March 2005
WHEN TO USE "A/AN" AND "THE" (PART 1)
Non-native speakers of English--and even some native speakers--often have trouble distinguishing between the proper use of "a," "an," and "the" in spoken and written language. In this two-part series, we'll discuss these troublesome articles in the English language.
All three articles (e.g., A, AN, and THE) modify a noun (a person, place, or thing). Let's begin with two rules regarding their use with persons and things.
- - - - - - - - - -
1. Use "A" or "AN" when referring to any person or thing whose specific identity is unknown, unclear, or vague.
Example:
A boy jumped up.
Explanation:
"A" is used in this sentence because we're not referring to one particular boy with whom we are even slightly familiar. We don't know who this boy is--we can't recall encountering him elsewhere in our lives--so the article "A" is used.
Example:
A peach was left on the counter.
Explanation:
"A" is used because we're not referring to a particular peach we encountered previously. It's just one of any number of peaches available to us.
Remember: Use "A" to modify a word that begins with a consonant sound (e.g., girl, teacher, user, European). Use "AN" to modify a word that begins with a vowel sound (e.g., elephant, apple, orphan).
- - - - -
2. Use "THE" when referring to one particular person (or one specific group of people) whose identity is known.
Example:
The cat scratched John's leg.
Explanation:
"THE" is used only if you're referring to a specific cat, not just any cat. It may be your cat, your neighbor's cat, or a cat that lives with an older woman down the street. Using "THE" requires some degree of familiarity with the someone or something to which you are referring.
Example:
The peach was left on the counter.
Explanation:
"THE" is used because we're referring to a specific peach, not just any peach. It may be the peach you asked your son to throw away, or the peach you planned to eat for lunch but forgot to take.
-------------------------------------------------------
PRACTICE EXERCISES
1. George saw several wild dogs run across a road on Monday and told his wife about them. Today he saw them again. When he got home from work, he told his wife:
a. "A pack of wild dogs crossed the road again."
b. "The pack of wild dogs crossed the road again."
- - - - -
2. For the first time ever, Miriam saw the same group of wild dogs (mentioned above) run across the road. When she got home, she told her mother:
a. "A pack of wild dogs crossed the road."
b. "The pack of wild dogs crossed the road."
- - - - -
3. Philip dreamed of expanding his small circus. After saving up enough money, he wanted to purchase a baby elephant and hire a trainer, reasoning that he could always give the elephant away if the circus couldn't support it. Not wanting to make a hasty decision, he first asked for his father's advice. His father said:
a. "An elephant is not something you can give away easily."
b. "The elephant is not something you can give away easily."
- - - - -
4. Against his father's advice, Philip purchased a baby elephant. Soon, however, he discovered that its upkeep was more than his budget could bear. His father said:
a. "You better find a way to keep the elephant. An elephant is not something you can give away easily."
b. "You better find a way to keep an elephant. An elephant is not something you can give away easily."
c. "You better find a way to keep the elephant. The elephant is not something you can give away easily."
d. "You better find a way to keep an elephant. The elephant is not something you can give away easily."
- - - - -
Look for the correct answers--and Part 2 in this series--in next month's edition of GRAMMARCHECK.
-------------------------------------------------------
Are you producing serious copy that absolutely, positively MUST be error-free? Then consider using ProofreadNOW.com to ensure that your readers will never be distracted by errors in your important message. ProofreadNOW is open 24/7, and they're waiting for your Word, PDF, PowerPoint, or text document.
http://www.ProofreadNOW.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: I enjoyed last month's topic about the plural form of mother-in-law. Here's a follow-up question:
What's the possessive form of the plural "mothers-in-law"?
1. In the survey, mothers-in-law's opinions on the topic varied widely.
2. In the survey, mothers'-in-law opinions on the topic varied widely. (Ron)
GRAMMARCHECK: Good question, Ron. An apostrophe indicating possession always is placed at the end of a word. Your first example is the correct one.
- - - - - - - - - -
QUESTION: I'm writing to ask a question about the usage of hanged and hung, which was described in last month's newsletter. The newsletter gave tips on using "hang" when referring to people and "hung" when referring to things. However, people here in Hong Kong use "hanged" to describe a computer system having no response.
Example: The system hanged starting this morning and still has not responded.
In this case, should I use "hung" instead? (Chris)
GRAMMARCHECK: The past tense "hanged" refers to a particular type of execution (i.e., hanged by the neck until dead). In this sense, a computer cannot be in a "hanged" condition. "Hung" is the proper word to use.
Correct: The system hung while starting this morning and still has not responded.
Of course, the English language evolves over time to accommodate new human experiences. We have heard computer experts use "hanged" to describe a malfunctioning computer, so we may be witnessing such an evolution. After all, a computer that no longer works properly because of the improper execution of a software program could be considered in a state of electronic death, so we can see the relevance of using "hanged." At this time, however, "hung" is the correct word to use. Thanks for writing, Chris!
- - - - - - - - - -
QUESTION: It seems like more and more people are punctuating quotations incorrectly. Shouldn't the period (end mark) go inside the quotations, with very few exceptions?
Examples:
Mary said, "John is not home."
I never "offered you a rose garden."
What is the contemporary rule? Thanks. (Joanne)
GRAMMARCHECK: We were in complete agreement until you mentioned "very few exceptions." Actually, commas and periods ALWAYS go inside the quotation marks. We can't think of any exceptions to this rule in American English. Thanks for writing, Joanne, about one of our pet peeves.
-------------------------------------------------------
BE A GRAMMAR GUEST
If you have teaching, writing, or publishing experience, send your 200- to 300-word lesson that we can share with thousands of global subscribers. Please use simple American English to emphasize a particular grammar or punctuation point. Be sure to include your name and e-mail address so we can contact you about your article.
All submissions should follow the format of a typical GrammarCheck feature article, and all submissions become the property of GrammarCheck.com. Send your articles to grammar@grammarcheck.com. We look forward to seeing your ideas.
-------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: Which is the correct phrase?
"avail yourself of"
or
"avail yourself to"?
Please advise. Thank you.
GRAMMARCHECK: Your first example is correct.
- - - - - - - - - -
QUESTION: My friends and I had an argument about the following phrase. Which one is correct?
1. You can be rest assured that . . . (or "Be rest assured")
2. You can rest assured that . . . (or "Rest assured")
3. You can rest assure that . . . (or "Rest assure")
Thanks. By the way, I think #2 is correct.
GRAMMARCHECK: People often use two of these phrases without thinking about grammatical correctness. Only one of the three phrases is correct, however. Let's take a look at each one.
"Be rest assured" incorrectly casts "rest assured" as an adjective. You can be happy (adjective), sad (adjective), or grateful (adjective), but "rest assured" is not usually used as an adjective.
"Rest assure" casts "assure" as an adverb modifying the verb REST. The word "assure," however, can function only as a verb.
"Rest assured" correctly casts "assured" as an adverb. An adverb answers the question "how" (among others). For example, HOW should you rest? Rest "assured."
Phrase #2 is correct, as you predicted. Thanks for writing!
-------------------------------------------------------
SHAKESPEARE'S WORLD (by D. L. Johanyak, 2004) makes a perfect gift for friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers who enjoy reading about William Shakespeare, Tudor England, Renaissance Europe, or the early modern era of global discovery. Order attractive, reasonably priced copies, complete with color plates and a timeline, at http://www.amazon.com or at http://www.prenhall.com/english.
-------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: How do you spell WEBSITE correctly?
GRAMMARCHECK: The correct spellings of WEB, INTERNET, EMAIL, and WEBSITE are evolving. We spell them in this manner: Web, Internet, e-mail, and Web site. However, it's also becoming more acceptable to spell them in this way: web, internet, email, and website. We tell our students to spell them as we do, but it's becoming more difficult to enforce our spelling preferences since many Web writers now use the non-capitalized and non-hyphenated forms. The day will come when we will do no more than require consistent spellings throughout a document. But until that day, we recommend the capitalized and/or hyphenated forms.
- - - - - - - - - -
QUESTION: What is the correct way to spell PRACTICE/PRACTISE?
GRAMMARCHECK: Both spellings are correct; however, native speakers of British English prefer PRACTISE while users of American English prefer PRACTICE.
- - - - - - - - - -
QUESTION: What is a predicate? My second-grader needs to know this and I don't know the answer. Thanks. (JMM)
GRAMMARCHECK: We're assuming that you're referring to the grammatical term "predicate." A predicate, in second-grade terms, is that part of a sentence that includes the verb and everything after the verb. The subject is everything before the verb.
Example: George is very sleepy.
Subject = George
Predicate = is very sleepy.
Example: The boat that Michael rowed was made of wood.
Subject = The boat that Michael rowed
Predicate = was made of wood.
Of course, the answer to your question could be explained more thoroughly, but our explanation should help your second-grader to understand its meaning. Thanks for writing, JMM!
-------------------------------------------------------
GRAMMARCHECK ARCHIVES
Read past issues of GrammarCheck on-line at http://www.GrammarCheck.com/archives/
-------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: My co-worker is constantly correcting me when I use the word broke. I say the following sentence is correct:
"The computer is broke."
She says I should use "broken" rather than "broke." Is she correct? (Joyce)
GRAMMARCHECK: "Broke" is the past tense of the verb "break," while "broken" is the past participle of "break." Past tense words don't make sense when used with a helping verb. Past participles, when used as verbs in a sentence, require the use of a helping verb. Consider the following:
She had gave him the money.
Native speakers of English know intuitively that this sentence is incorrect. Past tense verbs (like "gave") don't make sense when used with a helping verb. Now consider this sentence:
She had given him the money.
In this sentence, "given" (the past participle of "give") is used as a verb; thus, it needs a helping verb (in this case, "had"). "Given" is correct.
- - - - -
The use of "broke" vs. "broken" operates under the same principle.
Incorrect: The computer is broke.
(Past tense verbs like "broke" don't make sense when combined with helping verbs like "is.")
Correct: The computer is broken.
"Broken" is correct because it's used as a verb in the sentence and thus requires a helping verb (in this case, "is").
Thanks for writing, Joyce!
-------------------------------------------------------
HAVE ANY STYLE AND/OR EDITING SUGGESTIONS? WRITE TO US!
Our readers often share great ideas about writing and grammar. If you have a writing tip related to editing for style, e-mail it to grammar@grammarcheck.com. We'll print the best ones in next month's edition.
-------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: I was taught in journalism class never to begin a sentence with HOWEVER, yet I notice you did in last month's issue. Has this rule changed?
GRAMMARCHECK: Beginning a sentence with a conjunction (e.g., However) is not grammatically incorrect. However, it may be considered improper in journalism, and some grammarians insist that it not be used at the beginning of a sentence. We believe in the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." If your teacher or professor (or supervisor) doesn't like its use at the beginning of a sentence, follow his or her wishes.
- - - - - - - - - -
QUESTION: I'm typing a summary, and it says "nurse practitioner Mary Jane." Does NURSE PRACTITIONER need to be capitalized? (Serena)
GRAMMARCHECK: Both words would be capitalized because they function as a title before a name, just as President, Senator, and Professor are capitalized when used as a title before a name. They wouldn't be capitalized, however, in the following sentence:
Mary Jane, a nurse practitioner at Summit Hospital, has received a promotion.
In this sentence, "nurse practitioner" describes a position in the hospital, not the title of a person.
-------------------------------------------------------
Have a question about grammar or writing? E-mail it to mailto:question@GrammarCheck.com.
-------------------------------------------------------
WEB SITE OF THE MONTH
Each month we're featuring a Web site that provides on-line help with grammar and/or writing. Check out this month's featured site:
"Guide to Grammar and Writing."
http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
-------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: There are numerous style guides available. Are there any specific ones you recommend? I also have THE GREGG REFERENCE MANUAL, SIXTH EDITION, an older version, but one I use often. Are there other reference manuals you recommend? Thank you! (Ann)
GRAMMARCHECK: Thanks for writing, Ann. We like the following style guides and grammar books:
1. MLA HANDBOOK FOR WRITERS OF RESEARCH PAPERS (6th Edition) by Joseph Gibaldi
2. PUBLICATION MANUAL OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (4th Edition)
3. THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE (15th Edition)
4. THE SCOTT FORESMAN HANDBOOK FOR WRITERS (7th Edition)
5. THE BRIEF ENGLISH HANDBOOK (7th Edition)
Many other good handbooks are available as well.
- - - - - - - - - -
QUESTION: If you are having a sign company create a house sign for your home, should the name say "The Brown's" or "The Browns'"? I've seen both on the Web and think that the apostrophe "s" version (e.g., The Brown's) is incorrect. Comments?
GRAMMARCHECK: Neither example is correct for a house sign. "The Brown's" indicates possession. Of course, if the sign is a truncated reference to "The Residence of Mark Brown," then "The Brown's" would be correct, but this usage isn't common.
"The Browns'" also is incorrect for the same reason (unless the sign is a truncated reference to "The Residence of Mark and Sally Brown). What the sign actually says is that "The Browns" live here. Thus if your last name is "Brown," the sign should read THE BROWNS. If your last name is "Browns," however, add an ES to the ending to form the plural. The sign would read THE BROWNSES.
- - - - - - - - - -
QUESTION: In the following sentence, where does the comma go?
Aunt Bernice will not come today but she will come tomorrow.
My daughter's teacher has it going after but. I say it goes after today.
GRAMMARCHECK: The conjunction BUT joins two independent clauses in this case:
1. Aunt Bernice will not come today.
2. She will come tomorrow.
The comma, therefore, should be placed before BUT or after TODAY:
Aunt Bernice will not come today, but she will come tomorrow.
-------------------------------------------------------
That's it for this month. Thanks for subscribing to GrammarCheck--and please spread the word about us. See you in April!