A few rules about articles (this is not an all-inclusive list):
THE
The is called the definite article. It is used:
· when it is obvious what noun is being referred to:
o The television is broken. (I only have one television.)
· when the noun being referred to is unique (only one of them exists):
o The Parthenon is located in Athens.
· when a particular noun is being referred to:
o The winner of the election was ______.
…and:
o the Earth, the sun and the moon (but all other planets take ø)
o The moon revolves around the Earth.
o rivers
o The Seine runs through the city of Paris.
o mountain ranges
o The Himalayas are home to Mt. Everest.
o plural countries, including those whose names include United and Republic:
o the United States, the United Kingdom, the People’s Republic of China, the Czech Republic, the
Netherlands, the Philippines
o island groups
o the Maldives, the Cook Islands, the Seychelles
A and AN
A and An are called the indefinite articles. A is used when the following word begins with a consonant. An is used when the following word begins with a vowel.
A and An are used when the noun being referred to is a singular person or thing: “one of many”. For example:
· This is a very interesting theory about economic policy in Asia.
· I have decided to take an astronomy class.
…and with:
o jobs or professions:
o I am going to medical school to become a doctor.
Ø
Ø is called the zero article. It is used when referring to ideas that are uncountable: pollution freedom industry knowledge health shopping information
o Some people believe that pollution is causing global warming.
o Health is more important than wealth.
… and with:
o planets, countries, cities, states, continents
o languages and school subjects
o with the following places, but only when they are being used for their main purpose:
school class church university bed home I was late for class this morning. BUT The class is in room 203.
He goes to school in Switzerland. BUT It is a very large school.
After class, I’m going home. BUT Y ou have a beautiful home.
Exercise:
Fill in the blanks with an article: a, an, the, or ø
There are thousands of zoos around ________ world which house millions of animals worldwide. Many people think that keeping animals in ________ cage is cruel and unnatural, but others argue that zoos protect animals and that without zoos, many of _________ animals that are housed in them would be in danger of dying out. I believe that zoos are necessary to protect animals that would otherwise have no remaining
natural habitat and would therefore be endangered or extinct.
In _________ past, it has often been considered cruel to confine wild animals to small cages purely for _________ amusement and curiosity of human beings. Many people believe that wild animals should be allowed to roam free in their natural habitat and to hunt their natural prey. I also believe this would be ideal, but unfortunately, due to __________ humankind’s prolific population of __________ Earth, many animals’
natural habitats have been destroyed and many wild animals’ prey are no longer sufficient in number to sustain them. Cities, towns and ________ industry have taken over land which was once home to ______ variety of different species.
Therefore, I agree with _________ sentiment that zoos have become necessary to protect and sustain many species which would have little or no chance of survival in _________ wild. For example, ________ panda bear of China is __________
endangered species which has been successfully bred in zoos, thus helping to keep the species alive. Similarly, tigers have grown in numbers since living in zoos and many animals today have been bred in captivity, and know nothing else. Ideally, ________
manmade habitat of ________ zoo animals should replicate their natural habitat as
much as possible. Often, panda bear pens in zoos have bamboo available, so they can feed on their favourite food as they would in ________ wild.
In conclusion, because many wild animals’ natural habitats have been destroyed by humans, we can do our best to make their manmade environments in zoos as spacious and natural as possible, so that many endangered species can survive.
Now check your answers.
Question 14:
Some people think that keeping animals in zoos is cruel to the animals, while others believe that zoos keep many animal species alive that would otherwise be extinct.
Explain both sides of this argument and give your opinion.
Complete Sample Answer:
There are thousands of zoos around the world which house millions of animals
worldwide. Many people think that keeping animals in a cage is cruel and unnatural, but others argue that zoos protect animals and that without zoos, many of the animals that are housed in them would be in danger of dying out. I believe that zoos are necessary to protect animals that would otherwise have no remaining natural habitat and would therefore be endangered or extinct.
In the past, it has often been considered cruel to confine wild animals to small cages purely for the amusement and curiosity of human beings. Many people believe that wild animals should be allowed to roam free in their natural habitat and to hunt their natural prey. I also believe this would be ideal, but unfortunately, due to humankind’s prolific population of the Earth, many animals’ natural habitats have been destroyed and many wild animals’ prey are no longer sufficient in number to sustain them. Cities, towns and industry have taken over land which was once home to a variety of different species.
Therefore, I agree with the sentiment that zoos have become necessary to protect and sustain many species which would have little or no chance of survival in the wild. For example, the panda bear of China is an endangered species which has been successfully bred in zoos, thus helping to keep the species alive. Similarly, tigers have grown in numbers since living in zoos and many animals today have been bred in captivity, and know nothing else. Ideally, the manmade habitat of the zoo animals should replicate their natural habitat as much as possible. Often, panda bear pens in zoos have bamboo available, so they can feed on their favourite food as they would in the wild.
In conclusion, because many wild animals’ natural habitats have been destroyed by humans, we can do our best to make their manmade environments in zoos as spacious and natural as possible, so that many endangered species can survive.
(336 words)
Be aware of your use of articles. Read through the essays in this book and look at how articles are used.