2018-05-08 Grammar: specific/nonspecific

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
---
Exercise 4 - Write one particular and one generic sentence for each noun phrase.
2 P: I will buy a new car next week.
  G: A new car is not a good gift for a 16-year-old.
3 P: The English language spoken in Boston is very different from the English in Scotland.
  G: I want to learn the English language. The English language is spoken by 2 billion people.
---
Homework: finish exercise 4
4 P: Boston has good public transportation.
  G: Public transportation is a good way to move around.
5 P: Your tea was really good.
  G: Many people don’t like tea.
6 P: Salespeople in this company have to wear uniforms.
  G: Salespeople often have to wear uniforms.
7 P: Books in Boston are cheaper than in New York. I bought new books yesterday.
  G: Usually books are cheap.
8 P: That assignment was hard work.
  G: Hard work is the best way to acheive your goals.
9 P: I tried Chinese food and didn’t like it.
  G: Chinese food can be spicy.
10 P: I’m having trouble with this idea.
   G: If you do something bad you will get in trouble.
---
We usually don’t use “the” for generic nouns except when talking about a species, a technology, or functions of body parts.
- The elephant is an endangered species.
- The computer was invented during World War Two.
- The heart pumps thousands of liters of blood every day.
---
In particular statements, the correct article to use depends on if the noun is specific or nonspecific.
“the” - specific (singular or plural or noncount): both the speaker and the listener know which thing(s) the noun is talking about
“a”/“an” - nonspecific (singular count): at least one of the speaker or the listener doesn’t know which one
“some” or ∅ - nonspecific (plural or noncount): at least one of the speaker or listener doesn’t know
---
specific = both the speaker and the listener(s) know which one(s) the sentence is about
    I put the new phone in your car. (we both know which phone it is)
    I put the eggs in the fridge. (we both know which eggs)
nonspecific = at least one of the speaker or listener doesn’t know which one(s) it’s about
    I put a new phone in your car. (I know which phone, but you don’t.)
    I put some eggs in the fridge. / I put eggs in the fridge. (I know which eggs, you don’t.)
    I heard that you bought a new phone. (You know which phone, but I don’t.)
    I should get a new phone soon. (Neither of us knows which phone.)
---
p. 319 - Who knows which one the sentence is about?
1 neither, or just the speaker
2 speaker
3 speaker
4 both
5 neither, or just the speaker
6 listener
---
With many relationship words like “girlfriend”, if it’s specific, we’d use a possessive, not “the”.
---
p. 319 exercise 6 - Which sentence describes the true situation?
1 b
2 b
3 the speaker knows
4 a
5 b (probably)
---
After something is mentioned once, it becomes specific because both people know you’re talking about that one.
	“I bought a new phone. The new one is much faster than the old one.”
Something can also be specific (with “the”) if it’s reasonable to assume there’s just one.
	“I need to go to the bank.” = I need to go to my bank where I have an account.
	“I need to go to a bank.” = It doesn’t matter which bank, I just need change for example.
Or if I want to be clear that I’m talking about all of something.
	“The students in my class are very smart.” = All the students.
---
Proper nouns: nouns that name a specific person, place or thing. (“Common” is the other kind.)
Did you talk to Mom yet? = To you and me, her name is “Mom”. (I’d say this to my sister.)
Did you talk to your mom yet? = “mom” is the relationship, not the name
---
For countries, the general rule is that if the name is plural or includes a common noun, we usually say it with “the”.
	the Philippines (plural name)
	the United Kingdom (“kingdom” is a common noun)
	the United States (plural common noun)
	Brazil
	the Federative Republic of Brazil
	Thailand
	the Kingdom of Thailand
---
With other geographic features, there are patterns but often no real “rules”.
---
Homework: p. 320 exercise 7 - Complete the sentences with the correct article.