2. Introduction
• Three most recognizable articles:
– A, Na, The
• But....
– Another popular usage is the use of no article
• Example: I don´t like coffee
• Some languages don´t use articles or have
different usage for them, which can be
problematic for for some ELLs
3. 7.A Typical ELL Errors: Noticing the
Gap
• There are some common ELL mistakes
– Forgetting to use article A/An when speaking
about something indefinite
• For example:
• Every family dreams about comfortable and
luxurious house. For this goal, some people try to save a
sufficient amount of money to buy a great place to live
a
4. Typical ELL errors cont.
• Using article The when talking about things
that are not specific or particular
– For Example
– I like this grammar book because it explains
everything so well. After reading this book, I can
understand nouns and verbs much better.
I still need help with adjectives
the the
the
5. The definite article: the
• Here are some uses of the definite article that
most ELLs are not aware of:
• Use the for the names of countries that look
plural, including countries that end in – s or have the
words united, union, republic, or kingdom (The
Netherlands, The Philippines);
• In general, we do not use the for body parts;
• Use the with the most bodies of water except individual
lakes (The Mississippi River, The Pacific Ocean);
6. • use the with geographic parts of the globe and geographic
areas, deserts, and peninsulas (The Equator, The Middle
East, The South);
• No article:
• Use the no article when you want to talk about a category
or group in general (Cats can be great pets);
• Use the no article before abstract nouns such as feelings
or ideas (A person’s future success depends on
education);
7. Native language interference: compare
English with other languages
• Arabic:
1. Arabic has a definite article.
2. Unlike Enlish, Arabic requires the definite article
with abstract nouns: “The honesty is important.”
3. The definite article must be used when referring
to the whole group: “My favorite sport is the
tennis.” and “I´m afraid of the spiders.”
8. Native language interference: compare
English with other languages
• Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian:
1. These languages have no articles. As they
have a word for this/that, ss might have the
tendency to overuse them.
2. ELLs who speak these languages present
persistent mistakes with articles.
9. Native language interference: compare
English with other languages
• French, Spanish, Portuguese:
1. These languages have definite and indefinite articles.
2. In these languages, articles are used to refer to
specific things, as well as to the whole group. You
must say: “My favorite sport is the tennis.” and “I’m
afraid of the spiders.”
3. The definite article must be used with abstract nouns:
“The honesty is important for the nice trips.”
4. Indefinite articles are not used when talking about
professions: “My mother is teacher.”
5. So those might be common mistakes of ELLs who
speak these languages.
10. Ideas for Teaching
• Teacher must know how articles are used
within the students’ native language;
• Brazilian ss might have the tendency to
overuse definite articles, so T has to make
sure they understand that:
– The has more specific usages;
– The or No Article are used for geographical terms;
– No Article is used for general meaning.
