In _(21)_ many countries, _(22)_ fictitious scary man similar to _(23)_ bogeyman is portrayed as _(24)_ man with _(25)_ sack on his back who carries _(26)_ naughty children away. This is true for _(27)_ many Latin countries and _(28)_ Eastern Europe, as well as _(29)_ Haiti and some countries in _(30)_ Far East. In Spain, el hombre del saco
is usually depicted as _(31)_ impossibly ugly and skinny old man who eats _(32)_ misbehaving children he collects. In Argentina, Chile and particularly in _(33)_ Southern and Austral Zones, he is mostly known as "El Viejo del Saco" ("_(34)_ old man with _(35)_ bag") who walks around _(36)_ neighbourhood every day around _(37)_ supper time.(Grammar Troublespots: 98)A. Proper nouns
1. Proper nouns that fail into certain categories are very rarely accompanied by an article: people's names, cities and states, countries and continents, months and days of the week, streets, churches and religious buildings, mountains, parks.
2. Proper nouns that fall into the following categories must always be I accompanied by the definite article the: museums and art galleries, buildings, highways, seas and oceans, river, deserts, periods and events in history, bridges/ parts of the country.
3. As a
general rule, use the with plural proper nouns: the United States, the Great Lakes, the Alps, the Philippines, the Chinese (people), the Saudis, the Brazilians.4. The definite article the
is often used with proper nouns that include a phrase with of: the Baseball Hall of Fame, the University of Michigan, the Citv of New York.5. T
he indefinite article а/an is rarely used with proper nouns.B. Specific Reference with Countable and Uncountable Nouns
1. Use the definite article the
to show specific reference with a common noun (singular or plural, countable or uncountable). A noun that has specific reference is one that both the waiter and the reader recognize as something unique. We know exactly which one or ones are being referred to. Sometimes we know that the noun being referred to is unique because of our knowledge of the world or the topic.The earth revolves around the sun
, (We know we are talking about the sun of our solar system and that there is only one,)She took the children to school and then took the dog for a walk
, (We know she has children and we know that the dog is the one that she owns.)2. A reference can he made specific by previous mention in a text.
My neighbor bought a dog. My daughter is looking after the
dog this week. (In the second sentence, the dog has now been identified as the specific dog that my neighbor bought.)She ordered plants and furniture from a catalog. The
plants and the furniture look wonderful in her apartment.(The second sentence refers to the specific plants and the furniture that she ordered.)
3. A reference can be made specific by an adjectival phrase or clause that comes after the noun. The phrase or clause limits it to something specific and unique.
The
dogs that belong to the night guard have been trained to attack.(We know specifically which dogs – the ones that belong to the night guard.) The
furniture in the shop window is on sale this week.(Again, we know specifically which furniture is being referred to.)
C. Nonspecific and Generic Reference with Countable and Uncountable Nouns
The choice of article with common nouns depends on several factors; whether the noun referred to is specific or nonspecific, whether the noun is countable or uncountable; and if countable, whether the noun is singular or plural in form. When both writer and reader do not identify a noun as something known, unique, or familiar, the reference is nonspecific.
1. Use a/an
with a singular countable noun when the noun referred to is nonspecific.My neighbor bought л dog.
(The writer docs not expect the reader to know anything about the dog.)
I he artist painted ли attractive landscape.
Use an
before a word beginning with a vowel sound: an elephant, an ugly building. Words beginning with the letters h and и can be a problem as they sometimes have a vowel and sometimes a consonant sound: an honest man, a house, a uniform, an understudy.