Grammar for English Language Teachers - Articles

Question 1

What do articles do?

Answer 1

Articles signal whether or not information is new, as well as tell us something about quantity.

Question 2

What idiomatic considerations are there when using articles?

Answer 2

Idioms account for 10% of article use or omission. Such use need to be learned as chunks, rather than analysed.

Question 3

What does use of ‘the’ indicate?

Answer 3

Usually ‘the’ indicates some form of common ground, and can refer backwards, forwards, externally, to general knowledge or something immediately defined.

Question 4

What does the use of the zero article indicate?

Answer 4

The zero article is used when referring to things in general.

Question 5

In which structures is the indefinite article often used?

Answer 5

There’s a…
Have you got a…
It’s a…
I’m a…

Question 6

What are the common article use ‘rule-breakers’?

Answer 6

A for ‘every’ - 20 times a day
The for countries, political bodies, pub/shops, musical instruments, names of geographic features, newspapers, hotels.
Zero article for institutions, meals, time, work, home, bed, after ‘be’, people and cities.

Question 7

What difficulties do learners have?

Answer 7

• Many languages have no article system.
• Articles are usually pronounced in weak form, making comprehension/awareness difficult.
• In some languages, the rules governing definite and indefinite articles are different.
• Both over and under use is common.