Page 133 - Advanced English Grammar in Use
P. 133

H o l i d a y s ,  t i m e s  o f the   d a y ,  m e a l s ,  e t c .
                                                t h e
                                                                         etc.
                                                      day,
                                                              meals,
                                  times
                   Holidays,
                                            of
                      use
                              article with the
                          zero
                                                            special times
                                                                                            names
                                            names
                                                  of holidays,
                  often
                                                                                  or with the
                                                                        of the year,
              We often  use  zero  article  with  the  names  of  holidays,  special  times  of  the  year,  or  with  the  names
              We
                                     week:
                           days
                                of the
              of  months  and
              of months and days  of  the  week:
                                                                         Monday
                                                            September
                                         New  Year's  Day
            3   • ¢   Easter  Ramadan    New Year's Day     September    Monday
                             Ramadan
                   Easter
                  compare:
              But compare:
              But

                     see you  on  Saturday.   They arrived on  a                       on the
                                                                           They  arrived
               • «   I'll see  you  on  Saturday.   • ¢   They  arrived  ona   • ¢   They arrived on  the
                  I'll
                                                                                   after
                                                                                        my
                            Saturday.
                                                                           Saturday
               • ¢   We met on Saturday.      Saturday as far as I can     Saturday after  my
                                              Saturday  as  far  as  I  can
                  We  met  on
                                              remember.                    birthday party.
                                                                                   party.
                                              remember.
                                                                           birthday

                                                                           a particular Saturday,
                                                    only interested in
                  next Saturday /
                                            =  we  are
                = =  next  Saturday /       = we are only  interested  in   = =a  particular  Saturday,
                                                                                        one
                                               day of the week,
                                                                                  which
                                                              not
                   Saturday
                                                                         specifying
                                            the
                last Saturday               the day  of  the  week,  not   specifying which  one
                last
                                             which   particular  Saturday
                                            which particular  Saturday

              With  winter,   summer,  spring,  autumn,  and New Year  (meaning the holiday period),  we can
              With winter, summer,  spring,  autumn,  and  New  Year  (meaning  the  holiday  period),  we  can
                                      article:
                   use
                               or
                                 zero
                      either the
              often
              often use  either  the  or  zero  article:
                     (the)
                          summer I try to spend as much time in the garden as I can.
                • ¢   In In  (the)  summer  I  try  to  spend  as  much  time  in  the  garden  as  I  can.
                                                           (the) New Year.
                • ¢   In Scotland, they really know how to celebrate (the)  New  Year.
                   In  Scotland,  they  really  know  how  to  celebrate
                     the when
                                                         spring, etc.
                  use
                                                                   we mean:
                             it is understood which summer,
              We
              We use  the  when  it  is  understood  which  summer,  spring,  etc.  we  mean:
                   'When did you meet Beth?' 'In  the  summer.'  (=  last  summer)
                • ¢   'When  did  you  meet  Beth?'   'In the summer.'  (= last summer)
                                                  'In the autumn.'
                                                                (= next autumn)
                • ¢   'When are you going to university?' 'In  the  autumn.'  (=  next  autumn)
                   ‘When  are  you  going  to  university?'
                   J  first  went  skiing  in  the  spring  of  1992.
                • ¢   I first went skiing in the spring of 1992.
                     'in the New Year'
                                                        beginning
                                       mean
                                            at
                  say
                                               or near the
                                     to
                                                                 of next year:
              We
              We say  'in  the  New  Year'  to  mean  at  or  near  the  beginning  of  next  year:
                      see you again in the New Year.
                • ¢   I'll see  you  again  in  the  New  Year.
                   J'll
                              describe the  features  of a  particular holiday,  season,  etc.,  we  use  a/an:
              When we want to to  describe  the  features  of a  particular  holiday,  season,  etc.,  we  use  a/an:
              When  we  want
                • ¢   That  was   a winter I'll  never forget.
                   That was a  winter  I'll  never  forget.
                                                                                            of a
                                                                    morning/afternoon/evening
                                 in the
                                      usual way when we talk about the
                            a/an
                     the
                  use
                        and
        D     We use  the  and  a/an  in  the  usual  way  when  we  talk  about  the  morning/afternoon/evening  of  a
              We
              particular   day:
              particular day:
                • ¢   I woke up with a sore throat, and by the evening my voice had disappeared.
                   I  woke  up  with  a  sore  throat,  and  by  the  evening  my  voice  had  disappeared.
                   We're  going  in  the  afternoon.
                • ¢   We're going in the afternoon.
                                  'Yes, I've had a terrible morning.'
                   'You  look  upset.'
                • «   'You look upset.' 'Yes,  I've  had  a  terrible  morning."
              However,   we  use  zero  article with at night and by night.  Compare:
              However, we  use  zero  article  with  at  night  and  by  night.  Compare:
                                                     and
                   She  kept  us  awake  all  through  the  night.
                • ¢   She kept us awake all through the night, and
                   Idon't  like  driving  at  night.
                • ¢   I don't like driving at night.
                  use  zero  article with midnight, midday, and noon:
              We
              We use  zero  article  with  midnight,  midday,  and  noon:
                                   it finished
                                            by midday.
                   If  possible,  I'd  like
                   If possible, I'd like it  finished  by  midday.
            g   We usually  use  zero  article  when  we  talk  about  meals:
                • ¢
              Treadaan= (EEE)  Zaoatce                for  a  special occasion, we  However,  if we want to
                                article when we talk about meals:
                            zero
                  usually
                        use
              We
                                      dinner?
                                   for
                • «
                   What  have  we  got
                   What have we got for  dinner?
                                          at breakfast.
                                     coffee
                   I don't like drinking coffee  at  breakfast.
                   I  don't  like  drinking
                • ¢
                                                            before
                                                   breakfast
                          say,
                                         'I had a/the
                              for example,
                                                                 I went out'.
              We  wouldn't
              We wouldn't say,  for  example,  'I  had  a/the  breakfast  before  I  went  out'.  However,  if  we  want  to
                                                      article:
                      a particular meal,
                                                use an
                                     then we can
              describe a  particular  meal,  then  we  can  use  an  article:
              describe
                                      10 o'clock and had a late breakfast.
                • ¢
                   We  didn't  get  up  until
                   We didn't get up until 10  o'clock  and  had a  late  breakfast.
                       dinner we had at Webster's restaurant was marvellous.
                   The
                • ¢
                   The dinner  we  had  at  Webster's  restaurant  was  marvellous.
                                                                                'a
                                                                            use
                                        dinner or
                                                                                        or
                                                                                           'a
                                                                                  dinner'
                                                lunch
                                a
                                  formal
              When we talk about a  formal  dinner  or  lunch  for  a  special  occasion,  we  use  'a  dinner'  or  'a
              When  we  talk  about
              lunch':
              lunch’:
                   We're having a dinner to welcome the new manager.
                   We're  having  a  dinner  to  welcome  the  new  manager.
                • ¢
              The and a/an =
                                     Zero article =
                                            >
                                              [REI
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