is outside of the city.
The zero article with prepositional phrases
Certain prepositional phrases do not take an article:
in charge
in tears
in danger
at war
by heart
beyond control
on time
by car
But if there is a word or phrase that modifies the noun, an article is used:
We drove
in a red car
.
Hurricanes are
beyond the control of governments
.
He got wounded
in the Second World War
.
Exercises: Articles
For exercises on articles, go to Exercises: articles and nouns at the end of Chapter 10: Countable and uncountable nouns.
Chapter 10: Countable and uncountable nouns
The difference between countable and uncountable nouns
Nouns with countable and uncountable meanings
Determiners with countable and uncountable nouns (SOME, ANY, NO, MANY, MUCH, FEW, LITTLE etc.)
Partitive expressions with uncountable nouns
Nouns with a singular form and a singular or plural meaning (collective nouns)
Nouns which are always plural
Nouns with a plural form and a singular meaning
Nouns with the same singular and plural forms
Irregular plural forms
Exercises: articles and nouns
The difference between countable and uncountable nouns
Countable nouns can be counted (a/one book, two books, a lot of books), while uncountable nouns cannot (*a/one news, *two freedoms). Therefore, uncountable nouns only have singular forms and are followed by singular verbs. We should bear in mind that, even though a noun is uncountable in English, the word for it in another language may well be countable, and vice versa. When in doubt, one should always consult a dictionary. However, certain kinds of nouns are usually countable or uncountable in English:
Countable nouns
people (a teacher, a child, a gentleman)
animals (a butterfly, an elephant, a whale)
plants (a flower, a bush, a tree)
physical objects (a bag, a pen, a mountain)
units (a litre (of), a kind of, a part of, a family, a village, a word)
Uncountable nouns
abstract ideas (love, death, beauty)
gases (smoke, air, steam)
liquids (water, milk, blood)
substances and materials (wood, iron, fabric)
other substances consisting of many small particles (sugar, rice, sand)
Quotes:
Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving. - Albert Einstein
The best way to gain self-confidence is to do what you are afraid to do. - Author unknown
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. - Bill Cosby
The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. - Donald Kendall
Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. - Edward Vernon Rickenbacker
The greatest weariness comes from work not done. - Eric Hoffer
Gossip needn't be false to be evil - there's a lot of truth that shouldn't be passed around. - Frank A. Clark
Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. - Henry David Thoreau
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. - Jim Rohn
Freedom lies in being bold. - Robert Frost
Friendship is a sheltering tree. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant. - Seneca
Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats. - Voltaire
Knowledge is learning something every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day. - Zen saying
Nouns with countable and uncountable meanings
Some nouns have both countable and uncountable meanings:
Substances
Countable meaning
Uncountable meaning
I need
an iron
to press my trousers.
Steel is made from
iron
.
My grandma raises
chickens
.
Would you prefer
chicken
or turkey?
A rolling stone
gathers no moss.
Different kinds of
stone
can be used for different purposes.
We found ourselves in the middle of
the wood
.
All the desks in here are made of
wood
.
A glass
of beer, please.
Glass
does not conduct electricity well.
Would you like
a coffee
?
Would you like
some coffee
?
Activities
Countable meaning
Uncountable meaning
I had
an interesting thought
yesterday.
Eastern
thought
is characterised by dualism.
Simon got
a basketball
for Christmas.
Basketball
is played by teams of five.
Mr Pit runs
a business
selling recyclable diapers.
Online
business
is thriving these days.