Global Breaking News - Monday, December 23, 2024
   |
[초급문법] UNIT 1.1 - Articles (a/an, use of a/an)
최고관리자 | 14-04-19 16:59
1. a/an (the indefinite article)
The form a is used before a word beginning with a consonant, or a vowel with a consonant sound:
a man a had a university a European
a one-way street
The form an is used before words beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or words beginning with a mute h:
an apple an island an uncle
an egg an onion an hour
or individual letters spoken with a vowel sound:
an L-plate an MP an SOS an ‘x’
a/an is the same for all genders:
a man a woman an actor an actress a table
2. Use of a/an
a/an is used:
A. Before a singular noun which is countable (i.e. of which there is more than one) when it is mentioned
for the first time and represents no particular person or thing:
I need a visa. They live in a flat. He bought an ice-cream.
B. Before a singular countable noun which is used as an example of a class of things:
A car must be insured
All cars/Any car must be insured.
A child needs love
All children need/Any child needs love.
C. With a noun complement. This includes names of professions:
It was an earthquake. She’ll be a dancer. He is an actor.
D. In certain expressions of quantity:
a lot of a couple a great many a dozen (but one dozen is also possible) a great deal of
E. With certain numbers:
a hundred a thousand
Before half when half follows a whole number;
1 ½ kilos = one and a half kilos or a kilo and a half
But ½ kg = half a kilo (no a before half), though a + half + noun is sometimes possible:
a half-holiday a half-portion a half-share
With 1/3, ¼, 1/5 etc. a is usual: a third, a quarter etc., but one is also possible. (See 350.)
F. In expressions of price, speed, ratio, etc.:
5p a kilo £1 a metre sixty kilometres an hour
10 p a dozen four times a day (Here a/an = per)
G. In exclamations before singular, countable nouns:
Such a long queue! What a pretty girl! But
Such long queues! What pretty girls!
H. a can be placed before Mr/Mrs/Miss + surname:
a Mr Smith, a Mrs Smith, a Miss Smith
'a Mr Smith' means 'a man called Smith' and implies that he is a stranger to the speaker.
'Mr Smith', without a, implies that the speaker knows Mr Smith or knows of his existence.
|
|