ARTICLE

 
Article in this chapter will focus on the definite article and indefinite article.

A. The Indefinite Article (a/an)
1. The form a is used before a word beginning with a consonant or vowel with consonant sound:
a pen  
a university
a European
a house
2. The form an is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound but not vowel letter:
an American
an egg
an hour
 or individual letters spoken with a vowel sound:
an LAPD
an SOS
an MP4

1. The use of “a/an”
a) Before a singular countable noun (there is no more than one) but you can’t use a singular countable noun alone (without a/an/the).
Maria sent a letter for her sister in New York.
I want a banana. (NOT I want banana)
There was an accident in front of my campus yesterday. (NOT there was accident in front of my campus yesterday)
b) With a noun complement. it includes the names of professions.
Adly Fairus is an actor
Kaka has ambition to be a doctor 
Susilo Bambang Yudoyono is a president

c) In exclamations before singular countable noun:
What a wonderful panorama but (NOT what wonderful panoramas)
What a beautiful girl but (NOT what beautiful girls)
 (Plural noun, so it doesn’t need an article)
d) In certain expression of quantity:
Susi Susanti has a lot of rewards as appreciation of his achievements.
The salt in the kitchen is a little
a few person of our classmates will attend the meeting tomorrow
Andrew and Melani is a couple of favorite senior high school students in Surabaya etc.
e) In expressions of price, speed, ratio etc.:
Gabriel runs about two kilometers an hour.
Sam goes to public library four times a week.
Rani buys sugar Rp. 8000,- a kilo.
 (Here a/an means per)

f) With certain number:
The audience of the music festival is a thousand people
The collections of Tono’s book are a hundred books.
 Before half when half follows whole numbers:
 1 = one and a half kilos or a kilo and a half
But kg = half a kilo (no a before half), though a + half + noun is sometimes possible:
I need a half-portion of noodle
With etc. a is usual: a third, a seventh, a quarter etc. but one is also possible one-third, one-seventh, one-quarter etc.
g) A can be placed before Mr/Mrs/Miss + surname:
a Mr Ronaldo a Mrs Ronaldo a Miss Ronaldo
a Mr Ronaldo is ‘a man called Ronaldo’ and implies that he is a stranger for the speaker. Mr Ronaldo without a means that the speaker knows the existence of Mr Ronaldo.
h) Before a singular countable noun which is used as an example of class of thing:
A girl needs attention and love = all girls need attention and love/any girl needs attention and love.
A cat likes a mouse = all cats like a mouse/any cat likes a mouse. 

2. Omission of “a/an”
 a/an is omitted:
a) Before plural nouns
a/an has no plural forms. We don’t use a/an in plural. The plural of a book is books NOT a books, the plural of an apple is apples NOT an apples.
b) Before names of meals, except when these are preceded by an adjective;
 We have breakfast in restaurant (NOT we have a breakfast in restaurant) 
We have an exciting breakfast 
c) Before uncountable nouns.
Mr. William bought a new flesh disk in Surabaya. (NOT Mr. William bought a water/sugar in the market).

B. The Definite Article (The)
1. Form
“The” is used the same for plural or singular and it is also used for all genders:
 the boy the girl the day
 the boys the girls the days

2. The use of “the”
The definite article is used:
a) Before a noun that has become definite as a result of being mentioned a second time;
Mr. Ronny’s car is parked in front of a house. The house is green
John saw a bird flying on a tree. You can still see the bird every morning.
b) Before a noun which by reason of locality can represent only one particular thing (to specialize a noun)
The book on the table is expensive.
Tom read a novel in the bedroom (Tom’s bedroom)
c) When the object or group of objects is unique or considered to be unique (the only one in the world)
The sun rises in the east.
The moon looks so beautiful tonight.
I saw the sky bright today.
d) Before a noun made definite by addition of phrase or clause
The girl whom l love is smart
The car that is parked in the garage is mine.
e) Before superlatives and first, second etc. used as adjective or pronoun and only
The first class
The best performance
The only God

3. The + singular noun can represent a class of animals or things
The komodo has become in danger of being extinct.
Some housewives like to use the deep-freeze
But man, used to represent the human race, has no article
If woman likes to get affection, man likes to keep and give attention. 
the + adjective represents a class of persons
the youth = young people in general 
the poor = the poorman in general

4. The is used before certain proper names of seas, rivers, groups of islands, chains of mountains, plural names of countries, deserts, region;
the Sahara
the Netherlands
the Atlantic
 and before certain other names;
 the City
 the Mall
 the Yemen
the is also used before names consisting of noun + of + noun;
 the United States of America
 the Bay of Biscay
the, however, is used before east, west etc when these are nouns;
the east of Java
the west of Sumatra
the south of Kalimantan
the is used before names consisting of adjective + noun (provided the adjective not east, west etc)
Arabian Music
Indonesian Food
English Book

the is used before adjective east, west etc + noun is certain names
South Pole
west Indies
east End
5. the with names of people has a very limited use. The + plural surname can be used to mean ‘the……family’;
 the Davids = Mr and Mrs David (and children)
the + singular name + clause/phrase can be used to distinguish one person from another of the same name;
There are two Mr. Williams working in this company. Which William do you want to meet? I want to meet the William who lives at Corkoatmojo street 22 Pamekasan.
the is used before titles containing of (the story of Banyuwangi) but it is not used before other titles or ranks (Captain Luca Toni), though if someone is referred to by title/rank alone the is used;
The captain ordered……
Letters written to two or more unmarried sisters jointly may be addressed the misses + surname; the misses Marry.
The is used before other proper names consisting of adjective + noun or noun + of + noun;
The Indonesian culture
The impact of technology
It is also used before names of choirs, orchestras, pop group etc.
The Ada Band
The Dewa
The Philadelphia Orchestra

6. Omission of “the”
The definite article is not used:
a. After a noun in the possessive case, or a possessive adjective;
It is my (red) pen = the (red) pen is mine. (NOT it is my the (red) pen)
The girl’s T-shirt = the T-shirt of the girl. (NOT the girl’s the T-shirt)
b. Before names of places except as shown above, or before names of people;
The Surabaya (it is false)
The Tamam (it is false)
c. Before names of meals except it’s provided by adjective;
Tono has Nasi Rames for breakfast (NOT Tono has Nasi Rames for the breakfast) but
Shinta provided the special breakfast for her mother.
d. Before abstract nouns except when they are used in particular sense;
Every policy tends to appear negative impact.
The government should obey the policy of democracy  
e. Before names of games 
She plays volleyball (NOT she plays the volleyball)
f. Before parts of the body and articles of clothing, as these normally prefer a possessive adjective;
Anybody has question, please rise your right hand! (NOT the right hand)
He took off his coat.

But notice that sentence of the type;
Jennifer sized Jane’s collar
She patted her shoulder
The brick hit James’ face
Could be expressed;
Jennifer sized Jane by the collar
She patted her on the shoulder
The brick hit James in the face
Similarly in the passive
Ballack was cut in the hand.
The can be omitted when speaking of the subject’s or speaker’s own town;
Cristiano Ronaldo went to town sometimes to go shopping.
We were in town Last Sunday.













At this table the writers provided the table of the use of “the”
WITH “THE” WITHOUT “THE”
a. Mountains
the Rocky mountains, the Andes
b. Earth, moon
the earth, the moon
c. Countries with more than one word (except world war)
the United States
d. Ordinal numbers before nouns
the First World War, the second chapter
e. oceans, rivers, seas, gulfs, plural lakes
the Pacific Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the Great Lakes
f. Schools, colleges, universities when phrase begins with school, etc.
University of Florida, the College of arts and sciences
g. Wars (except world war)
The Korean war, the Diponegoro war

h. Ethnic groups
the Indians, the Javanese
i. Historical documents
the Magna Carta, the Piagam Jakarta
 a. Mounts
mount Himalaya, mount Semeru
b. Planets, constellations
Mars, Jupiter, Venus
c. Countries with one word

Canada, Indonesia, China, France
d. Cardinal numbers after nouns

World War One, chapter four

e. Singular lake

Lake Erie, Lake Toba

f. Schools, colleges, universities when phrase begins with proper noun
Cambridge University










g. Continents
Africa, America, Australia, Asia
h. Holidays
Christmas, Idul Fitri, Idul Adha
i. Sports
Basketball, volleyball, football
j. General areas of subject matter
Biology, mathematics, chemistry
k. Abstract nouns
Freedom, happiness, independence











BIBLIOGRAPHY

Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. New York: Oxford University Press. 1995
Frank, Marcella. Modern English. New Jersey: New York University. 1972
Pyle, Michael A & Mary Ellan Munoz. Cliffs TOEFL. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons. 1991
Murphy, Raymond. English Grammar in Use. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. 1998
Habibullah, Mosleh. English Grammar Exercise. STAIN Pamekasan Press. 2006
Thomson, A. J & A. V. Martinet. A Practical English Grammar. New York: Oxford University Press. 1986