This time in our structure help we talk about using ‘a / an’ and ‘the’ with countable singular nouns. We also introduce the idea of indefinite and definite nouns. An indefinite noun is a noun which hasn’t been mentioned before and that you can’t identify by other means. So for example if you’re talking to a person and the person mentions ‘a book’ they read. You don’t know which book this is or it’s name, it’s indefinite, so we need to use ‘a’ before the noun. In the following sentences ‘book’ becomes definite because the listener knows which noun it is, so ‘the’ for example can be used with the noun. e.g.

‘I bought a book last week. The book is very interesting.’

In our second sentences it’s clear which book we’re talking about.

Look at the diagram below for more information.

Next week, we’ll talk more about indefinite and definite nouns and when a noun can be definite the first time you mention it.

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This time in our structure help we continue to talk about nouns. This time though, we have a closer look at the words and expressions that we can use before these nouns. As you’ll see in the diagram below we have to use one of these words and expressions before a countable singular noun, but we don’t have to use one before a countable plural or uncountable noun. After you have a look at the diagram, look at the examples below it for further clarification.

Example 1; we can’t say ‘I have pen’ because ‘pen’ is a countable singular noun and requires one of the words or expressions before it. So we can say; ‘I have a pen’ or ‘I have my pen’ or ‘I have the pen’ or ‘I have your pen’ and there are many other possibilities, but we have to use one.

Example 2; we can say ‘I have pens’ because pens is a countable plural noun and doesn’t require one of the words or expressions above.

Example 3; we can say ‘I have money’. ‘Money’ is an uncountable noun and also doesn’t require one of the words or expressions above.

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