Page 129 - Advanced English Grammar in Use

T h e , z e r o a r t i c l e a n d a / a n : t h i n g s i n g e n e r a l '

In generalisations we use zero article, but not the, with plural or uncountable nouns:
• Before you put them on, always check your shoes for spiders.
• I'm studying geography at university.
• I can smell smoke!
When we use the with a plural or uncountable noun, we are talking about specific things or
people:
• The books you ordered have arrived.
• All the information you asked for is in this file of papers.
Compare these pairs of sentences:
• Flowers really brighten up a room. (= flowers in general) and
• The flowers you bought me are lovely. (= particular flowers)
• Industry is using computers more and more. (= industry in general) and
• The tourism industry is booming in Malaysia. (= a particular industry)
• Children should be given a sense of how business works. (= business in general) and
• The aerospace business actually lost $6 billion this year. (= a particular business)
• She's an expert on Swedish geology. (= among other Swedish things) and
• She's an expert on the geology of Sweden. (= specifically of Sweden) (see also Unit 58D)

We can use the with a singular countable noun to talk about the general features or
B
characteristics of a class of things or people rather than one specific thing or person. In
• Nowadays, photocopiers are found in both the office and the home.
we are talking about offices and homes in general rather than a particular office and home.
Notice that we could also say 'in both offices and homes' with little difference in meaning.
Compare the use of the and a/an in these sentences:

talking about a general class talking about an unspecified example

The novel is the most popular form of Reading a novel is a good way to relax.
fiction writing, (or Novels are...) (or Reading novels is...)
The customer has a right to know where When the phone rang, I was busy serving
products are made, (or Customers have...) a customer.

Study the use of the and a/an in these sentences:

/the statement is ^ The computer has A computer has computers in general
about computers revolutionised revolutionised have done this, not an
\in general J publishing. ^ publishing. X individual computer

The computer is an important this is true of both the A computer is an important
research tool. ^ jand the research tool. •
(individual item]

Notice that when we define something we generally use a/an rather than the:
• A Geiger counter is a device for detecting and measuring the intensity of radiation.
• A corkscrew is a gadget for getting corks out of bottles.

Countable and uncountable nouns = The and a/an = Zero article =>|