Section 1- Articles

Uncountable nouns: If a noun is uncountable, it cannot be used in a plural form

or with a corresponding verb in the plural form in writing and it cannot be used with
numbers in front of it (it cannot be counted). These nouns never have an indefinite
article (a or an) before them.
Difficult uncountable nouns:
-

Progress (no plural/no indefinite article)

Travel
Software (both C and U)
Compatibility
Architecture (both C and U)
Storage
Spam
Circuitry
Resolution (both C and U)
capacity

If an uncountable noun is referring to something in general, it must not have an article

in front of it. If it is referring to something specific, it must be preceded by the definite
article (the).
Definite or indefinite articles. Is the noun general or specific in its meaning in
the context? Is it definite or indefinite? If a noun is general in meaning, it is common to
use a plural form with no article. Ex: Giraffes are types of mammals that have evolved
extremely long necks to enable them to reach the greenery at the top of trees. In many
cases, it is also possible to use both 'a' or 'the' and a singular form to express the same
meaning. As it is more common to use a plural form to refer to nouns in general, it is
recommended that you use this form. You are less likely to make mistakes.
In simple terms, the indefinite article 'a or an' is used when a noun is not defined
or specified. This means that it is not possible for the reader to understand exactly which
thing the writer is referring to. It usually describes something that is 'one of many' or
that is being introduced for the first time. The definite article 'the', on the other hand, is
used when a noun is defined in the general context. This means the reader can
understand exactly which thing the writer is referring to.
Situations when a countable noun may be used in a definite sense or be known to
the reader:
The noun has previously been mentioned.
It is unique in some sense - only one exists, e.g. the Internet, the moon.
It is defined within the sentence, usually using a relative pronoun in a relative clause
e.g.the business contract which was signed last month.
It is defined by use of the phrase the x of y, e.g. the beginning of spring.

 It is part of a superlative structure e.g. the most challenging task.

It has not been mentioned before explicitly, but the reader can understand exactly
what it is through a previous statement.
It is a famous organisation (only one).
Some mistakes in my writing task (English for Academic Studies):
-

to prevent from doing sth (he prevented me from sleeping)

to remember: lembrar-se X to remind: lembrar algum de algo

noisy >> adjective X noise >> noun

The indefinite article is used when a person or concept is mentioned for the first time
and subsequent references to the noun, once it has been identified, use the definite
article.
When an adjective is used as a noun to represent a a group of people or examples of a
type, the definite article is always used.
No article is used when making a general statement using an uncountable noun but the
definite article is used when making a specific point about an uncountable noun.
A general statement can be made which refers to all examples of a kind of countable
noun using an indefinite article and the singular form of the countable noun, e.g. A PC
card is an insertable piece of hardware for notebooks. It is also possible to make this
kind of statement using the plural form with no article, e.g. PC cards are insertable
pieces of hardware for notebooks (notice that in this case, other countable nouns in the
sentence are generally put in the plural form too).
Both countable nouns in their plural form and uncountable nouns require the definite
article in front of them when being used in a specific context, e.g. Eighty percent of the
customers who were interviewed responded positively; The company's turnover this
year has been exceptional.
The definite article is needed in front of the superlative form, 'first', 'second' etc, and
'next'.

The definite article can be used with a singular noun to make a general statement
about that group. The statement refers to the whole class and not to the individuals in
the class e.g. The fast food outlet has become an established part of urban life. Here the
use of the indefinite article would not be possible because the statement refers to all the
members of the group rather than the group itself so the following sentence would be
wrong: A fast food outlet has become an established part of urban life.

Patterns of noun phrases

1. Noun (singular) + Noun (singular or plural)
An adjective and a noun can often be used instead of two nouns (e.g. increased
competition instead of an increase in competition). Using an adjective and a noun is
often a safer way of forming a noun phrase if you are not sure how to combine two
nouns.
The noun + noun structure only tends to be used if the two nouns form a common
combination which represents a recognised concept in English. The second noun is the
main (or head) noun and the first noun is the modifier (e.g. computer viruses, the ecommerce sector).The first noun is normally in the singular form even if it represents a
plural concept.
2. Noun + 's (or s') + Noun (singular or plural)
The possessive 's (s') structure is often used when the first noun in the group refers
to an organisation (e.g. the company's executive director), person (e.g. Darwin's theory
of evolution), animal (e.g. the marmot's fur), or country (e.g. Britain's financial capital ).
It is also used when the first noun is a time expression (e.g. last year's economic
forecast, the day's trading ).
3. Noun (singular or plural) + preposition + Noun (singular or plural)
When the possessive structure ('s) or the noun+noun structure cannot be used, nouns
are generally linked using a preposition (e.g. forms of identification, an increase in
computer crime). This more formal structure is also sometimes preferred in academic
writing.