Determiners: A, An or The?

The following topic is about the use of a, an or the quoted from englishclub.com. The use of a an and the is sometimes confusing. Therefore' the following explanation is expected to help you.
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When do we say "the dog" and when do we say "a dog"? (On this page we talk only about singular, countable nouns.)

The and a/an are called "articles". We divide them into "definite" and "indefinite" like this:

Articles
Definite	Indefinite
the	a, an

We use "definite" to mean sure, certain. "Definite" is particular.

We use "indefinite" to mean not sure, not certain. "Indefinite" is general.

When we are talking about one thing in particular, we use the. When we are talking about one thing in general, we use a or an.

Think of the sky at night. In the sky we see 1 moon and millions of stars. So normally we would say:

• I saw the moon last night.
• I saw a star last night.

Look at these examples:

the	a, an
The capital of France is Paris. I have found the book that I lost. Have you cleaned the car? There are six eggs in the fridge. Please switch off the TV when you finish.	I was born in a town. John had an omelette for lunch. James Bond ordered a drink. We want to buy an umbrella. Have you got a pen?

Of course, often we can use the or a/an for the same word. It depends on the situation, not the word. Look at these examples:

• We want to buy an umbrella. (Any umbrella, not a particular umbrella.)
• Where is the umbrella? (We already have an umbrella. We are looking for our umbrella, a particular umbrella.)

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source: www.englishclub.com

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- Many and Much

Many is used with plural countable nouns and much is used with uncountable noun. The meaning of both words in Indonesian language is 'banyak' . Indonesian language does not have the classification of countable and uncountable noun like English. The word banyak can be used both in countable and uncountable noun. Therefore Indonesian learners often make mistakes in using the word many and much in English. Compare the following sentences.

1. I have many books
--> Saya punya banyak buku.

2. I have much money.
--> Saya punya banyak uang.

3. There is much rice on the table.
--> Ada banyak nasi di atas meja.

4. There are many apples on the table.
--> Ada banyak apel di atas meja.

It is possible for Indonesian learners to make mistakes in using the words many and much. Look at the wrong examples below.

1. *I have many money.
2. *I have much book.
3. *There are much apples on the table.
4. * There are many rice on the table.

Online English courses: - The answer Key of the exercises " Rewrite and Correct The Following sentences".

Rewrite and Correct The Following sentences.
(--> )the sign of correction (the Correct Answer)

1. My uncle work in a big office.
--> My uncle works in a big office.

2.That people are the students of Ahmad Dahlan University.
--> Those people are the students of Ahmad Dahlan University.

3. Water are important for our life.
--> Water is important for our life.

4. Was he play badminton three days ago?
--> Did he play badminton three days ago?

5. Umar always takes her wife to the market before he goes to his office.
--> Umar always takes his wife to the market before he goes to his office.

6. Each students of Ahmad Dahlan University must attend the general lecture.
--> Each student of Ahmad Dahlan University must attend the general lecture.

7. My father and me went to Canada two weeks ago.
--> My father and I went to Canada two weeks ago.

8. I came here together with, Andy, John, and she.
--> I came here together with, Andy, John, and her.

9. Does he see several plays when he was in New York?
--> Did he see several plays when he was in New York?

10. One of these very good English books are very expensive.
--> One of these very good English books is very expensive.

a, an and the

Perhatikan contoh berikut ini.

- I bought a comb and an umbrella yesterday.
The comb is black and the umbrella is red.

 Penutur mengatakan a comb/an umbrella (kalimat pertama)karena ini adalah
pertama kali dia mengatakan tentang itu. Penutur mengatakan the comb/the umbrella
(Kalimat kedua) karena sekarang pendengar sudah tahu comb/umbrella yang mana yang
dia maksud, yaitu the comb/the umbrella yang dia beli.

(1) a/an digunakan ketika lawan bicara tidak tahu benda yang mana yang kita
maksud. Jika benda yang kita maksud sudah jelas, the digunakan.

Contoh :
- Tom sat down on a chair. (We don’t know which chair)
- Tom sat down on the chair nearest the door. (we know which chair)
- The philosophy of Aristotle is interesting. (Aristotle’s philosophy)

(2) the digunakan jika benda yang dimaksud sudah jelas karena situasi.
Misalnya, dalam ruangan kita mengatakan ‘the light/the floor/the ceiling/the door’

Contoh:
- Can you turn off the light, please? (= the light in this room)
- I took a taxi to the station. (=the station of that town)

Juga : the police/the fire-brigade/the army, the doctor, the dentist, the bank,
the post office.

(3) the digunakan jika benda itu hanya ada satu di dunia ini.

Contoh:
- What is the highest building in Indonesia?
- The only beach I have ever visited is Parang Tritis.
- The capital city of Indonesia is Jakarta.
- The moon goes round the earth. (juga: ‘the sun, the world , the universe’)