Teaching GrammarArticle Usage

EunjuRoseHelenDavid

✓Definite article: a unique referent ex) the box, the boxes, the information

✓Indefinite article: with singular countable nouns -a: with consonant sounds ex) a box, a university -an: with vowel sounds ex) an apple, an hour

✓Zero article -with non-countable nouns Substance ex) water, beer Abstract concepts ex) love, happiness, money-with proper nouns ex) Tom, Korea-with plural nouns ex) boxes, classes

Conventional View on Articles

What is wrong with this view on the Indefinite and Zero

article?

Countability is not a fixed property of English nouns.Instead, it could be changedaccording to how it is used.

‣The same noun could be used as countable or non-countableex) There is an apple. She fed the baby a teaspoon of apple.

What are Countable Contexts?IndividuationIndividuation-The process of classifying as a single unit‣The characteristics of an individual unit -clear boundaries -no part equals the whole-often treated as concreteOf course, individual units are countable while non-individual units are non-countable.

How do we use this concept?‣An individual unit receives the indefinite article while a non-individual unit gets nothing

ex) Coffee, please. A coffee, please.

‣Notice that the same word could be used as individual or non-individual unit in different contexts

Activity 1: Shopping List

Countability and Individuation

Shopping List‣Objective: Raise awareness of countability‣Activity type: pairwork‣Time: approx. 15~20 minutes‣Materials: worksheets‣Learner Profile:-Intermediate-lowlistening: low intermediatespeaking: novice highreading: low intermediatewriting: novice high-middle school 1st or 2nd graders‣Grammar points: count and non-count nouns containers (food)

Procedure1.Activate students’ schema about grocery shopping ex) Have you gone grocery shopping? How many times do you go grocery shopping in a week?2.Work together as a pair. Look at the shopping list.3.Ask each other about the shopping list. ex) What do you need to buy?

4.Hand out the worksheet. Find out the differences between mother’s shopping list and what her son bought.5.Fill out the blanks with proper nouns.6.Evaluate whether the son is a good shopper or not.7.Have students make their own shopping lists using containers.

One day a mother asked her son to do the weekly grocery shopping, instead. She gave him a list of things to buy for the three of them.

Fill in the blanks what he bought. He bought :

• 7 _________ / 7 cartons of _______• ________ / a dozen of _______• 9 ________ / 9 blocks of _______• 3 ________ / 3 jars of ________• 7 ________ / 7 cartons of ________ • 8 ________ / 8 boxes of ________• 5 ________ / 5 heads of ________• 4 ________ / 4 bottles of ________• 2 ________ • 7 ________ • 3 ________

If you were his mom, would you let him do the shopping again? Why? Why not? Then, write down your own shopping list using container

What is wrong with the conventional view on the

Definite article?There are some uses of the definite article where a unique referent does not existex) He likes to read the newspaper in the morning.

He likes to read a newspaper ina morning.

When do we use a/an or the?The concepts of classifying and

identifying‣ClassifyingClassifying: process by which we name a thing or things as belonging to a class of objects

‣IdentifyingIdentifying: process by which we distinguish a thing or things from the same class of objects

How do we use these concepts?

Use the indefinite article for classifying and the definite article for identifyingex) What’s making that noise? a. It’s probably a dog outside. b. It’s probably the dog outside.

Classifying and Identifying Functions of ArticlesClassifying (a/an) Identifying (the)

1. Introducingex) in a small village

1. Reintroducingex) back to the village

2. A kind of thingex) Do you have a map?

2. The specific thingex) Where’s the map?

3. Any member of their classex) She is a teacher.

3. The only member of their classex) the moon, the President

4. Unmodifiedex) It’s a fact.

4. Post-modifiedex) The person who asked the questions5. Pre-modifiedex) The first person in her thoughts.

5. Objects as category membersex) a newspaper, a bank

6. Objects in shared Objects in shared experienceexperienceex) the newspaper, the bank

Activity 2: Matching Game

Objects shared experience

make

the

bed

do the grocery shoppin

g

vacuum

the

floor

mop

the

floor

do

the

dishes

dothe

laundry

take out

the

trash

mow

the

lawn

feed

the

dog

rake

the leaves

cleanthe

windows

washthe dog

dust

the furnitur

e

sweepthe floor

waterthe

grass

‣ClassifyingNEW INFORMATION (first mention)

‣IdentifyingGIVEN INFORMATION subsequent)

b. I spotted a cat in a tree.

b. The cat jumped off and lunged at me.

a. An accident occurred yesterday.

a. The accident involved a truck, bus, and a duck.

Meanings in ContextMeanings in Context

Activity 3: Fill in the Blanks

Activity 4: Reordering

Does classifying occur before identifying?‣Generally, yes (classify then

identify) a. There was a news report about a man and a dog. What’s weird is that the man bit the dog.‣But not always (identify then classify) A: Wait out there, I need to set the trap. B: Wha? A: Oh, sorry. I’ve got a giant rat in my house and I need to set a trap to catch it.

New as Old: Inferring‣Under assumptions of shared background knowledge, new information is treated as givena. I noticed a brand new bicycle just lying there.

b. The handle and the tires fell off when I tried to pick it up.

Perspectivea. As I was walking home, I spotted aa cat in a tree.b. TheThe cat jumped off and lunged at me.

c. It ran away after thethe attack.

d. So I chased after thethe little ankle biter and I ran into anan exhausted-looking man.e. I asked thethe man, “Did you see aa cat run by?”f. And he said, “No, but did you see aa dog run by?

Already Given: uses of ‘the’

‣ANAPHORICANAPHORIC: refer back

‣CATAPHORICCATAPHORIC: forward

a. There was a mouse and a cat in the yard, but ironically, the little rodent was chasing the feline.

a. The fuming squirrel with the bloody hatchet lurched towards the napping man.

Too Obvious to Mention‣Zero article for “the clearest cases of given information”

http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=94

“Dispense into palm and rub hands together. Apply shampoo to wet hair, massaging scalp with fingertips. Work lather through to ends. Rinse thoroughly and repeat if desired.”

Activity 5: Recipes

How to make kimchi fried rice1. Chop kimchi, onion, ham, and mix.

2. In large pan, heat oil and fry prepared ingredients.3. Add cooked rice.4. Add salt and pepper.5. Remove onto plate.6. Fry eggs in pan.7. Place eggs on fried rice and serve.

New indefinite article‣‘‘this’this’ highlights a particular

entity as the main focus of attentiona. So there’s this guy at work...

b. Chris knew this girl back home...

c. Out of nowhere this thing jumps out...

http://www.dontquoteme.com/search/quote_display.jsp?quoteID=7190&gameID=1

"There was this one time, at band camp..."