Article and Determiner

NAMA : ANNISA NUR PRATIWI

NPM : 11214386

KELAS : 1EA32

JURUSAN : MANAJEMEN

The articles in English are the definite article the and the indefinite articles a and an. The term article is also used loosely by some to include the determiner some. Use of the definite article implies that the speaker assumes the listener knows the identity of the noun's referent(because it is obvious, because it is common knowledge, or because it was mentioned in the same sentence or an earlier sentence.

The definite article the is used when the referent of the noun phrase is assumed to be unique or known from the context, the noun is know or the noun is singular / plural . For example :

·         Please close the window

·         I like the the star

The indefinite article a (before a consonant sound) or an (before a vowel sound) is used only with singular, countable nouns. It indicates that the referent of the noun phrase is one unspecified member of a class.

For example article a :

·        I saw a man in my class

·        I dont have a credit card

For example article an :

·        I want an umberella

·        An banana

No article is used with plural or uncountable nouns when the referent is indefinite (just as in the generic definite case described above). However, in such situations, the determiner some is often added (or any in negative contexts and in many questions). For example:

·         There are grapes in the kitchen or There are some grapes in the kitchen;

·         We do not have information or We do not have any information

Additionally, articles are not normally used:

·         in noun phrases that contain other determiners (my room, this rabbit), although one can combine articles with certain other determiners, as in the many issues, such a child 

·         with pronouns (he, nobody), although again certain combinations are possible (as the one, the many, the few).

·         preceding noun phrases consisting of a clause or infinitive phrase (what you've done is very good, to surrender is to die).

If it is required to be concise, e.g. in headlines, signs, labels, and notes, articles are often omitted along with certain other function words. For example, rather than The mayor was attacked, a newspaper headline might say just Mayor attacked.

Determiners are used to identify things in further detail. To take the dictionary definition, they are modifying words that determine the kind of reference a noun or noun group has.

Determiners are different to pronouns in that a determiner is always followed by a noun. Personal pronouns ( I , you , he , etc.) and possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, etc.) don't act as determiners.

They are used in front of nouns to indicate whether you are referring to something specific or something of a particular type.

The definite and indefinite articles a/an/the are all determiners.

You use a specific determiner when people know exactly which thing(s) or person/people you are talking about.

Determiners include:

the articles : a / an / the demonstratives : this / that / these / those possessives (aka possessive adjectives): my / your /his / her / its / our / your / their

For example:-

"The dog barked at the boy."
"These grapes are rotten."
"Their bus was late."
"Have you seen my books?"

You use general determiners to talk about how much stuff or how many people or things you are talking about.

More general determiners are quantifiers:

a few a little  all  another  any both  each  either  enough  every few  fewer  less  little  many more  most  much neither  no  other  several  some

For example:
"There is enough food to feed everyone." 
"I don't teach online every day."

Numbers act as determiners too, they show how many things or people there are: 1, 2, 3...

Referensi :

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_articles

2. http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/determinertext.html