Articles-uspecific v. specific

Articles
"A" - one as an example vs. one in particular	Framed \| Unframed

Read & Contrast

ONE AS AN EXAMPLE

ONE IN PARTICULAR

UNSPECIFIC

SPECIFIC

A comet appears to have a tail as it streaks through the sky.
A comet also has a dense head.
If you look up in the sky, you might see a comet.

The sentences above are true of all comets.

A comet was seen in the western sky last night. (first mention)
The comet was believed to be Hale-Bopp.
The comet has a spectacular, bright tail.

Hale-Bopp comet

The sentences above are about a comet we saw last night.

Practice 1

Can you distinguish an unspecific noun from a specific noun?

A black hole is an object, typically a collapsed star whose gravity is so strong that its escape velocity exceeds the speed of light. Since nothing is known to exceed the speed of light, nothing can escape from a black hole.

1. A blackhole is an object . . . .nothing can escape from a black hole.

Does "a black hole" refer to an unspecific, any, black hole?

Does "a black hole" refer to a specific black hole?

Answer

2. A planet was later discovered farther out in the solar system. The planet, Jupiter, named after the Roman god, was the largest of all.

Does "A planet" refer to an unspecific, any, planet?

Does "A planet" refer to a specific planet?

Answer

Practice 2

Specific (a particular one) or Unspecific (true of any one)

#	SENTENCE	YOUR RESPONSE	ANSWER
1	People did not always know what a comet was. In ancient times, people thought comets were "power rays" of super- natural beings.	specific unspecific	Answer 1
2	They thought a comet contained fire because they are so bright in the sky.	specific unspecific	Answer 2
3	Some people in ancient times thought that a comet was a curse. To save himself from "the curse of the comet," Emperor Nero of Rome had all possible successors to his throne executed.	specific unspecific	Answer 3
4	In 1910, people panicked when a comet passed through Earth's path around the Sun.	specific unspecific	Answer 4
6	In Chicago, people sealed their windows to protect themselves from a comet that they believed had a poisonous tail. Others committed suicide. Special "Comet Protecting Umbrellas," gas masks, and "anti-comet pills" were sold.	specific unspecific	Answer 5
6	Not everyone saw a comet as bad luck. Some thought they brought good luck.	specific unspecific	Answer 6
7	They also believed that a comet carried angels through the heavens.	specific unspecific	Answer 7

Web Based Activities Page (NASA) http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/ Comets: (select little book on the right): Myths: Friend or Foe

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Julie Sevastopoulos - College of San Mateo - San Mateo, CA 94402 USA