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Nouns & Articles
English nouns, definite and indefinite articles, countable and uncountable nouns, and plural forms
Countable nouns used as uncountable
"I'll have a coffee" / "He had three beers" — portions/types of uncountable nouns
Generic article: a / the / zero
"A lion is a mammal" / "The lion is a mammal" / "Lions are mammals" — all valid
Zero article: abstract nouns in general
Life is short / Love is important — but "the life of a soldier" (specific)
Nominalization in academic writing
"Prices increased" → "There was an increase in prices" — more formal style
Complex nominalizations
develop→development / investigate→investigation / achieve→achievement
Noun + prepositional phrase patterns
the reason for / the cause of / the solution to / the result of / the aim of
Noun collocations
make a decision, do research, take an opportunity, give advice, reach a conclusion
Pre-modification strings in formal writing
a high-quality government-funded research project — extended pre-modification
Discourse reference: the + known item
A man walked in. The man was tall. — "a" introduces; "the" refers back
Articles with institutions: school / the school
go to school (purpose) / go to the school (building) — meaning changes with article
