Page 33 - (DK) Help Your Kids with Language Arts

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AR TICLE S

Identifying when to
use an article
elephant bread
If a singular noun can be counted, this This noun can be counted,
noun will require an article—definite so the definite or indefinite This noun cannot
be counted.
or indefinite. For example, “I saw article can be used.
elephant today” doesn’t make sense.
Some nouns, such as happiness,
information, and bread, do not have
a plural form, and therefore cannot The definite article can
be counted. These nouns can be used be used for a specific
without an article (zero article) or with piece of bread.
the definite article. They never take
the indefinite article.
The zero article is used
for the concept of bread
in general.
bread

The zero article
Some words, such as school, life, and home, take the definite • Many geographical areas and
article when a particular one is being referred to, and the indefinite features, including rivers, deserts,
article when one of several is being described. When these words and oceans, use the definite
are used to describe a general concept, such as being at school, article: for example, the North Pole,
the article is removed. This absence of an article is known as the the Pacific Ocean, or the Rocky
zero article. Mountains.
• If an article is at the beginning
of the title of a work, such as The
at flying school This describes school as a Secret Garden, it should start with
a capital letter.
concept—a place where a person
goes to learn something—so the • Unique things, such as the sun,
zero article (no article) is used.
always take the.
• Watch out for words that begin
with a vowel that sounds like
a consonant, such as university.
This describes a particular school—the These take the indefinite article
one next to the zoo—so the is required.
a, rather than an.