Native speakers

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Hi,Do native speakers sometimes get confused when it comes time to use articles?

Prajwalkr · Accepted Answer

Dusan StojilkovicDo native speakers sometimes get confused when it comes time to use articles?

Every does get confused in articles. Sometime, there are choices and sometimes there are none. Picking out the correct one would be very difficult in such cases.

Prajwal

Fivejedjon · Answer

I almost never think consciously about articles, so I have to say that in my own speech and writing I don't get confused. However, when I have been teaching fairly advanced students, I have sometimes found it difficult to explain completely satisfactorily why one article and not another, or no article at all, is appropriate in certain cases.

When I have checked the proofreading of fellow native speakers, or had mine checked by them, one of the main areas of disagreement is articles.It often happens that there is not one absolutely correct choice. This does not normally bother native speakers - we say what we think is appropriate, and usually nobody notices. It can be a big problem for learners, who sometimes have to make a conscious choice.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you both.

Fivejedjon, how did you learn to use them in your childhood?

Enoon · Answer

It happens more than you might think. Try "He was lord mayor of London" vs. "He was the lord mayor of London." I don't know right now which is right, or if both are or neither. I would write the first, though. "She caught the measles" vs. "She caught measles."

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Do native speakers sometimes get confused when it comes time to use articles?

In my opinion, and speaking generally, no.

Clive

CalifJim · Answer

Dusan StojilkovicHi,Do native speakers sometimes get confused when it comes time to use articles?

When it comes to articles - I mean, the articles - I never experience the confusion - I mean, confusion.

But seriously, no, never, unless a student asks me why an article goes or doesn't go in a particular spot.

Native speakers of any language generally go by sound, not by rules. We leave out or throw in an article whenever it feels right.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you all, and especially CJ! <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/> So, which article would you people use in enoon's examples? The or a?

CalifJim · Answer

Dusan Stojilkovicwhich article would you people use in enoon's examples? The or a?

I'd say, "It was the lord mayor of London who caught the measles".

In some examples like these, we (or I at least) just say whatever others around us say. If we move to a different region where people say it differently, it's not a problem. We just realize that not everybody says these phrases the same.

Case in point. Almost everywhere in the U.S. people say, "So-and-so has cancer". In some areas of Florida they say instead, "So-and-so has the cancer". Go figure!

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Haha, I was very confused about 'the cancer'

. Anyway, why do we say: I hada one night stand. Why don't we say 'an'?

CalifJim · Answer

Dusan StojilkovicAnyway, why do we say: I hada one night stand. Why don't we say 'an'?

It goes by sound, not by spelling. 'one' is pronounced like 'won', so phonetically it begins with a 'w' sound, not with the 'o' sound. Similarly, "a once useful coat".

CJ

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