Adjectives and adverbs may express a greater or lesser degree of Some adjectives and adverbs are absolute, that is, by their definitions

49. No article is used in the following circumstances:

a. when a determiner specifically identifies the noun. my pencil the my pencil that desk a that desk This symbol signifies that the form is ungrammatical. b. when the noun is of indefinite quality or quantity, that is, non- countable noun. Coal is mined in Kalimantan. Note the distinction between countable and non-countable nouns in these examples: He has a great support system behind him. He deserves support from us. c. when the noun is the proper name of a person, street, city, country, etc. and is not qualified. Miriam is going to visit Mount Bromo in East Java.

50. A and an are used only with singular nouns. The is used with singular

or plural nouns the birds, the tables. The is also used in the following circumstances: a. preceding the proper names of rivers, seas, mountains, and countries that have been qualified in some way. the Ganges River the Alps the Indian Ocean the Republic of Austria b. preceding the names of persons, streets, cities, countries, etc. when they are used as proper adjectives. the Korean highlands the Malioboro merchants the Semarang old town the Indonesian foreign policy c. preceding non-countable nouns when the nouns are followed by modifiers She loves the ballet of George Balanchine Compare the following pairs: Jane is studying sociology. Jane is studying the sociology of those strange people.

51. Articles should be repeated in a sentence if the meaning requires it.

The husband and the father came in. two men The husband and father came in. one man She had a red and an orange sweater. two sweaters She had a red and orange sweater. one sweater Exercise 28 Put in aan or the where necessary. I have just moved into …1.. house in …2.. Bridge Street. Yesterday …3.. beggar knocked at my door. He asked for …4.. meal and …5.. glass of beer. In return for this, …6.. beggar stood in his head and sang …7.. songs. I gave him …8.. meal. He ate …9.. food and drank …10.. beer. Then he put …11.. piece of cheese in his pocket and went away. Later ..12.. neighbor told me about him. Everybody knows him. His name is Percy Buttons. He calls at every house in …13.. street once …14.. month and always asks for …15.. meal and …16.. glass of beer. PREPOSITIONS 52. A preposition is a word that links a noun, pronoun, noun phrase or any other nominal constructions with the rest of the sentence, usually describing time, place, or relationship. Prepositions precede the nouns