He has only one dictionary. He has only one dictionary. (correct)
He has only one dictionary. He has only one dictionary. (error)
For me, one minute is enough to do it. For me, one minute is enough to do it. (correct)
One minute is enough for me to do it. For me, one minute is enough to do it.
1) The biggest grammatical function of the indefinite article in the sentence is that it is used before the singular form of a countable noun to indicate a general reference-to indicate that a class of people or things is different.
I am from China. I come from China.
This is a book. This is a book.
2) For the convenience of pronunciation, it starts with vowels and phonemes in countable.
Replace a with an before the singular noun of a noun. When we use an, there are three conditions: ① The pronunciation of this noun must start with a vowel phoneme-that is, the first phoneme of its phonetic symbol is a vowel, not a vowel letter. It must be a countable noun. Must also be a singular noun. We often see this usage:
A university, a university, an hour.
An orange and an engineer.
An ordinary person, an ordinary person
An honest man is an honest man.
3) definite articles can be used before countable nouns and uncountable nouns in sentences; Used before singular form of countable nouns and before plural form of countable nouns. In the sense of expression, we can express both the meaning of this and that, and the meaning of that and that. Example:
This is just the ink I want to buy. This is just the kind of ink I want to buy.
The words on the blackboard should be learned next time. These words on the blackboard are to be learned next time.
4) The biggest grammatical function of definite articles in sentences is to limit nouns and make them meaningful.
A noun with a specific meaning. This "specific meaning" is not difficult to see through comparison. Example:
This is the record you asked for. These are the records you want.
I bought some records yesterday. I bought some records yesterday.
Have you decided the price? Have you determined the price?
After understanding the above basic concepts about articles, we can further discuss the specific situation of the basic usage of articles.
Basic usage of indefinite articles
1) is used to refer to people or things.
She wants to rent an apartment near the campus .. She wants to rent a house near the school.
Sally sent me a photo of herself before she went to London. Sally sent me a photo of her before going to London.
Grammar books are necessary for language learners. Grammar books are necessary for language learners.
The teacher likes to put a watch on his/her desk during the lecture. Teachers always put their watches on the platform when giving lectures.
2) Used in some phrases. This usage is bound by the agreement, so we have no choice but to follow it. For example:
Have a rest, have a look and have fun.
Take a bath, have a rest and take a bath.
Cold and fever become a habit.
The guess of earning a living makes a difference between.
In a sense.
Have an advantage over occasionally.
Generally speaking, there are advantages.
Usage of indefinite articles and definite articles
1. Basic syntax description
Articles in English are used to refer to accompanying singular countable nouns, that is, when you mention a single person or thing in a sentence, you need to add an article before it to indicate the existence of a single "one". Articles are divided into indefinite articles and definite articles. As the name implies, the time to use the definite article the is that the singular noun you say is the specific object of that. On the contrary, if there is no specific object, use the indefinite article a/an.
2. Error occurrence and correction exercises
Look at the following sentences carefully. What's the matter? How to correct it?
A.i'm not English. I'm from China.
I'm not English. I come from China.
B.we need a secretary and accountant in our department.
Our department needs a secretary and an accountant.
C.i'm eating apple pie. Apple pie is still hot.
I'm eating apple pie. This pie is still hot.
3. Error correction and explanation
The correct sentence is as follows:
A.i'm not English. I'm from China.
I just forgot to put the article before the singular noun.
This kind of mistake usually occurs because of the influence of Chinese habits, because we don't necessarily say or write quantifiers such as "one" and "the same" in Chinese expression, so we should pay special attention to it when expressing in English.
B.we need a secretary and an accountant in our department.
When there are conjunctions, I forget to add articles to the singular nouns behind.
Although conjunctions such as and can connect the two nouns, individual articles can't be saved!
C.i'm eating apple pie. Apple pie is still hot.
It is not clear that the definite article the should be used before the objects specified by "that one" and "this one"
Usually when we mention a thing or a person for the first time, we are introducing something new or unknown to the listener, so we don't need to specify it specially, so we can use the indefinite article a/an. But when we mention "that" thing or "someone" again in the later narration or dialogue, we should use the definite article the to represent the singular noun that has been mentioned before.