English as an Additional Language/Articles and Adjectives

Next up we will learn two very important things: articles and adjectives. Both articles and adjectives typically occur before the noun they modify, with articles occurring before adjectives. Articles Like other languages, English has a definite and an indefinite article. Unlike most Romance languages, English has no gender of nouns and so the articles don't change at all. Definite article (used when the noun or nouns are already known): The Indefinite article (used when the noun or nouns is not already known): For singular nouns: a For singular nouns beginning in a vowel or a silent "h:" an Note that often "a" is used in front of vowels for some words; you will have to learn the exceptions individually. For plural nouns, the closest thing to an article would be some. Adjectives Remember that an adjective describes a noun. In English, adjectives are always placed before the noun, for example: The red apple. A soft sheep. An angry dragon. The silly boys. Some hard rocks. Also, English adjectives do NOT agree with number or gender: The red apples, NOT The reds apples Some tall women, NOT Some talles women The exception, however is the adjective "blond", which agrees with gender in writing: The blond boy, but; The blonde girl. This is not strictly observed, however. Either "blond" or "blonde" is acceptable, and you are unlikely to be noticed using the feminine form for a male noun or vice versa.