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EXERCISE 6. Explain the use of articles in the following song lyrics and quotes:   

1. Is this the real life?

 Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide,

no escape from reality.

(Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody)

 

2. Get your motor running,

head out on the highway,

looking for adventure

in whatever comes our way.

Like a true nature 's child,

we were born,

born to be wild.

(Steppenwolf, Born To Be Wild)

 

3. Time, it needs time

to win back your love again.

I will be there,

 I will be there.

Love, only love

can bring back your love someday.

I will be there,

I will be there.

(Scorpions, Still Loving You)

 

4. As the years pass by before my face,

as war rages before me –

[I’m] finding myself

in these last days of existence.

In the darkness of the storm

lies an evil,

 but it's me.

(Evanescence, Field of Innocence)

 

5. No matter what the future brings

As time goes by –

 Moonlight and love songs are never out of date.

Hearts are full of passion, jealousy, and hate.

It's still the same old story,

A fight for l ove and glory.

(Bob Dylan, As Time Goes By)

 

6. When I find myself in times of trouble

Mother Mary comes to me,

Speaking words of wisdom

Let it be.

And in my hour of darknes s

She is standing right in front of me,

Speaking words of wisdom

Let it be.

(The Beatles, Let It Be)

 

7. Well, you're my friend and can you see,

Many times we've been out drinking,

Many times we've shared our thoughts,

But did you ever, ever notice, the kind of thoughts I got?

 

Well, you know I have a love, a love for everyone I know.

And you know I have a drive to live, I won't let go.

But can you see the opposition rising up sometimes?

That it's dreadful imposition that comes blacking in my mind.

And that I see a darkness.

 

Did you know how much I love you?

Is a hope that somehow you,

Can save me from the darkness.

(Johnny Cash, I See A Darkneess)

 

8. Nothing in life is as sad as a lonely soul

Searching for peace

Only to find disappointment is waiting

Behind every door that we open,

Every catch we release.

Ah, brothers and sisters, I beg you to listen

I know that it isn't too late.

For we are the people, the voices of f reedom

And we're all perfectly clear

That we don't want to wait.

People want peace.

(Paul McCartney, People Want Peace)

 

9. It takes a certain kind of man with a certain reputation

To alleviate the cash from a whole entire nation.

Take my loose change and build my own space station –

Just because you can, man.

(Robbie Williams, Party Like a Russian)

 

10. Now life devalues day by day

As friends and neighbors turn away.

And there's a change that, even with regret, cannot be undone.

Now frontiers shift like desert sands

While nations wash their bloodied hands

Of loyalty, of history, in shades of grey.

 

I woke to the sound of drums.

The music played, the morning sun streamed in.

I turned and I looked at you

And all but the bitter residues slipped away...slipped away.

(Pink Floyd, A Great Day for Freedom)

 

EXERCISE 7. Explain the reasons for the articles in these quotes.

1. The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. (Socrates, quoted by Plato)

2. The past has no power over the present. (Eckhart Tolle)

3. Marriage can wait, education cannot. (Khaled Hosseini)

4. Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. (Marilyn Monroe)

5. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present. (Bill Keane)

6. Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people we personally dislike. (Oscar Wilde)

7. Good habits formed at youth make all the difference. (Aristotle).

8. If you don’t take an interest in politics it doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you (Pericles).

9. The greatest wealth is a poverty of desires (Seneca).

10. Our envy always lasts longer than the happiness of those we envy (Heraclitus).

 

EXERCISE 8. Fill in the articles and explain your choice.

1. This generation had come of __age working on practical issues of __feminism, __pacifism, civil rights, and ___environmentalism.

2. This weekend, the students’ protest in France started with several street fights. ___ violence escalated as some youths turned over a bus and began smashing shop windows.

3. There is ___ growing public anxiety over levels of ___air pollution in our cities.

4. ___ hospitality of the Parkers made a great impression on all our guests.

5. The crisis meant a sharp rise in ___ unemployment.

6. We are delighted at ___ news that our princess daughter is expecting a baby.

7. ___nutrition and ___exercise are essential to ___fitness and ___health.

8. At that point in ___ history, mentally ill people were thought to be ___ disgrace to the family.

9. Doctor Castle, do you have ___evidence that ___ treatment works?

10. There is ___ certain logic behind their decision to hire such an eccentric architect.

 

EXERCISE 9. Fill in the articles in the text and explain your choice.

No language has spread as widely as English, and it continues to spread. Internationally ___ desire to learn it is insatiable. In the twenty-first century the world is becoming more urban and more middle class, and ___ adoption of English is a symptom of this, for increasingly English serves as the lingua franca of ___business and ___popular culture. It is dominant or at least very prominent in other areas such as ___diplomacy, ____computing, ___medicine and ___education. A recent study has suggested that among students in the United Arab Emirates “Arabic is associated with ___tradition, ___ religion, ___culture, arts and social sciences,” whereas English “is symbolic of ___modernity, ___work, ___higher education, ___ commerce, ___science and ___technology.” In Arabic-speaking countries, science subjects are often taught in English because excellent textbooks and other educational resources are readily available in English. This is not something that has come about in ___ unpurposed fashion; ___ propagation of English is ___ industry, not ___ happy accident.

English has spread because of ____ British colonialism, ___ technological progress of the Industrial Revolution, ___ American economic and political ascendancy, and further technological developments in the second half of the twentieth century. Its rise has been assisted by ___ massive exportation of English as a second language, as well as by __ growth of English-language mass media.

[abridged from “What’s the language of the future?” by henry Hitchins]

 

EXERCISE 10. Read these common abstract uncountable nouns, tick off the ones you do not know or remember and find their meaning. Make your own contrasted examples with one noun from each column.

 

aid advice art business chaos childhood courage cash death damage education energy evidence evil failure friendship hospitality humour jealousy justice knowledge labour leisure liberty logic nature news nutrition patience peace permission pollution poverty power pride publicity racism research respect rubbish silence stress softness time traffic unemployment violence wealth wildlife youth

 


 

Unit 4. Articles with personal names

 

THE ZERO ARTICLE is used:

 

1) with first names, last names or full names.

E.g. “Do you know Christopher Turner?” asked Burton. Tom was confused.

2) with some common names (mother, father, aunt, uncle, sister, brother, cousin, baby, etc.) treated as proper nouns within the family. In this case they are spelled with a capital letter.

E.g. “What have you done to Baby?” – Mother asked angrily. Uncle Raynar smiled and pointed at the tree.

3) if a personal name is preceded by a title or a rank:

 

a) when we speak about people we do not know very well, or in letters and official situations.

Mr a title used before a surname or full name of a man, whether he is married or not /ˈmɪstə/ Mr Antony Smith was the headteacher at Barrington High.
Ms a title used before a surname of full name of a woman whether she is married or not /məz/ Dear Ms Johnson, I am writing this letter to apologise for the inconvenience I may have caused.
Mrs a title used before a surname or full name of a married woman /ˈmɪsɪz/ Mrs Bell is out of the office at the moment.
Miss a title used before a surname or full name of an unmarried woman /mɪs/ I’d like to make an appointment with Miss Taylor.

 

NB 1: the polite address to a person of power may include Mr / Madam and the name of the official position.

E.g. Mr Chairman, may I clarify a point? Madam President, we are pleased to assist.

 

b) when the title is traditionally used with the occupation. Some common titles are given in the table.

Doctor I made an appointment with Doctor Patel for next Monday.
Professor The meeting will be chaired by Professor Severus Snape.
Officer The investigation will be led by Officer Murdoch.
Mayor Mayor Bloomberg had the task of rebuilding New York after the 9/11 attack.
Governor Governor Brown refused to answer the journalist’s question.
Prime Minister Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought his three-year-old son to the office.
President President Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.
Father Father McKenzie preached in this church as long as I could remember.

 

c) with military ranks. Some common ranks are given in the table.

Private /ˈpraɪvət/ Private Evans was wounded in the fighting.
Corporal /ˈkɔːpərəl/ Corporal Taylor called out our registration numbers.
Sergeant /ˈsɑːdʒənt/ Sergeant Pepper continued his military career after the war.
Captain /ˈkæptɪn/ The police headquarters shook with Captain Shelley’s laughter.
Major /ˈmeɪdʒə/ This is Major Thompson speaking.
Lieutenant /lefˈtenənt/ Lieutenant Clarke was the highest-ranking officer at the scene.
Colonel /ˈkɜːnl/ Colonel Barnes stood at my side, ready to intervene.
General /ˈdʒenərəl/ General Wright planned to attack at dawn.

 

 

d) with titles of nobility and gentry. Some common titles are given in the table.

Titles of royalty and nobility of royal blood

King, Queen /kɪŋ/ /kwiːn/ Your Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Prince, Princess /prɪns/ /ˌprɪnˈses/ Your Royal Highness Prince Philip Princess Diana
Duke, Duchess /djuːk/ /ˈdʌtʃɪs/ Your Grace Anne Colette, Duchess of Cornwall

Titles of landed nobility

Marquess, Marchioness /ˈmɑːkwɪs/ /ˌmɑːʃəˈnes/ My Lord / Your Lordship My Lady / Your Ladyship Nigel Paulet, Marquess of Winchester
Earl (Br)/ Count (Eu), Countess /ɜːl/ /kaʊnt/ /ˈkaʊntɪs/ My Lord / Your Lordship My Lady / Your Ladyship Victoria of York, Countess of Gloucester Count Dracula
Viscount, Viscountess /ˈvaɪkaʊnt/ /ˈvaɪkaʊntɪs/ My Lord / Your Lordship My Lady / Your Ladyship Emma Thynn, Viscountess Weymouth
Baron, Baroness /ˈbærən/ /ˈbærənəs/ My Lord / Your Lordship My Lady / Your Ladyship Baron Munchausen Baroness Trumpington

Titles of landed gentry

Baronet, Baronetess /ˈbærənət/ /ˈbærənɪtɪs/ Sir, Madame Nicholas Bacon, 14th Baronet
Knight, Dame /naɪt/ /deɪm/ Sir, Madame Dame Margaret Natalie Smith
Esquire / Squire /ɪˈskwaɪə/ Sir John Molton, Esquire

 

 

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE is used:

 

1) when a personal last name has the plural form to indicate a whole family.

E.g. The Grangers were the only people I knew in the town. The Graysons had been my favorite circus performers until that tragedy.

2) when the personal name is modified by a limiting attribute.

E.g. The celebrated Mortimer came, too. The Diana we all remembered was gone; now the woman that looked at us was confident, powerful and ruthless.

 

NB 2:the adjectives ‘old’, ‘young’, ‘dear’, ‘poor’, ‘little’, ‘honest’ are typically not considered to be limiting attributes

E. g. Old Rockwell met us at the station. Young Jolyon threw his gloves on the dresser. Dear Sabina had no idea her enthusiasm may hurt hangover friends in early morning. Poor Sam Richards never learnt the truth. Everybody in the town knew little Susie. You won’t disappoint honest Mrs. Prince!

 

3) if a personal name is preceded by a name of a profession other than “doctor”, “professor” or a military rank, the definite article is typically used: e.g. The famous painter Andy Warhol was a very lonely person. The inventor Karl Benz dreamt of a world where distance wouldn’t be a problem.

 

THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE is used:

 

1) if a personal name indicates one member of a family (compare with: belonging to a class).

E.g. “The boy is a Benbow!” he replied. He is a Forsyte, and being a Forsyte means a lot.

 

2) if a personal name is modified by the adjective ‘certain’.

E.g. Last night I met a gentleman – a certain George Reed (i.e. someone who called himself George Reed).

 

3) The indefinite article before titles is equivalent to the word ‘certain’.

E.g. He was engaged to a Miss Smith. I was arrested by an Officer Gordon who didn’t follow the protocol; now I want my lawyer and a call.

 

4) if a name of a famous person is used to mean a typical behaviour of a famous person or a character.

E.g. In this house I am an Alice in Wonderland. Bart is a Monte Cristo: he’s planning his revenge on those bullies.

 

NB 3: personal names of inventors or artists may denote their inventions or art, and in this case they are used as ordinary common nouns. This a stylistic device is called ‘metonymy’.

E.g. Every morning he drove an old Ford downtown. She’d love to own a Monet.



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