Teaching Grammar
Article Usage
Eunju
Rose
Helen
David
Conventional View on Articles
✓Indefinite article: with singular countable nouns
-a: with consonant sounds ex) a box, a university
-an: with vowel sounds ex) an apple, an hour
✓Definite article: a unique referent
ex) the box, the boxes, the information
✓Zero article
-with non-countable nouns
Substance ex) water, beer
Abstract concepts ex) love, happiness, money
-with proper nouns ex) Tom, Korea
-with plural nouns ex) boxes, classes
What is wrong with this view on
the Indefinite and Zero article?
‣The same noun could be used as countable
or non-countable
ex) There is an apple.
She fed the baby a teaspoon of apple.
Countability is not a fixed property of
English nouns.
Instead, it could be changed
according to how it is used.
What are Countable Contexts?
Individuation
-The process of classifying as a single unit
‣The characteristics of an individual unit
-clear boundaries
-no part equals the whole
-often treated as concrete
Of course, individual units are
countable while non-individual units
are non-countable.
How do we use this concept?
‣An individual unit receives the indefinite
article while a non-individual unit gets
nothing
‣Notice that the same word could be used
as individual or non-individual unit in
different contexts
ex) Coffee, please.
A coffee, please.
Activity 1: Shopping List
Countability and Individuation
Shopping List
‣Objective: Raise awareness of countability
‣Activity type: pairwork
‣Time: approx. 15~20 minutes
‣Materials: worksheets
‣Learner Profile:
-Intermediate-low
listening: low intermediate
speaking: novice high
reading: low intermediate
writing: novice high
-middle school 1st or 2nd graders
‣Grammar points: count and non-count nouns containers
(food)
Procedure
1.Activate students’ schema about grocery shopping
ex) Have you gone grocery shopping?
How many times do you go grocery shopping in a week?
2.Work together as a pair. Look at the shopping list.
3.Ask each other about the shopping list.
ex) What do you need to buy?
4.Hand out the worksheet. Find out the differences between
mother’s shopping list and what her son bought.
5.Fill out the blanks with proper nouns.
6.Evaluate whether the son is a good shopper or not.
7.Have students make their own shopping lists using
containers.
One day a mother asked her son to do the weekly grocery
shopping, instead. She gave him a list of things to buy for the
three of them.
Fill in the blanks what he bought.
He bought :
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
7 _________ / 7 cartons of _______
________ / a dozen of _______
9 ________ / 9 blocks of _______
3 ________ / 3 jars of ________
7 ________ / 7 cartons of ________
8 ________ / 8 boxes of ________
5 ________ / 5 heads of ________
4 ________ / 4 bottles of ________
2 ________
7 ________
3 ________
If you were his mom, would you let him do the shopping again?
Why? Why not? Then, write down your own shopping list using
container
What is wrong with the conventional
view on the Definite article?
There are some uses of the definite
article where a unique referent does
not exist
ex) He likes to read the newspaper in
the morning.
He likes to read a newspaper in
a morning.
When do we use a/an or the?
The concepts of classifying and identifying
‣Classifying: process by which we
name a thing or things as belonging to a
class of objects
‣Identifying: process by which we
distinguish a thing or things from the
same class of objects
How do we use these concepts?
Use the indefinite article for classifying
and the definite article for identifying
ex) What’s making that noise?
a. It’s probably a dog outside.
b. It’s probably the dog outside.
Classifying and Identifying Functions of Articles
Classifying (a/an)
1. Introducing
ex) in a small village
2. A kind of thing
ex) Do you have a map?
Identifying (the)
1. Reintroducing
ex) back to the village
2. The specific thing
ex) Where’s the map?
3. Any member of their class
ex) She is a teacher.
3. The only member of their class
ex) the moon, the President
4. Unmodified
ex) It’s a fact.
4. Post-modified
ex) The person who asked the
questions
5. Pre-modified
ex) The first person in her
thoughts.
5. Objects as category members 6. Objects in shared experience
ex) a newspaper, a bank
ex) the newspaper, the bank
Activity 2: Matching Game
Objects shared experience
make
do the
vacuum
mop
do
the
grocery
the
the
the
bed
shopping
floor
take out
mow
feed
rake
the
the
the
the
lawn
dog
leaves
do
the
laundry
trash
floor
dishes
clean
wash
dust
sweep
water
the
the
the
the
the
windows
dog
furniture
floor
grass
Meanings in Context
‣Classifying
NEW INFORMATION (first mention)
a. An accident occurred yesterday.
b. I spotted a cat in a tree.
‣Identifying
GIVEN INFORMATION subsequent)
a. The accident involved a truck, bus, and a duck.
b. The cat jumped off and lunged at me.
Activity 3: Fill in the Blanks
Activity 4: Reordering
Does classifying occur before identifying?
‣Generally, yes (classify then identify)
a. There was a news report about a man and a dog.
What’s weird is that the man bit the dog.
‣But not always (identify then classify)
A: Wait out there, I need to set the trap.
B: Wha?
A: Oh, sorry. I’ve got a giant rat in my house and I need
to set a trap to catch it.
New as Old: Inferring
‣Under assumptions of shared background
knowledge, new information is treated as
given
a. I noticed a brand new bicycle just lying there.
b. The handle and the tires fell off when I tried to
pick it up.
Perspective
a. As I was walking home, I spotted a cat in a tree.
b. The cat jumped off and lunged at me.
c. It ran away after the attack.
d. So I chased after the little ankle biter and I ran
into an exhausted-looking man.
e. I asked the man, “Did you see a cat run by?”
f. And he said, “No, but did you see a dog run by?
Already Given: uses of ‘the’
‣ANAPHORIC: refer back
a. There was a mouse and a cat in the yard, but
ironically, the little rodent was chasing the feline.
‣CATAPHORIC: forward
a. The fuming squirrel with the bloody hatchet
lurched towards the napping man.
Too Obvious to Mention
‣Zero article for “the clearest
cases of given information”
“Dispense into palm and rub
hands together. Apply shampoo to
wet hair, massaging scalp with
fingertips. Work lather through to
ends. Rinse thoroughly and repeat
if desired.”
http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=94
Activity 5: Recipes
How to make
kimchi fried rice
1. Chop kimchi, onion, ham, and mix.
2. In large pan, heat oil and fry prepared
ingredients.
3. Add cooked rice.
4. Add salt and pepper.
5. Remove onto plate.
6. Fry eggs in pan.
7. Place eggs on fried rice and serve.
New indefinite article
‣‘this’ highlights a particular entity
as the main focus of attention
a. So there’s this guy at work...
b. Chris knew this girl back home...
c. Out of nowhere this thing jumps out...
"There was this one time, at band
camp..."
http://www.dontquoteme.com/search/quote_display.jsp?quoteID=7190&gameID=1