概念:冠词是置于名词前并限定名词意义的虚词。英语中的冠词只有定冠词和不定冠词两种,其中定冠词只有the这一种形式,不定冠词只有a和an这两种形式。名词前若不用冠词时,又称作零冠词。不定冠词之所以冠以“不定”两字,就是因为它的主要特点就是“不确定”或“泛指”;定冠词之所以冠以“定”字,就是因为它的主要特点是“确指”或“特指”。
1a 与 an 的用法区别
1.基本区别:原则上说,a用于辅音前;an用于元音前。辅音前用a的例子如: a book, a student, a school, a house, a magazine 等;元音前用an的例子如: an egg, an apple, an object, an idea, an ugly thing 等。
2.易错说明:hour, honest, honor 等单词的拼写虽然以辅音字母h开头,但其读音却以元音开头,因此,前面要用an。反过来,有些单词虽然以元音字母开头,但其读音却以辅音开头,那么它们的前面应用a而不是an,这些词常见的有useful, university, usual, European, united, one-eyed, one-way 等。
此外,对于数字、字母以及由单词首字母构成的缩略词,其前到底是用a还是an,也需根据读音来确定,如下:
He has an 11-year-old daughter.
Our daughter sent us an SOS for some more money.
2冠词在句中的位置
1. 通常位置:一般说来冠词放在单数可数名词之前(如 a man / the man),如果名词有其他定语,不定冠词应放在定语之前(如a good man / the good man)。
2. 特殊位置:在下面情况中,冠词的位置比较特殊,需要注意。
① 单数可数名词被 such, many, half, what 等修饰时,不定冠词应置于其后,这个大家看例子就很容易明白,而且平时基本不会出错。
He arrived half an hour ago.
He couldn’t afford to pay such a price.
② 单数可数名词前作定语的形容词被 as, so, how, too 修饰时,通常采用 “as / so / how / too + 形容词 + a / an + 名词”这样的词序。
He didn’t know how great a mistake he had made.
It is too difficult a job for me to finish in so short a time.
③ 当定冠词与 all, both, half 表倍数的 double, twice, three times 等分数词等一起修饰名词时,定冠词应放在它们之后。
Turn off all the lights before you go to bed.
Everything was almost double the normal price.
3不定冠词的基本用法
1. 表类别:即指人或事物的类别。
A teacher is a person who teaches.
2. 表数量:即表示数量“一”。
I’ll be able to finish it in a day or two.
3. 表同一性:即表示“同一”,说明事物的同一性质、特征、大小或程度等。
This hat and that one are of a shape.
4. 表程度:用于most前表示“非常”“十分”。
It’s a most boring book.
4不定冠词的考点性用法
1. 用于序数词前:表示“再一”、“又一”。
She thanked him a second time.
Shall I ask her a third time?
2. 用于由动词转化来的名词前:表示一次、一番等义(通常与 have, take, make, give 等动词连用)。
We’ve already had a try at it.
I went down to the beach and took a swim.
3. 用于专有名词前:相当于a certain,意为“一个”“某个”。
The house next door has been bought by a Mr Jones.
4. 用于抽象名词前:使之具体化,表示与该之相关的具体的人或事。
He was a success in business.
It’s a pleasure to talk with you.
5定冠词的基本用法
1. 表示特指:特指某(些)人或某(些)物(包括用于上文提到过的人或物之前,以及说话双方都知道的人或物)。
We have a cat and two dogs. The cat is black and the dogs are white.
2. 表示独一无二:用在世界上“独一无二”的事物的名词前。
The earth goes round the sun.
He looked up at the stars in the sky.
3. 用于最高级前:即用于形容词或副词的最高级前。
Who picked the most apples?
Of the four of us, I sang the worst.
4. 用于序数词或方位词之前。
He was the first man to think of it.
Italy is in the south of Europe.
5. 用于乐器名词前:表示相应乐器的演奏。
Besides the violin, he plays the piano and the flute.
6. 表示人体部位:用于某些介词短语中指身体的某个部位。
He patted me on the back.
We caught him by the arm.
7. 用于表示一家人:用于在姓氏的复数形式之前表示一家人或夫妇二人。
The Smiths live in the apartment above ours.
8. 用于江河湖海等前:用于江河湖海、山脉群岛、海湾海峡等地理名词前。如:
The Yellow River flows into the Yellow Sea.
9. 用于某些含有普通名词的专有名词前:用于某些国名、组织机构、建筑物、报纸杂志、会议条约等含有普通名词与其他词构成的专有名词。
We visited the Great Wall yesterday.
6定冠词的考点性用法
1. 用于整十的复数数词前:表示几十年代。
This happened in the seventies.
2. 用于比较级前:用于“the+比较级,the+比较级”结构中表示“越……就越……”。
The sooner we operate now the safer.
The better I knew him, the more I liked him.
3. 用于表示类别:用于“the+某些形容词或过去分词”中表示一类人。
Do you think the rich should pay more taxes to help the poor?
The sick and the wounded were sent home.
4. 用于国籍名词前表总称:用于“the+某些国籍的形容词”中表示某国人的总称。
The French are famous for their food.
The British drink a great deal of tea.
5. 用于集合名词前表总称:用于“the + police / public等集合名词”中表示这类人的总称。
The police are looking for the murderer.
6. 用于修饰same, only, very等形容词:即用于“the same / only / very +名词”结构中。
That’s the only reason.
Do you belong to the same class?
My view is the very opposite of his.
7. 用于单位名词前表示标准:即用于“单位词”(hour, day, month, year, dozen, gallon, ton, yard等)前表示标准,相当于汉语的“按”“论”“每”等。
They let out cars by the day.
Do you sell eggs by the kilo or by the dozen?
但是,by weight(按重量)习惯上不用冠词。
Bananas are usually sold by weight.
7使用零冠词的典型情形
所谓用零冠词,即既不用定冠词,也不用不定冠词。这类情况主要有:
1. 表泛指的不可数名词或复数名词前。
Snow was failing.
Children get a better education today than at any time in the past.
2. 倒装的让步状语从句中:在as(虽然)引导让步状语从句前面的单数可数名词前不用冠词。
Child as he was, he knew how to help others.
3. 某些特殊词前:例如在man(人,人类), word(消息)的前面不用冠词。
Man is a rational animal.
Word came that he had married again.
又如动词 turn(变成),go(变成)后作表语的名词前通常用不用冠词。
He was a teacher before he turned writer.
4. 独立主格结构中:在表示伴随或补充说明用用的独立主格结构中,名词前不用冠词。
The teacher came in, book in hand.
He was sitting in the chair, pipe in mouth.
5. “(a) kind [sort] of+名词”结构的“名词”前:该结构中的“名词”不管是单数还是复数,其前都通常用零冠词。
This kind of book is very interesting.
He is the sort of person I really dislike.
6. 表抽象意义的单数名词前:当单数可数名词含义抽象化具有形容词意味时,通常用零冠词。
I was fool enough to accept his offer.
Are you man enough for this dangerous job?
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