __ honesty you showed, but __ requires us to put you under arrest.

3. Baby animals have ___ inborn curiosity that allows them to imitate parents’ behaviour.

4. On Saturday evenings ___ time flies.

5. She felt so happy, so victorious. __ strange, blooming energy coursed through her veins.

6. __ freedom of press is a necessary condition to limit __ corruption.

7. __ life is funny. Today you enjoy __ love, __ friendship and __ happiness, and tomorrow __ luck will strip you of everything you have had.

8. Banksy’s art is often associated with __ anarchy and __ anti-capitalism.

9. To play a game of __ice hockey you need clubs, a puck and __ protective equipment.

10. __construction of the new swimming pool took three years.

11. Her job involved a good deal of __ foreign travel.

12. My speech was received by __ deadly, poisonous silence. Nobody even blinked.

13. She gave me __ good advice on __ stress management.

14. We entered their house and were shocked by __poverty. What __ disappointment.

15. Can you all tell me what I was doing wrong? I would appreciate __ feedback.

16. There is __ certain attraction in __ madness, but sometimes even an artist needs __ medical help.

17. Bruce found __ courage to ask the question everybody was thinking.

18. We must inform you that we will not tolerate __racism, __discrimination or __ hate speech in our university.

19. __racism, displayed so casually, so routinely, made him want to cry. He had never thought he would be refused basic human rights just because his ancestry was not good enough for some haters.

20. The kids were outside, enjoying __ sunshine. We had such__ great weather that day.