articles: a/an
In Italian we say:
Marco è Inglese.
when i was talking in English I have to say:
marco is English.
or:
Marco is an English.
Can you tell me if there is a rule or some rules to undertand when the articole is needed?
another question is:
when can i use "one" instead "a"?
for instance:
One night marco was talking about...
A night Marco was talking about...
is there a difference between this 2 sentences?
Bye all, Fab
Search from various English teachers...
Corrections · 4
0
Ciao Fabrizio, È vero che in inglese la parola "Italian" può essere un aggetivo o un sostantivo. ..... Si dice: Marco is Italian (adjective) and Marco is AN Italian (noun) and Marco is AN ITALIAN man (adjective). We use the same word (Italian) as a noun and as an adjective. We do the same with Canadian, Mexican, Peruvian and some other nationalities. For various reasons, with some nationalities we have different terminology for the noun and the adjective forms: He is English, He is an Englishman; He is Spanish, He is a Spaniard; He is French, He is a Frenchman. It just so happens that "Italian" doesn't change. Being Italian, this is probably confusing. Lui è italiano, Lui è un uomo italiano. Lei è inglese, Lei è una donna inglese. But we don't say, "He/she is AN ENGLISH"
0
Hello Fabrizio,
Below is a link that explains article usage. I think that reading and reviewing it will help you to understand the concept of "count nouns" and article placement. I hope this helps you.
http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/rules/article.htm
0
sorry, I wasn't finished giving my examples when I pressed the wrong key!!!
Continued examples:
"There was one time I can remember clearly"
"It was one day last June, when she made a clear decision"
"It was a night to remember"
Hope these are useful......Jo
0
Hi Fabrizio, I will just go through the entire notebook entry and correct it as I go along. I hope it's helpful.
When I am speaking in English, do I have to say:
Marco is English;
or
Marco is an English man / or / Marco is an English person /or / Marco is an english guy.
Therefore it is understood when you just say 'Marco is English', but if you want to describe him in more detail by saying he is an 'English Man/person/guy' then you must use the 'article'.
"One night marco was talking about....." (is correct)
"A night, Marco was talking about......." (is incorrect)
Examples: 'It was one night I will never forget'
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