Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer. If you didn't know before,
I'll tell you now that I love grammar. I think it's because I like organization in my life,
and knowing that language makes use of structures is very comforting to someone like me.
Word order, for example, tells us that words fit together neatly, logically, and predictably. But
even if you don't share my love for grammar, you still probably appreciate patterns.
Patterns are all around us. There are patterns in the clothes we wear, like plaid or stripes. Or
how about patterns in music? Think of a song that you like. It has patterns of musical notes and an
underlying rhythm. The balance between repetition and variation is what makes it enjoyable and
interesting. Another example is fiction. Think of good books and movies. The stories hold together
because they follow a pattern. First, we learn the setting and the characters. Then a conflict
develops. Drama increases until we reach a climax, and then we enjoy a resolution.
Patterns. That's all grammar is. Grammar
is made up of language patterns that we can follow and predict.
Once you learn these patterns, you can become more accurate and confident in your communication.
So, let's go over some common mistakes with articles.
These are mistakes people make when they don't follow the usual patterns.
Are you looking for a job? There's a opening at my company.
Which article is incorrect?
The second one. Right? I need to say "an opening" because "opening" begins with a vowel sound.
We use A before consonant sound. We use AN before a vowel sound. Notice I said vowel sound,
not letter. "University" begins with the letter "u," but I pronounce that with a /y/
sound. University. So, I say "a university" not "an university." A university.
Take a look at this list. Which article do we need in each phrase?
a unit
an Uber driver, an honest person
a horrible person
an equal opportunity, a European city
And your bonus phrase: an herbal supplement. Notice I choose AN because I don't pronounce
the "h" in "herbal." I speak American English. Someone outside the US might pronounce the "h,"
in which case they'd choose A. I say "an herbal supplement."
Do you go to the office every day?
Did you hear the mistake? Listen again. Do you go to the office every day?
I said "thuh." I should say "thee." The office. Do you go to the office every day?
Here's a pronunciation pattern you need to remember: We say "thuh" before a consonant sound.
We say "thee" before a vowel sound. Office begins with /ɔ/, a vowel sound, so
"the office." And I link the two words with the help of /y/ a "y" sound. The office. The office.
I'll put a link to my lesson on linking vowel sounds in the video description.
How do we say these phrases? The one and only.
the opportunity of a lifetime
the ultimate sacrifice the unity needed
the entire population
the Euro
When I worked in the cruise line industry, I visited Bahamas weekly.
Do you see the mistake? Is it in the first or second half of the sentence?
The second. I need to say "the Bahamas" because it's an island nation, a group of islands. Most
countries don't require an article, but here's a pattern you can follow: If the country is a
union of some kind, then use the definite article, like the United States and all of its short forms.
The USA. The US. The States. But don't use the before "America." If you have a geographical
name with UNION, UNITED, STATES, REPUBLIC, ISLANDS, then you'll need the definite article.
Take a look at this list. Where are articles needed?
The UK or the United Kingdom,
the Hawaiian Islands, the Philippines,
like the Bahamas -- an island nation. Notice how both end in -s. They sound plural. Right?
the former Soviet Union
People often ask for an advice about learning English.
Do you see the mistake? Is advice countable? No, so we can't use the indefinite article.
You can ask for advice.
Pattern. The indefinite article A or AN can only be used before a singular countable noun.
Don't say "an advice" or "advices." Say: a piece of advice, some advice, a lot of advice.
Likewise, don't say "a homework."
Say: a homework assignment, a homework task, or simply homework. That's an uncountable noun.
We often use "stress" as an uncountable noun. It's an idea, something abstract,
so don't say something causes "a stress." It simply causes stress. You have stress,
suffer from stress, experience stress. Don't stick the indefinite article in those phrases.
Which indefinite articles should be removed?
We only need two of those indefinite articles.
Parents can reward good behavior.
You need to have confidence to succeed.
Some people place too much value on money.
There's a clock on the wall. A mistake isn't the end of the world.
There's always traffic in the city.
When students are at the school, they must turn their cell phones off.
Where's the mistake?
We don't need that article. We say "at school" as a common location.
Pattern: At school, at work, at home -- are three common locations that don't require any article.
Where's Mom? At work. Where's Grandpa? At home. Where are the children? At school.
Other common places around town use the article:
at the bank, at the pharmacy, at the grocery store, at the gas station.
These places are specific from context. When I say,
"My neighbor is at the bank," I mean the bank in our town, the bank my neighbor usually goes to.
Where are articles needed?
I don't know anyone in prison. Do you?
Leah is still in high school. Her sister is in college.
I live in Boston. I live in the suburbs.
Nathan is at the dentist's.
Learn this pattern: Jail, school, college -- are examples of institutions.
We use the zero article before these nouns. Someone can be in jail, in prison,
in court, in high school, in graduate school, in business school, in medical school, etc.
Do you know the pattern with types of places? Places where people live. We use the definite
article, so people can live in the city, the suburbs, the countryside, in the mountains.
The dentist's is the dentist's office. It's a place around town, so we use the definite article.
Now I'm going to give you a longer quiz on other common uses of the
indefinite and indefinite articles. Tell me your score when you're done. Okay?
So, how did you do? You can gain more practice by going back and answering the questions in the
quiz. You can learn and reinforce grammar patterns through practice.
We'll end here. Remember I have other lessons on articles as well as countable and uncountable
nouns. I'll put all useful links in the video description. That's all for now. Please like
the video if you found the lesson useful. As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!
I'd like to say a special thank you to a Kind-Hearted Patron who pledged two dollars
a month for one year. Thank you, Jing! Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I invite
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