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The uses of article “a/an”
Abstract
In studying a foreign language, learners could not pay attention to only its
pronunciation, vocabulary but also its grammar. The learners, in fact, have to
meet grammatical problem very much such as: tense, verb, adj…Particularly
articles. The correct use of articles a/an is complex and difficult problem in
English grammar. It requires learners to have a very good knowledge of articles
and how to use them. Therefore, in my study, I describe research to ward article
a/an in English. We present definition and types of articles, some basic use of
a/an, and classification in terms of meaning.
Outline
I. Introduction
II. Findings
1. Definition and types of articles.
2. Basic use of a/an.
3. Classification in terms of meaning.
III. Recommendations
IV. Conclusion
References
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I. Introduction
Nowadays, English has become more and more popular in Viet Nam in
general and in many universities in particular. For many students learning
English is vital need.
To learn English well, grammar plays a very important role of which
articles are a rather small but crucial grammatical unit in defining nouns and
showing how the noun is being used. Although article a/an is a small
elements, they have caused a lot of trouble and confusion for learners when
using them. As a Vietnamese learner of English for a long time, I sometimes

Eg: an umbrella, an orange, an F
A/an has an indefinite meaning (person, animals or thing referred to
may be not know to the listener or readers, so A/an has the sense of any or I
can’t tell you which, or it doesn’t matter which)
A/an can combine only with singular noun
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3. Classification in terms of meaning
3.1 A/an +a noun: referring to something /person in general
Eg:
A cat is a domestic animal
An architect is a person who designs buildings
3.2 By means of label: a/an +noun after the verb be.
In order to give more information about someone, something or talk
about the profession (Alexander, 1988, P 36)
Eg:
His father is an engineer
She is a doctor
3.3 A/an +adjective = noun to describe the people ( Que, Phan Van and
Minh, Hoang Tuyet,2006, P.18)
Eg:
She is American = She is an American
He is conservative = He is a conservative
3.4 Indicating
Occupation: He wants to be a teacher
Religion and nationalities: He is an English man
Politics: My grandmother is a Republican
Origins: I am a Vietnamese
3.5 Representative/ example/ typical or group of class.
“To refer to a thing or a person of individual type to makes a general

Price in relation to weight : 5p a/per kilo
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