Article with the word main

• #1

Hello!
Just a short question about the article in the following sentence: Nouns are THE main building blocks of sentences.
Why do we use the definite article here? If you were to explain it to a class, what would be your reasoning? I’ve heard two different opinions but still can’t decide which one is correct. Maybe both are? Or neither?

1. the choice is determined by the presence of the ajective (main), which means «most important». Something which is «most…» should have a definite article. Like in «the main entrance to the building».
2. there is a kind of comparison here, we compare nouns to blocks. Like in «The bar is the heart of every coffeeshop» (the bar is compared to the heart), «Palladium is the Ringo Starr of precious metals» (palladium is compared to Ringo Starr) and so on. Similarly, we compare nouns to blocks. And that’s where we should always use «the».

What do you think?

• #2

They are specific building blocks, the main ones. The sentence would be incorrect without the article.

• #3

I’d say it was like a superlative (or ordinal): other words like ‘primary’ or ‘central’ would also commonly take ‘the’ for this same reason.

• #4

They are specific building blocks, the main ones. The sentence would be incorrect without the article.

Thank you. Yes, I know the article is required. I just wanted to know why. How it could be explained in terms of grammar. #1 is what I actually think.

• #5

You’d still need the article even if the word ‘main’ was left out so no, your assumption is incorrect.

Last edited: Jan 27, 2020

• #6

I’d say it was like a superlative (or ordinal): other words like ‘primary’ or ‘central’ would also commonly take ‘the’ for this same reason.

Thank you, Entangledbank! Does it mean that the first one seems to be a bit closer to the way a native speaker will explain it? Or is there something else I just don’t see that makes the definite article neccessary?
I’ve had an arguement with a colleague of mine. #1 is my reasoning, while #2 is his.

Last edited: Jan 27, 2020

• #7

1. is an incorrect assumption, see my post above. Sorry.

• #8

1. is an incorrect assumption, see my post above. Sorry.

Thanks again However, in my humble opinion, without the adjective, the sentence doesn’t seem to have much sense. And it might have to be rewritten. For example, «Nouns are the blocks that we use to build/that build sentences, along with other parts of speech.» Or something of the kind.

Anyway, I have never come across the way the article is explained in #2. Would be grateful if anyone could comment on that

Last edited: Jan 27, 2020

• #9

‘Nouns are the building blocks of sentences’ makes perfect grammatical sense but, obviously, it’s better to add ‘main’ as that is the meaning the author wishes to convey.

As for 2., yes, I suppose it is a kind of comparison and yes, you can’t construct that kind of sentence without the article.

• #10

I’m inclined towards 1 in this context if the author means to put nouns in a class by themselves.

But after writing the four sentences below, I’m not sure we have any choice.

Nouns are THE main building blocks of sentences.
Nouns are THE building blocks of sentences.

Nouns are A main building blocks of sentences.
Nouns are A building blocks of sentences.

I can’t figure out a variation with «a» that makes grammatical and logical sense and carries the same idea of explaining a general concept.

• #11

But in any case it has nothing to do with the presence of the word ‘main’, which is the premise of 1.

• #12

Nouns are main building blocks in any language. There may be other main building blocks.

Nouns are the main building blocks in a sentence. There are other, lesser building blocks.

I think this is what entangled was implying.

• #13

Ah yes, very true.

• #14

Nouns are main building blocks in any language. There may be other main building blocks.

Nouns are the main building blocks in a sentence. There are other, lesser building blocks.

I think this is what entangled was implying.

Thank you, velisarius and all the rest You’ve been very helpful. However, my original question was why the definite article is used. I know there are situation where we can do without it. But how would you reason the presence of ‘the’ in that exact sentence if you were, say, a teacher? «Noun are the main building blocks of sentences». I think that all those words used to build a sentence do influence the choice of the article. «The main blocks of sentences» means that they are the most important part of any sentence. And this explanation should suffice. That’s my point. But I realize that I might be wrong.

The article
is a structural word specifying the noun. There are two articles in
English — the definite article the
and
the indefinite article a.

The
indefinite article
conveys
the idea of indefiniteness.
The
definite article
conveys the idea of definiteness. Definiteness suggests that the
object presented by the noun is individualized and singled out from
all the other objects of the same kind, while indefiniteness means a
more general reference to an object.

Both the definite and the
indefinite articles have developed from notional parts of speech,
whose influence is traced in their meaning and use.

The
definite article
developed from demonstrative pronouns this,
that,
which account for its meaning of definiteness. The demonstrative
force remains in many phrases, such as at
the time, of the kind.

The
indefinite article
developed from the cardinal numeral one.
The numerical meaning is evident in such phrases as at
a time, in a moment, not a sound.

Since the
choice of articles is determined by the context or the general
situation we should pay attention to different attributes modifying
nouns. All attributes are generally divided into restrictive
(or limiting)
and descriptive.

A
descriptive
attribute is used to describe an object (or a group of objects) or
give additional information about it:

He wore
a large
straw
hat.

A
restrictive
attribute indicates such a quality or characteristic of an object
which makes it distinct from other objects of the class:

She
accepted the coffee
he offered her.

Both
descritive and restrictive attributes can be premodifying
(occupying the position before the noun), and postmodifying
(used after the noun).

Nouns
modified by restrictive attributes are used with the definite
article, nouns modified by descriptive attributes are mainly used
with the indefinite article.

Functions of the Article

The
Indefinite Article

The
indefinite article is used in the following functions: classifying,
generic
and numerical.

1)
Classifying
.

In this
function the article serves to refer an object to the class or group
of objects of the same kind. The article has the meaning of the
indefinite pronoun some:

Somewhere
a
telephone
began to ring.

I saw a
speck
in the distance. It was a boat.

The door
opened and a
girl
entered.

The noun
preceded by the indefinite article in its classifying function may be
accompanied by premodifying and postmodifying descriptive attributes:

I’ve
read a
very interesting novel.

This is
a
novel which is very suitable for staging.

He was a
man who travelled a lot.

Marion
came out of the garden, wearing a
very old garden shirt.

2)
Generic
(any,
every).

In this
function the indefinite article implies that what is said about one
representative of the class (a thing, animal or a person) can also be
said about other representatives of this class. The indefinite
article in its generic function has the meaning of any,
every:

A
crane
is a tall bird with a very long neck and beak.

A
sonnet
is a poem of fourteen lines.

A
library
is a collection of books.

A
complex
sentence has two or more clauses.

In this
function the indefinite article is used in proverbs and sentences
expressing some general truth:

A
friend
in need is a friend indeed.

A
hungry man
is an angry man.

3) Numeric(al)

In this
function the indefinite article preserves its original meaning of the
cardinal numeral one:

I won’t
say a
word.

An
apple
a
day
keeps the doctor away.

The idea of
oneness is evident with nouns denoting time, distance, measure: a
hundred, a thousand, a minute, a day, an hour, a year;
after the negative not — not
a word, not a thought.

The
Definite Article

The main
functions of the definite article are: specifying
and generic.

1)
Generic

In its
generic function the definite article refers to the whole class of
objects of the same kind. It is used to indicate that the noun
becomes a composite image of the class:

The
lion
is the king of animals.

The
tiger
has always had the reputation of being a man-eater.

The
whale
is in danger of becoming extinct.

The
rose
is my favourite flour.

The generic
reference suggests the highest degree of abstraction in a countable
noun, so with the words man
and woman
in
their generic meaning no article is used. As for the noun man, it can
also have the idea of “mankind”:

Man
is not made to defeat.

Woman
is physically weaker than man.

Note 1.
The
generic use of the definite article occurs with nouns denoting social
classes:
the
proletariat, the bourgeoisie, the gentry, the intelligentsia.

Note 2.
The use of the definite article before substantivized adjectives in
their collective or abstract meaning is also generic:
the poor, the strong, the obvious, the beautiful.

Note 3.
The
definite article is used in its generic function with nouns denoting
different inventions and discoveries:

Popov
invented the
radio.

2) Specifying

In this function the definite
article serves to single out an object or a group of objects from all
the other objects of the same kind.

The specification can be
provided by:

a)
a
premodifying restrictive attribute.
It may be expressed by the following words:
very,
right, wrong, left, only, opposite, last, next, same, following,
first, most:

Are we
on the
right road?

He is
the
only man
for this position.

But: She
is an
only child
in the family.

b) a
postmodifying restrictive attribute.
It
may be a clause, a prepositional phrase, or a participial phrase:

I’m
convinced Luke is the
man we are looking for.

The
woman standing by the window
is my teacher.

The
students of our institute
are taking their exams in June.

c) the
preceding context

The noun
with the definite article may be a mere repetition of the noun
mentioned before, or the reference to the words or statement just
mentioned:

I saw a
girl
in the garden. The
girl
was crying bitterly.

“My
wife has left me”. Daniel could hardly get the
words
out.

d) the
situation

Though the
object is mentioned for the first time, no attribute or context is
necessary for the speaker to point out and for the listener to
understand what object is meant:

After
visiting a theatre: I liked the
acting and
the
music.

After a
flower exhibition: The
flowers
were splendid.

In
everyday situations: Go to the
kitchen.
Pass the
butter.

e) the
meaning of the noun

The
definite article in its specifying function is used with unique
objects or notions:
the sun, the moon, the earth, the sea, the world, the horizon, the
south, the north:

The
sky
had cleared.

He
sailed round the
world.

The
sun
sank below the
horizon.

Note:
nouns denoting unique objects may be preceded by the indefinite
article in its classifying function when some aspect or phase of the
object is meant or when the word is used figuratively. Usually there
is a descriptive attribute describing a noun:

The sun
shone in an
unclouded sky.

In this
country she discovered a world
of which she had never dreamed before.

A
warm September sun
was brightening the tree tops.

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Part 7. Articles with Geographic Names

The use of articles with geographical names has certain patterns. For example, the name of a river is used with the definite article, and the name of a lake is used without any article. The name of one mountain (or one island) is used without any article, and the name of a mountain chain (or a group of islands) is used with the definite article.

The meaning may change depending on the presence or absence of the definite article. For example, Mississippi is the state of Mississippi, while the Mississippi is the Mississippi River.

Examples in this material are listed in groups under the two headings: No article; Article the. It is much easier to memorize articles with geographical names in this way. For easier study of the articles, standard English and Russian abbreviations (Mount – Mt., Street – St., etc.) have not been used in this material.

Capitalization

Generally, the definite article «the» in geographical names is not capitalized (the Indian Ocean; the Nile River; the Philippines; the Alps). But the article «the» is capitalized if it is part of a geographical name (The Hague).

The words «north, east, south, northern, southern, western, central» and the like are capitalized if they are part of a geographical name (the North Sea; Northern Ireland; Central America) or part of the name of a region regarded as a unit (the West; Western Europe; the East; the Far East; the Eastern Hemisphere).

If such words are used for indicating direction or as descriptive terms, they are generally not capitalized: the north; the west; the southeast; the south of France; western Asia; northern Africa; the eastern United States; central Australia.

The words «ocean, river, sea, lake, island, mountains, desert, state, city, street» and the like are capitalized if they are part of a geographical name: the Volga River; the Sea of Japan; Lake Baikal; the Great Lakes; the Canary Islands; Ellis Island; the Rocky Mountains; the Sahara Desert; New York State; Mexico City; Wall Street.

If such words are not part of a geographical name, they are generally not capitalized: the island of Greenland; the state of California; the city of Boston. Such words are capitalized in titles (A Brief History of the City of New York) and may be capitalized in formal writing.

Note: Phonetic transcription of many geographical names is indicated in the materials The Largest in the World and Countries and Cities in the section Miscellany.

Continents and geographical areas

No article:

America, North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica;

North Africa, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Central America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Siberia.

Article the:

the Western Hemisphere, the Eastern Hemisphere, the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere;

the Arctic, the Antarctic, the Far East, the Middle East;

the North Pole, the South Pole.

Oceans, seas, gulfs, bays, lakes

Article the:

the Atlantic Ocean / the Atlantic, the Pacific Ocean / the Pacific, the Arctic Ocean, the Indian Ocean;

the Mediterranean Sea / the Mediterranean, the Caribbean Sea / the Caribbean;

the Red Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Barents Sea, the Bering Sea, the Yellow Sea;

the Sea of Okhotsk, the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Marmara;

the Gulf of Mexico, the Bay of Bengal, the Gulf of Finland, the Bay of Biscay, the Persian Gulf.

But: Hudson Bay, San Francisco Bay.

No article:

Lake Baikal / Baikal, Lake Victoria, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Crater Lake, Utah Lake, Lake Geneva, Great Pond.

But: the Great Salt Lake, the Lake of the Woods; the Great Lakes (5 lakes).

Rivers, straits, canals, currents, waterfalls

Article the:

the Amazon / the Amazon River, the Nile / the Nile River, the Mississippi / the Mississippi River, the Missouri / the Missouri River, the Rio Grande, the Yangtze / the Yangtze River;

the Thames / the Thames River / the River Thames, the Seine / the Seine River, the Danube / the Danube River;

the Amur / the Amur River, the Dnepr / the Dnepr River / the Dnieper, the Lena / the Lena River, the Ob / the Ob River, the Volga / the Volga River, the Yenisei / the Yenisei River, the Amu Darya;

the Strait of Gibraltar, the Strait of Dover (Pas de Calais), the Strait of Magellan, the Bering Strait;

the Dardanelles, the Bosporus (also, Bosphorus);

the English Channel (La Manche), the Mozambique Channel;

the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal, the Erie Canal;

the Gulf Stream, the Florida Current, the Japan Current (the Kuroshio);

the Victoria Falls / Victoria Falls, Niagara Falls / the Niagara Falls, the American Falls, the Canadian Falls, the Horseshoe Falls / Horseshoe Falls.

Islands

No article:

Greenland, Java, Cyprus, Madagascar, Hokkaido, Sakhalin, Jamaica, Ellis Island.

But: the Isle of Man.

Article the:

the island of Greenland, the island of Java, the island of Cyprus, the island of Madagascar, the island of Jamaica.

Article the:

the Aleutian Islands / the Aleutians, the Kuril (or Kurile) Islands / the Kurils, the Bahamas / the Bahama Islands, the Canary Islands / the Canaries, the Philippines / the Philippine Islands;

the British Isles, the Virgin Islands, the Falkland Islands, the Florida Keys, the West Indies, the Azores.

Peninsulas, capes

Article the:

the Indochinese Peninsula, the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Alaska Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula, the Balkan Peninsula, the Iberian Peninsula, the Italian Peninsula (the Apennine Peninsula);

No article:

Indochina, Kamchatka, Iberia (peninsula);

Cape Horn, North Cape, Cape Chelyuskin, Cape Canaveral, Cape Cod.

But: the Cape of Good Hope.

Mountains, volcanoes, hills

No article:

Everest / Mount Everest, Fuji / Mount Fuji / Fujiyama, Kilimanjaro / Mount Kilimanjaro, Elbrus / Mount Elbrus, Etna / Mount Etna, Vesuvius / Mount Vesuvius;

Mount Whitney, Mount McKinley, Mont Blanc, Lassen Peak;

Capitol Hill, Telegraph Hill.

But: the Kilauea Volcano.

Article the:

the Himalayas / the Himalaya / the Himalaya Mountains, the Rocky Mountains / the Rockies, the Balkan Mountains, the Ural Mountains / the Urals, the Caucasus Mountains / the Caucasus;

the Pamirs / the Pamir, the Tien Shan / the Tian Shan;

the Cordilleras, the Andes, the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines;

the Black Hills, the Berkshire Hills.

Plateaus, canyons, plains

Article the:

the Tibetan Plateau, the Central Siberian Plateau, the Mexican Plateau, the Colorado Plateau; the Grand Canyon;

the Great Plains, the East European Plain (the Russian Plain), the West Siberian Plain, the Turan Plain (the Turan Lowland).

Deserts, valleys

Article the:

the Sahara / the Sahara Desert, the Kalahari / the Kalahari Desert, the Arabian Desert, the Gobi / the Gobi Desert, the Kara Kum;

the Ruhr Valley, the Nile Valley, the Valley of the Kings.

But: Death Valley, Silicon Valley.

Countries, states

No article:

America, Australia, Great Britain, Britain, England, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand;

Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Luxembourg;

Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Turkey.

But: the Congo.

Article the:

the United States (the U.S.), the United Kingdom (the UK), the Russian Federation, the Netherlands, the Philippines;

the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Cuba, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Kingdom of Spain, the Commonwealth of Australia.

States, provinces

No article:

Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York / New York State, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Washington / Washington State;

Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan.

Article the:

the state of California, the state of New York, the state of Texas, the state of Washington, the province of Ontario, the province of Quebec.

Cities, towns

No article:

Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Cairo, Delhi, Havana, Lisbon, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Montreal, Moscow, Munich, New York, Oslo, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague;

Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Saint Petersburg, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vienna, Warsaw, Washington / Washington, D.C.

But: The Hague.

Note: D.C. [‘di:’si:] – the District of Columbia.

No article:

Atlantic City, Kansas City, New York City (NYC), Oklahoma City, Quebec City, Mexico City, Panama City, Cape Town / Capetown, Fort Knox.

Article the:

the city of Athens, the city of Moscow, the city of New York, the city of Oslo, the city of Rome, the city of Tokyo, the city of Washington, the town of Bedford.

Streets, avenues, highways

No article:

Main Street, Wall Street, 42nd Street, Oak Alley, Maple Boulevard, Fifth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Broadway, Lexington Road, Route 66, Highway 64.

But: the Arbat, the Mall.

Article the:

the Avenue of the Americas, the National Road, the Freedom Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Trans-Canada Highway, the Pan American Highway, the Lincoln Highway, the FDR Drive.

Часть 7. Артикли с географическими названиями

Употребление артиклей с географическими названиями имеет определённые модели. Например, название реки употребляется с определённым артиклем, а название озера без артикля. Название одной горы (или одного острова) без артикля, а название горной гряды (или группы островов) с определённым артиклем.

Значение может меняться в зависимости от наличия или отсутствия определённого артикля. Например, Mississippi – штат Mississippi, в то время как the Mississippi – это the Mississippi River.

Примеры в данном материале даны в группах под двумя заголовками: Без артикля; Артикль the. Гораздо легче запомнить артикли с географическими названиями таким способом. Для облегчения изучения артиклей, стандартные английские и русские сокращения (Mount – Mt., Street – St., река – р. и др.) не употреблены в этом материале.

Заглавные буквы

Обычно, определённый артикль «the» в географических названиях пишется с маленькой буквы (the Indian Ocean; the Nile River; the Philippines; the Alps). Но артикль «the» пишется с большой буквы, если он является частью географического названия (The Hague).

Слова «north, east, south, northern, southern, western, central» и т.п. пишутся с заглавной буквы, если они часть географического названия (the North Sea; Northern Ireland; Central America) или часть названия региона, рассматриваемого как единое целое (the West; Western Europe; the East; the Far East; the Eastern Hemisphere).

Если такие слова употреблены для указания направления или как описательные термины, они обычно пишутся с маленькой буквы: the north; the west; the southeast; the south of France; western Asia; northern Africa; the eastern United States; central Australia.

Слова «ocean, river, sea, lake, island, mountains, desert, state, city, street» и т.п. пишутся с заглавной буквы, если они часть географического названия: the Volga River; the Sea of Japan; Lake Baikal; the Great Lakes; the Canary Islands; Ellis Island; the Rocky Mountains; the Sahara Desert; New York State; Mexico City; Wall Street.

Если такие слова не часть географического названия, то обычно с маленькой буквы: the island of Greenland; the state of California; the city of Boston. Такие слова пишутся с большой буквы в заголовках (A Brief History of the City of New York) и могут быть с большой буквы в официальных материалах.

Примечание: Фонетическая транскрипция многих географических названий указана в материалах «The Largest in the World» и «Countries and Cities» в разделе Miscellany.

Континенты и географические местности

Без артикля:

Америка, Северная Америка, Южная Америка, Латинская Америка, Европа, Азия, Африка, Австралия, Антарктида;

Северная Африка, Западная Европа, Восточная Европа, Центральная Америка, Южная Азия, Юго-Восточная Азия, Средняя Азия, Сибирь.

Артикль the:

Западное полушарие, Восточное полушарие, Северное полушарие, Южное полушарие;

Арктика, Антарктика, Дальний Восток, Ближний Восток;

Северный полюс, Южный полюс.

Океаны, моря, заливы, озёра

Артикль the:

Атлантический океан, Тихий океан, Северный Ледовитый океан, Индийский океан;

Средиземное море, Карибское море;

Красное море, Черное море, Каспийское море, Северное море, Балтийское море, Баренцево море, Берингово море, Жёлтое море;

Охотское море, Японское море, Мраморное море;

Мексиканский залив, Бенгальский залив, Финский залив, Бискайский залив, Персидский залив.

Но: Гудзонов залив, Залив Сан-Франциско.

Без артикля:

озеро Байкал / Байкал, озеро Виктория, озеро Верхнее, озеро Гурон, озеро Мичиган, озеро Эри, озеро Онтарио, озеро Крейтер, озеро Юта, Женевское озеро, Большой пруд.

Но: Большое Солёное озеро, озеро Лесное; Великие озёра (5 озёр).

Реки, проливы, каналы, течения, водопады

Артикль the:

Амазонка / река Амазонка, Нил / река Нил, Миссисипи / река Миссисипи, Миссури / река Миссури, Рио-Гранде, Янцзы / река Янцзы;

Темза / река Темза, Сена / река Сена, Дунай / река Дунай;

Амур / река Амур, Днепр / река Днепр, Лена / река Лена, Обь / река Обь, Волга / река Волга, Енисей / река Енисей, Амударья;

Гибралтарский пролив, Дуврский пролив (Па-де-Кале), Магелланов пролив, Берингов пролив;

пролив Дарданеллы, пролив Босфор;

Английский канал (пролив Ла-Манш), Мозамбикский пролив;

Суэцкий канал, Панамский канал, канал Эри;

течение Гольфстрим, Флоридское течение, Японское течение (Куросио);

водопад Виктория, Ниагарский водопад, Американский водопад, Канадский водопад, водопад Хорсшу (водопад Подкова).

Острова

Без артикля:

Гренландия, Ява, Кипр, Мадагаскар, Хоккайдо, Сахалин, Ямайка, Эллис-Айленд.

Но: Остров Мэн.

Артикль the:

остров Гренландия, остров Ява, остров Кипр, остров Мадагаскар, остров Ямайка.

Артикль the:

Алеутские острова, Курильские острова, Багамские острова, Канарские острова, Филиппины / Филиппинские острова;

Британские острова, Виргинские острова, Фолклендские острова, острова Флорида-Кис, острова Вест-Индия, Азорские острова.

Полуострова, мысы

Артикль the:

полуостров Индокитай, полуостров Камчатка, полуостров Аляска, Кольский полуостров, Балканский полуостров, Пиренейский полуостров, Апеннинский полуостров;

Без артикля:

Индокитай, Камчатка, Пиренейский полуостров;

мыс Горн, мыс Нордкап, мыс Челюскин, мыс Канаверал, Кейп-Код (полуостров).

Но: мыс Доброй Надежды.

Горы, вулканы, холмы

Без артикля:

Эверест / гора Эверест, вулкан / гора Фудзияма, Килиманджаро / гора Килиманджаро, Эльбрус / гора Эльбрус, Этна / гора Этна, Везувий / гора Везувий;

гора Уитни, гора Мак-Кинли, Монблан, Лассен-Пик;

Капитолийский холм, Телеграф-Хилл.

Но: вулкан Килауэа.

Артикль the:

Гималаи / Гималайские горы, Скалистые горы, Балканские горы, Уральские горы / горы Урал, Кавказские горы / горы Кавказ;

Памир, Тянь-Шань;

Кордильеры, Анды, Пиренеи, Альпы, Апеннины;

Чёрные холмы, Беркширские холмы.

Плато, каньоны, равнины

Артикль the:

Тибетское нагорье, Среднесибирское плоскогорье, Мексиканское нагорье, плато Колорадо; Большой Каньон;

Великие равнины, Восточно-Европейская равнина (Русская равнина), Западно-Сибирская равнина, Туранская равнина (Туранская низменность).

Пустыни, долины

Артикль the:

Сахара / пустыня Сахара, Калахари / пустыня Калахари, Аравийская пустыня, Гоби / пустыня Гоби, Каракумы (пустыня);

долина реки Рур, долина реки Нил, Долина Царей.

Но: Долина смерти, Кремниевая долина / Силиконовая долина.

Страны, государства

Без артикля:

Америка, Австралия, Великобритания, Британия, Англия, Канада, Ирландия, Новая Зеландия;

Аргентина, Бельгия, Бразилия, Чили, Китай, Дания, Египет, Франция, Германия, Греция, Голландия, Венгрия, Индия, Иран, Израиль, Италия, Япония, Ливан, Люксембург;

Мексика, Монголия, Марокко, Мозамбик, Норвегия, Польша, Россия, Испания, Саудовская Аравия, Швейцария, Турция.

Но: Конго.

Артикль the:

Соединенные Штаты Америки (США), Соединенное Королевство, Российская Федерация, Нидерланды, Филиппины;

Федеративная Республика Германия, Республика Куба, Королевство Дания, Королевство Испания, Австралийский Союз.

Штаты, провинции

Без артикля:

Арканзас, Калифорния, Делавэр, Джорджия, Иллинойс, Луизиана, Кентукки, Массачусетс, Нью-Йорк / штат Нью-Йорк, Оклахома, Пенсильвания, Род-Айленд, Техас, Юта, Вашингтон / штат Вашингтон;

Альберта, Британская Колумбия, Манитоба, Ньюфаундленд, Онтарио, Квебек, Саскачеван.

Артикль the:

штат Калифорния, штат Нью-Йорк, штат Техас, штат Вашингтон, провинция Онтарио, провинция Квебек.

Города

Без артикля:

Амстердам, Афины, Барселона, Берлин, Брюссель, Каир, Дели, Гавана, Лиссабон, Лондон, Лос-Анджелес, Мадрид, Монреаль, Москва, Мюнхен, Нью-Йорк, Осло, Париж, Филадельфия, Прага;

Рио-де-Жанейро, Рим, Санкт-Петербург, Стокгольм, Сидней, Токио, Торонто, Вена, Варшава, Вашингтон.

Но: Гаага.

Примечание: D.C. [‘di:’si:] – округ Колумбия.

Без артикля:

Атлантик-Сити, Канзас-Сити, Нью-Йорк Сити, Оклахома-Сити, Квебек, Мехико, Панама, Кейптаун, Форт-Нокс.

Артикль the:

город Афины, город Москва, город Нью-Йорк, город Осло, город Рим, город Токио, город Вашингтон, город Бедфорд.

Улицы, проспекты, дороги

Без артикля:

Главная улица, Уолл-Стрит, 42-я улица, Дубовая аллея, Кленовый бульвар, Пятая Авеню, Шестая Авеню, Пенсильвания-Авеню, Бродвей, Лексингтон-роуд, Дорога 66, Шоссе 64.

Но: Арбат, Молл.

Артикль the:

Авеню Америк, Национальная дорога, Тропа свободы, Парковая автострада Блуридж, Транс-Канадское шоссе, Панамериканское шоссе, шоссе Линкольна, шоссе Рузвельта.

An academic article has a clear structure and, as a rule, consists of the following parts:

1.  UDC index
2. Author information
3. Title (heading) (10–12 words)
4. Abstract (summary)
5. Keywords (4–8 words)
6. Contact information
7. Introduction
8. Literature review
9. Main body (methods, results)
10. Conclusions and prospects for further research
11. References (at least 10)
12. Author information in Russian
13. Title in Russian
14. Abstract (summary) in Russian
15. Keywords in Russian

Below are some important aspects of and requirements for these constituent elements.

Title

The main requirements for an article title are brevity and clarity. The maximum length of a title is 10–12 words. A title should:

—  be informative,
—  be expressive,
—  attract readers’ attention,
—  be written in good academic language,
—  reflect the content (key subject) of the article and make it clear for the reader what issues are discussed there,
—  contain some of the keywords reflecting the essence of the article (preferable, at the beginning of the title).

Only standard abbreviations are allowed in the title.

Abstract (summary)

An abstract is an independent from the article source of information. It is written after the article has been finished. It describes the main subject, problem, object, aims of the study and its results. An abstract should indicate what comprises the novelty of this paper compared to other works on the topic. The recommended volume is 200–250 words.

An abstract performs the following functions:

—  Allows one to determine the main content of the paper and its relevance in order to decide whether one should read the entire article;
—  Provides information about the article and eliminates the need to read its full text if the article is of little interest to the reader;
—  Is used in information systems, including automated ones, for document and information retrieval.

Abstracts should be written according to international standards and include the following:

1. introduction to the topic;
2. purpose of the study;
3. description of the scholarly and practical significance of the work;
4. description of the methodology;
5. key results and conclusions of the study;
6. importance of the study (what contribution this work has made to the relevant field of knowledge);
7. practical importance of the results of the study.

An abstract should neither repeat the text of the article (you should not copy sentences from the article) nor the title. It should not contain numbers or tables or refer to footnotes.

An abstract presents the essential facts of the study; it should only contain the material mentioned in the article.

The subject, topic, and purpose of the study are indicated if they are not clear from the title of the article. It can be useful to describe the method or methodology of the study if they present some novelty or interest in terms of this work.

The results of the study should be described highly accurately and informatively. Key theoretical and experimental results, actual data, discovered relationships and regularities are presented. Preference should be given to new results, important discoveries and conclusions refuting the existing theories, as well as to data of practical importance.

Conclusions can be accompanied by recommendations, estimates, suggestions and hypotheses described in the article.

The information contained in the title of the article should not be repeated in the abstract.

The authors should use syntactic constructions typical of the academic language and avoid complex grammatical constructions. An abstract should be concise and clear, without excessive opening words or general statements.

Keywords

Keywords include words and phrases expressing the main semantic content of an article, serving as a guide for the reader and used in searching for articles in electronic databases. Thus, to make the search easier, words in general use should be avoided. Keywords, between 4 and 8, are placed after the abstract. One keyword should stand for one concept, for example: ethnicity, hemodynamics, standard deviation.

Introduction

An introduction is intended to provide background information on the topic of the article and explain the purpose of the research. First of all, the author should state the general topic of the study. Further, the theoretical and practical significance of the work is stated and the most authoritative and accessible to the reader publications on the topic are described. In the introduction, the author also identifies problems which had not been solved in previous studies and which this article is intended to solve.

An introduction must clearly state:

— the aim and object of the author’s research. A study should have a certain idea, a central statement which it dwells upon. To formulate an aim, one has to answer the question: “What do I want to create as a result of the research?” This result can be a new methodology, classification, algorithm, structure, a new version of the existing technology, a learner’s guide, etc. The purpose is usually formulated with the help of the following verbs: reveal, identify, form, prove, verify, determine, etc. The object is the material of the study.

— the relevance and novelty. The relevance of the topic is the degree of its importance today under current circumstances. It is the ability of the results to be used to solve quite significant theoretical and practical problems. Novelty is what distinguishes the result of this work from the results obtained by other authors.

— initial hypotheses, if they exist.

It is in this part of the paper that the reader is introduced to the structure of the article, if necessary.

Having written an introduction, the author should check it for the following key points:

— Are the aims, object and initial hypotheses, if any, clearly formulated?
— Are there any contradictions?
— Are the relevance and novelty of the study indicated?

Literature review

Literature review is the theoretical core of the research. Its purpose is to study and evaluate the existing works on the topic. It is preferable not simply to enumerate previous studies, but make a critical review and a summary of their key standpoints.

Main body

Methodology

This section describes the order in which the research was performed and justifies the choice of the methods used. It should enable the reader to assess the correctness of this choice, as well as the reliability and validity of the results obtained. The idea is that any other scholar with sufficient skills should be able to reproduce the research, based on the methods stated. Referring to literary sources without describing the essence of the method is possible only if it is a standard method.

Results

This part of the article presents the author’s systematized analytical material. The results of the research should be described in sufficient detail so that the reader can trace its stages and assess the validity of the author’s conclusions. This is the largest part of an academic article, its main section, aiming to prove the working hypothesis (hypothesis) by means of analysis, generalization and explanation of the data. The results are, if necessary, illustrated by tables, diagrams and drawings that represent the original material or evidence in a contracted form. It is important that the illustrated information does not duplicate the text. The authors are encouraged to compare the results presented in the article with earlier works in this field both by the author him/herself and by other scholars. Such a comparison will further underline the novelty of the study and make it more unbiased.

Depending on the level of knowledge – theoretical or empirical – there are singled out theoretical and empirical articles. Theoretical articles include the results of studies performed with the help of such methods of cognition as abstraction, synthesis, analysis, induction, deduction, formalization, idealization, and modelling. If an article is of theoretical nature, in most cases it follows this pattern: first, the author introduces key points and ideas that will later be analysed, and then conclusions will be made. Empirical articles, while using a number of theoretical methods, are mainly based on practical methods of measurement, observation, experiment, etc.

The results of the study should be summarized, but at the same time contain enough information to evaluate the conclusions made. It should also be clear why exactly this data was chosen for the analysis.

Conclusions

A conclusion briefly states
the results of the study. It concisely repeats key ideas of the main body of
the article. Any repetitions of the material presented should be put in other
words to differ from those stated in the main body. In this section, the
results are checked against the purpose indicated at the beginning of the
paper. This last section sums up the results of the research, draws
conclusions, makes generalizations, gives recommendations following from the
study and emphasizes their practical importance, as well as determines key
areas of further research. It is also desirable to include the author’s assessment
of the future development of the issues under study.

English Level: Upper-Intermediate, Advanced

Language Focus: A review of when to use the definite article with the names of places

Worksheet Download: definite-article-geography-worksheet.docx (scroll down to study the exercises online)

Jump to: Exercises

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A proper noun is the unique name of a person, place, or thing that starts with a capital letter, for example, ‘John’, ‘Sweden’, ‘Google’. Before proper nouns, we generally do not use an article. For example,

• Matthew is a man.
• He lives in Canada.
• He worked for IBM.

However, sometimes you can find the definite article ‘the‘ before proper nouns.

• Carver lives in the United States.
• He lives near the Pacific Ocean.

Why? Well, it’s hard to give a reason. However, there are some rules we can follow. Please read below and do the exercises to practice.

Boats on the Pacific Ocean

To summarize, use ‘the’ before the following:

• proper nouns that contain a word that means they are a group (unions, republics, etc.)
• deserts (the Mojave)
• rivers, seas, oceans, etc. (but not lakes!)
• mountain ranges (the Rockies)
• building names (the Pentagon)
• proper nouns that include ‘of’ (the University of Michigan)

Do not use ‘the’ for everything else, which includes

• lake names (Lake Superior)
• mounts (Mount Everest)
• street names (Main Street)
• airports (JFK Airport)
• stations (Broadway Station)

After reviewing the above rules, try the practice exercises below.

Exercises: Using Articles with Names of Places

Instructions: Add the definite article `the’ if necessary.

I hope these general rules about article use will be helpful. If you find a mistake or have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Best of luck in your English studies.

— Created by Matthew Barton (copyright) of Englishcurrent.com

Related Lessons:

• Article Practice Exercises (All Levels)
• Help Understanding Articles (Beginner)
• The Indefinite Article & Word Sounds (Advanced)