Definition
any member of a class of words that refers to a thing (book), a person (Noah Webster), an animal (cat), a place (Springfield), a quality (softness), a state (tranquility), an idea or concept (truth), or an action (reading)
Nouns are divided into simple, derivative, and compound. Classify the following three nouns into these morphological groups:
misconduct
chair
newspaper
misconduct - derivative
chair - simple
newspaper - compound
What is the plural form of the compound nouns 'mother-in-law' and 'passer-by'?
Mothers-in-law and passers-by
Which article is used with a singular countable noun when it represents a whole class of objects (generic use)? Give an example
Both the definite article (the) and the indefinite article (a/an) can be used with a singular countable noun in a generic sense
Do we use an article in the expression "to go to bed" and "to go to school" when they are used for their primary purpose?
No article (zero article) is used when these places represent the activities associated with them (sleeping, studying).
The article
structural part of speech used with nouns; any of a small set of words or affixes (such as a, an, and the) used with nouns to limit or give definiteness to the application
Identify the syntactic function of the underlined noun: "He became a doctor."
Predicative
Correct the mistake or validate the phrase: "The window's frame was broken."
"The frame of the window". As a rule, the Genitive case is used with animate nouns
What article is used with a singular countable noun when it is modified by the adjective 'only' or 'same'?
The definite article (the), because these words have a limiting meaning and point to a specific, unique object (e.g., the only way, the same mistake).
Insert the articles: "We had ... very good breakfast at ... hotel, but ... dinner we had later was terrible." Explain the rules.
'A' with meals: Breakfast takes a because it is modified by a descriptive adjective (very good).
'The' with places: Hotel takes the because it refers to a specific, definite location known from the context.
'The' with meals: Dinner takes the because it is restricted/defined by a modifying clause (we had later).
The indefinite and definite articles
The indefinite article - the word a or an used in English to refer to a person or thing that is not identified or specified
The definite article - the word the used in English to refer to a person or thing that is identified or specified
Explain the morphological peculiarity and verb agreement of the nouns 'news', 'advice', 'information'.
They are singularia tantum (have only the singular form) and always take a singular verb
Explain the semantic difference between these two expressions: "A portrait of my father" vs. "A portrait of my father's".
"A portrait of my father" means the father is depicted in it.
"A portrait of my father's" means the portrait belongs to the father (he owns it).
How does the meaning change when you add the indefinite article to 'few' and 'little'? Give examples
Few/little have a negative meaning ("not enough").
A few/a little have a positive meaning ("some, a small quantity").
What article rule applies to the words 'town' and 'cinema/theater'? Give examples of their typical usage.
'Town' often takes no article when it means the town of the speaker ("to be in town").
'Cinema/theater' practically always take the definite article ("to go to the cinema"), even if a specific one isn't meant.
Nouns of material
Abstract nouns
Material - denote material. Uncountable, generally used without article. Example: iron, tea, paper
Abstract - denote some quality, state, action or idea. Usually uncountable, but some of them can be countable - hour, idea. Example: love, kindness, freedom
Identify the syntactic function of the noun in the genitive case here: "She spent the evening at her grandmother's."
Adverbial modifier of place (expressed by an absolute genitive).
Look at these two phrases:
"the boy's story"
"the boy's punishment"
Both nouns are in the Genitive Case. Identify and name the type of Genitive Case used in each sentence (Subjective or Objective).
the boy's story" is the Subjective Genitive. The boy is the doer of the action (the boy told the story).
"the boy's punishment" is the Objective Genitive. The boy is the object of the action (someone punished the boy / the boy was punished).
Translate and explain the article use: "Он дал мне такую интересную книгу". What happens to the article when 'such' or 'what' modifies a countable noun?
"He gave me such an interesting book." The indefinite article (a/an) is placed after 'such' or 'what'.
Explain the use of articles with names of seasons and times of day after the prepositions 'in' vs. 'at/by'. (e.g., in ... morning vs. at ... night).
After 'in', the definite article is used (in the morning, in the summer).
After 'at', 'by', 'after', 'before', no article is used (at night, by day, at sunset).
The category of number
The category of case
1)is a grammatical category that expresses quantification by showing whether a word refers to one or more than one entity
2)the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective that shows its relation to other words, or that relation itself whether shown by a change in form or not
What is the syntactic function of the bolded nouns in these three phrases:
1) a palace garden, 2) the doctor's advice, 3) a woman of sense?
In all three cases, the function is an Attribute
Correct the mistake or validate the phrase: "He stayed at the baker’s shop for ten minutes." What specific rule about the Absolute Genitive applies to local shops and houses?
It should be "He stayed at the baker’s" to avoid repetition as the place already familiar to the speaker
Explain the use of articles with a noun modified by a cardinal numeral in these two cases:
1) "Open your books at page 5."
2) "The five students who failed the exam came back."
1) No article is used when a noun is followed by a cardinal numeral denoting a tracking number.
2) The definite article is used because the numeral specifies a particular, already known group of students.
Insert articles with the proper nouns: "Next year ... Browns are planning a trip to ... Hague, then to ... Mont Blanc, and finally a cruise on ... Black Sea."
the Browns: plural family name.
the Hague: historical exception.
Mont Blanc: zero article for single mountain peaks.
the Black Sea: definite article for seas.