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Specific Sense Articles
The Specific Sense of a noun is used when the writer wants to express an item as
one specific member of that type, distinct from all other types. The article "the"
is used to make a noun specific.
Examples:
the chair, the students, the sand
The article "the" is also used with many proper nouns--formal names or titles of
people, geographical locations, countries and companies.
Examples:
the United States, the State of Colorado, the Dean of
Students
Some geographical features and locations take "the" while others do not.
Geographical Features & Locations That Take "The":
oceans, seas & rivers: the
Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea, the Nile River
Plains, valleys & deserts: the Great Plains, the
Mississippi Valley, the Sahara
Desert
Mountain ranges, groups of islands & groups of lakes: the
Rocky Mountains, the
Virgin Islands, the Great Lakes
Global zones: the North Pole, the Eastern Hemisphere, the
Equator
Geographical Features & Locations That Don't Take "The"
Continents,
cities, states,
countries: Europe, Tokyo, California
Single mountains, islands and lakes: Mount Taylor, Sicily,
Lake Superior
Indefinite Sense Articles
The Indefinite Sense of a noun is used for items which are not identified
specifically as a particular individual. This sense is used to name an example of a
certain type of noun, but exactly which one is not important. The articles used to
express the indefinite sense are "a," "an," "some," and "any."
"A" and "An" are used with singular count nouns. "A" is used when the word
following it starts with a consonant sound, while "an" is used when the word
following it starts with a vowel sound.
Examples:
a book, a strange smell, a university, an apple, an unusual
occurrence, an
hour
The article "some" is used with plural count nouns and mass nouns. "Some" can refer
to an indefinite amount of a particular item or a portion or part of all members of
a type of item.
Examples:
Some books were left on the table.
Some flour spilled there.
Some ants do not bite.
Some research was used.
Center for Academic Program Support
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MSC05 3020 1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-1466
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