冠
2004年09月16日 葛林萍冠 词
一、 概述
英语冠词是英语限定词的一种，一中虚词。本身不能独立担任句子成分。它们的主要作用在于区别名词的不同功用，如 “特指” 和 “非特指”，它们置于名词前， 与名词合用。
英语冠词：定冠词， 不定冠词和零冠词。
Could you close the door, please? (定冠词)
Have you got a camera with you? （不定冠词）
Are most of your friends students? （零冠词）
二、 不定冠词a/an
1. a/an的区别
它们的主要功能为 “非特指”、 “泛指”。即指某类人或物中的任何一个或某一个。它有意义相同的两个形式：a/an. 前者用于辅音前，后者用于元音前。
A boy an apple
A cat an hour
2. 不定冠词的基本用法
不定冠词a/an与数词one 同源，基本含义是 “一”。
1）与可数名词单数连用，表示 “一个”
Here is a letter for you.
The feasibility report will be ready in a day or two.
----How much is it?
---- It’s 3dollars a kilo.
这种用法在某些表示重量、长度、时间等的词组中特别普遍。如：a pound, a pair, a mile, a cup of coffee
at a stretch 一鼓作气 in a word一言蔽之
2）表示 “任何一个”
Pass me a pencil, please.
One writes with a pen.
3）表示 “某一个”
Mounting a horse, he rode off.
This poem was written by a peasant.
4）与可数名词单数连用时， “一类”
A horse is a useful animal.
A square has four sides.
5) 序数词前原则上要加the, the first one, 表示顺序。在序数词前加a，则不表示顺序，而表示another “再，又”。 如，a second time再一次，又一次
三、 定冠词
定冠词的主要功用是 “特指”。表示同类中的某一人或物或某一类人或物。定冠词the 一般不重读。
1）共知的人或事
Can you turn off the light, please?
Where is the toilet?
2）已提到过的事或人
For lunch, I had a sandwich and an apple. The sandwich wasn’t very nice.
My grandma had a cat and two dogs. The cat was black and the dogs were white.
3）其后的人或事
Last night after dinner I told my family the bad news. I had this class assignment to monitor our use of energy at home for a week. Our family got an F.
4）用于可数名词单数前，特指的一类人或东西
The lion is the king of animals. 狮为百兽之王。
The pen is mightier than the sword. 笔胜于剑。
5）独一无二的东西
The sun tinged everything with gold.
The moon broke through the cloud and lit up the road.
四、 零冠词
零冠词是名词之前一种无形的冠词，亦即一般所谓的不用冠词（定冠词或不定冠词）的场合。
1）泛指人类或男女
Man is mortal.
To ensure woman’s complete emancipation and make her the equal of man, it is necessary for woman to participate in common productive labor.
2）人所熟知的事物
There’s no place like home.
I’m going to town.
3）典型的身体部分
He was a sleek, short man with bright bald head, pink face and gold-rimmed glasses.
The dog plunged wildly away, with tail between its legs.
4）抽象品质或服务
That man was more animal than man.
He was taken prisoner.
五、 一些习惯用法
1）定冠词
in the morning/afternoon/evening 早上（下午，晚上）
tell the truth 说真话
ignorant of the law 不懂法律
go to the theatre 看戏
go to the doctor 看病
on the horizon 在地平线上
a man in the street 普通人
break the ice 打破沉默
bite the bullet 硬着头皮去做难做的事
burn the midnight oil 开夜车
strike while the iron is hot 趁热打铁
2）不定冠词
make a fuss 大惊小怪
with a will 起劲地
make a racket 大声喧闹
beat a retreat 撤退
take a bow 谢幕
have a liking for 喜欢
make a scene 大众大闹
all of a sudden 突然
as a rule 通常
as a matter of fact 事实上
3）零冠词
cast anchor 抛锚
change course 改变方向
take shape 成形
learn by heart记忆
in charge 主管
on foot 步行
out of date 过时
without question 毫无疑问
make use of 利用
4）其他习语
①prison, school, university, college, church, hospital 这些名词前为零冠词时，不表示具体的房屋或机构，而表示在该房屋或机构中进行的活动。
After I leave school, I want to go to university.
Mrs. Kelly goes to church every Sunday.
Ken’s brother is in prison for robbery.
Ken went to the prison to visit his brother.
②地名
----洲名前用零冠词
----国名前一般用零冠词
但国名为复合名词或复数时，要加定冠词
the United States of America 美国
the United Kingdom英国
the United Arab Emirates阿拉伯联合酋长国
the Philippines 菲律宾
the Netherlands 荷兰
----城镇名前一般用零冠词
Cairo 开罗 Beijing 北京 New York 纽约 Madrid马德里
但也有例外，如the Hague海牙
----地区名，一般加定冠词
the Middle East 中东
the Far East 远东
the north of England英格兰北部
但用方向性形容词时，地区名前面不加定冠词
northern England英格兰北部
southern Spain西班牙南部
western Canada加拿大西部
----山脉名一般为复数，加定冠词
the Rocky Mountains 落基山脉
the Alps阿尔卑斯山脉
the Andes 安第斯山脉
----海洋、河流、运河名，一般加定冠词
the Pacific (Ocean) 太平洋
the Atlantic ( Ocean) 大西洋
the Indian Ocean 印度洋
the Mediterranean （sea）地中海
the (English) Channel 英吉利海峡
the Nile 尼罗河
注意在地图上标注时，一般都不加定冠词
----街道、广场名，一般为零冠词
Broadway 百老汇大街
Fifth Avenue 第五街
Piccadilly Circus 皮卡迪利广场
Tian An Men Square天安门广场
----由人名、地名命名的地方，一般为零冠词
Kennedy Airport肯尼迪机场
Cambridge University 剑桥大学
Hyde Park 海德公园
Westminster Abbey威斯敏斯特大教堂
Barclay’s Bank 巴克利银行
六、 冠词的位置
1. 在名词前
冠词一般放在名词或整个名词词组的前面
a good girl, the house, a very old house
2. 两个以上名词并列的位置
两个以上的名词并列时，冠词重复与否，在句意上有大不同
I visited the poet and professor.
I visited the poet and the professor.
3. 名词前有两个并列形容词时
he has a red and blue pencil.
He has a red and a blue pencil.
4. 在形容词、副词后
1) 感叹句中的what, 形容词half, many, such 以及副词almost, quite, only 置于不定冠词之前
What a flower!
Many a man has studied foreign languages before.
2) “副词（as, so, how, however, too）+形容词+不定冠词+名词”结构
It was as pleasant a day as I have ever spent.
It was too nice a day to stay inside.