The functions of the definite article

The definite article expresses the definiteness of the object named or the familiarity with the object named and has one principle function, 1) the limiting function.

The definite article singles the object named out of a class of similar objects. The noun with the definite article stands for an object, person or thing known from the circumstances, the situation, the context. The limitation expressed by the definite article is not necessarily based on the earlier introduction of the object named but on the situation. That's why the definite article is the situational article.

In its limiting function the definite article is often used with nouns modified by limiting attributes the purpose of which is to single out the object or the person named. E.g. This is the house that Jack built. She was the smartest girl in the room.

The definite article is also used with the names of unique things (the sun, the moon, the earth, the air, the world, the cosmos, etc). In this case the limiting function of the definite article is based on the exclusiveness of the object named.

2) Sometimes the definite article is used with a noun which stands for the whole of a class of similar objects. E.g. The telephone (as a means of communication) was invented by Bell in the 19th century.

This may be called the generic function of the definite article.

3) The definite article is usually used with a noun which expresses “the known” in a communication. E.g. The door opened and a man entered the room.

Instead of the definite article in English the possessive pronoun is sometimes used. The possessive pronouns are usually used with nouns naming parts of body, articles of clothing, etc. E.g. He laid his hand on his sword. Such possessive pronouns are not rendered into Russian and are not meant to express “possession”.

This substitution of the article by possessive pronouns is only possible, however, when the objects expressed by the nouns with possessive pronouns belong to the subject of the sentence, otherwise we must use the definite article.

cf. He took the matter into his hands.

He took the child by the hand.

The absence of the article before a material or abstract noun has a nominating function. E.g. Life goes on.

Lecture 6

The Verb

The verb is a part of speech, which expresses a process or action. The verb is characterized by a developed system of morphological categories. They are: tense, aspect, voice, mood, correlation, posteriority, person, number. Verbs are connected 1) with a preceding or following noun (children play, play chess); 2) with adverbs which is the most characteristic of the verb (play well); 3) occasionally with adjectives (married young). In a sentence a verb is always a simple verbal predicate.

Morphologically a verb may be in a finite form or non-finite (Indefinite, Gerund, Participle).

Syntactically verbs may be objective and subjective.

Semantically verbs may be terminative and non-terminative, the former expressing an action limited in time, the latter expressing an action having no limits in time.