Nouns and determiners Flashcards
How to classify nouns
Nouns can be proper and common
Further we can classify common nouns into
count and noncount
furhtermore count and noncount can be classified into
Concrete and abstract
both of them
Concrete nouns
What are they - semantically
Accessible to the senses, observable, measurable
Abstract nouns
What are they - semantically
Typically nonobservable and nonmeasurable
Proper nouns
What are they
Nouns with unique reference, determiner and number contrast cannot occur
Can a noun be both non-count and count? Explain
Jasán (Of course)
Nouns like cake or brick can refer either to the substance (noncount) or to units made of the substance (count)
What is a partitive construction
Partitive expression may relate to quanitity or quality and can be either plural or singular
It is a way how to impose number on noncount nouns, since the partition is generally expressed by a count noun of partitive meaning
Specific partitives
a blade of grass
some specks of dust
two slices of meat/bread/cake
Negative determiner
No
Determiners that cooccur only with singular count nouns
Universal determiner: every and each
Nonassertive dual determiner: either
Negative dual determiner: neither
Universal determiners
Every
Each
Nonassertive dual determiner
either
negative dual determiner
neither
Determiners that coocur only with noncount nouns and plural count nouns
General assertive determiner: some
General nonassertive determiner: any
Quantitative determiner: enough
Two subsets of predeterminers
- All, both, half
- the multipliers
All, both, half
Where can they occur?
Before
- the articles
- the demonstratives
- the possessives
All, both, half
Where they cannot occur?
Before determiners that themselves entail quantification such as: every, each, (n)either, some, any, no enough
ALL can occur with
- plural count nouns
- noncount nouns
BOTH can occur with
- plural count nouns
HALF can occur with
- singular and plural count nouns
- noncount nouns
Definite article use
When:
* object we’re talking about is physically present
* situational reference in the minds of speaker and listener
* assumptions about general knowledge
Use of THE in sporadic reference
- When we’re talking to somebody that we know only buys a certain paper or goes to certain theatre
- With referencing parts of the body
- In medical use
Grammatical determination
use of definite article
- Anaphoric reference (Direct, Indirect)
- Cataphoric reference
Anaphoric reference
THE indicates identity of reference with that established earlier in the discourse
Direct: mentioned in the discourse
Indirect: requires general knowledge
Cataphoric reference
THE indicates that the identity of the reference will be established by what follows
There is presumption that the adressee knows about it
Indefinite article
When is it used
Jebnutá otázka ale dávam sem všetko
When a reference cannot be regarded as uniquely identifiable from the shared knowledge of speaker
Zero article
Only the categories
- quasi-locatives (where a particular actitivty or role in connecton with the location is implied)
- transport and communication (when by precedes the mode in question)
- Time expressions (especially after: at, by, after, before)
- Meals
- Ilness
Use of definite article in generic use with singular nouns
- Conveys a rather formal tone
- With musical instruments and dances
- a class of human being (the welshman is a good singer)
Use of definite article in generic use with plural nouns
- National/Ethnic groups (The Slovaks)
- phrases comprising an adjective head with human reference (the blind)
Can proper names be used both with indefinite and definite articles? Explain
Jasán (of course)
If there are several places called one certain name we can say. “There is a Richmond in the south of england and there is a Richmond in South Carolina”
Names without articles - the categories
!! No article does not mean zero article
To vyššie len tak pre istotu
- Personal names
- Locational names
Names without articles
Personal names - division
- Forenames (first names)
- Family names (surnames)
- Combination of forenames and family names
- Combination ivolving a title
Names without article
Locational names - division
- Extraterrestrial - Jupiter (BUT! THE moon, THE sun)
- Continents - Europe
- Countries, provinces - Canada
- Lakes - Loch ness
- Mountains - Mount Everest
- Citites - New York
- Streets, buildings - Fifth Avenue
Nouns relatng to region and nationality
- General adjective (Both the men are Russian)
- Language name (She reads Russian)
- Singular noun with specific reference (He is a Russian)
- Plural noun with specific reference (There are several Russians among my students)
- Plural nouns used generically (The Russians are deeply patriotic people)
Irregular plural
- If singular ends with sibiliant that is already not followed by -e, plural ending is -es (box - boxes)
- Singular ends with -y, it is replaced by i and plural ending is -ies (spy - spies
- Singular ends with -o, plural is usually regular, but with some ending is -es (echo - echoes)
Irregular plural formation
Voicing
In plurals like houses spelling is regular but pronounciation is irregular, the final voiceless fricative consonan becomes voice.
Several singulars ending in /f/ and /θ/ undergo voicing in this way and also change in spelling (half - halves)
Irregular plural formation
Vowel change
In small number of nouns, there is a chnge of vowel sound and spelling without an ending
Foot - feet
goose - geese
mouse - mice
Irregular plural formation
Zero plural
- Words for some animals like sheep, deer, cod - while being count, have no difference between singular and plural form
- Nouns reffering to some other animals like birds and fishes can have zero plural when viewed as prey
Ordinarily plural
Binary nouns
What is it
- Binary nouns are those that refer to entities which comprise or are perceived as comprising two parts - scissors, binocular
- Number contrast is achieved through quantity partition - pair of, several pairs of
With binary nouns like gloves or socks, where the pair is obviously separate we can use singular
Ordinarily plural
Aggregate nouns
What is it
- Those that refer to entities which comprise or may be perceived as comprising and indefinite number of parts
- May be plural in form like Barracks is/Barracks are
- May be singular in form like Clery is/Clergy are
Two cases in english
- Common case
- Genitive case
Of-genitive
Postmodifying prepositional phrase with of
Genitive meanings
- Posessive genitive (Ship’s funnel - Ships has a funnel)
- Genitive of attribute (Victim’s courage - Victim was courageous)
- Partitive genitive (Heart’s two ventricles - The heart contains two ventricles)
- Subjective genitive ( The parents’ consent - The parents consented)
- Objective genitive* (The prisoner’s release - … released the prisoner)*
The independent genitive
It is commong to elipt the noun following the genitive if the reference is contextually clear
(Jennifer’s is the only face I recognize here)
* With of-construction that or those usually replaces the corresponding item (The wines of France are more expensive that those of California)
* Unepxressed item refers to homes or bussinesses (When I arrived at Fred’s)
The post-genitive
Since in its determiner role, the genitive must be definite…
George’s sister is coming to stay with us
If it needs to be understand that George has more than one sister, this can be expressed by using post genitive or so called double genitive
“A sister of George’s is coming to stay with us”
