Mr. Hundhausen’s NEW MAGIC J article system


In English, you must put every singular thing into one of three categories:


Category I: Uncountable                NO ARTICLE

       emotions (love, hate, anger)

foods and powders (garlic, sugar, flour, sand, dust, soil)

liquids (wine, water, Kofola)

gases (oxygen, air)

activities based on a verb (swimming, running, thinking)

academic subjects (geography, history, Physical Education)


Category II: Unique                       THE

The world, the sun, the moon, the queen, the President of the CR, the

internet, the boss

1)     Ordinal numbers: the 1^st, the 5^th, the 20^th

2)     Superlatives: the funniest, the fastest, the most intelligent

3)     The last, the next, the only, the right, the wrong

4)     Defined immediately: the price OF petrol, the dog THAT bit my cat (using OF or a relative
pronoun)


Category III: One of many             A/AN

1)     expressions of quantity or containers: a pack of cigarettes, a tube of toothpaste, a
majority of Slovaks (are cute), a series of problems, a lot of time, a bit of sugar, a flock of
sheep, a herd of cows


!!!!!!   Careful!    When you mention it the 2^nd time, it moves to Category II.


Plurals:

         The first time you talk about a plural, use NO ARTICLE.

         The second time, use THE.

         If you define which things, use THE:   The students of DAMU think that they are very
important.