[Grammar] The articles are killing me!!!

Marina Gaidar · Dec 22, 2012

A small room is full of children. They are sitting on the wooden floor, close to a big oven. Its shut is open, and red light bickers upon the faces of the children. A very old granny is sitting on the bench in front of the children and telling stories.

In this abstract I have written those articles which I felt were correct here. Still I do not know why I want to put the before wooden floor while I put a before big oven. Help me, please!

bhaisahab · Dec 22, 2012

Marina Gaidar said:
A small room is full of children. They are sitting on the wooden floor, close to a big oven. Its shut is open What does this mean?, and red light flickers upon the faces of the children. A very old granny is sitting on the I would use "a" here. bench in front of the children and telling stories.

In this abstract I have written those articles which I felt were correct here. Still I do not know why I want to put the before wooden floor while I put a before big oven. Help me, please!

Bhai.

Marina Gaidar · Dec 22, 2012

bhaisahab said:
Bhai.

Its shut is open - I meant that its door if open (I just found that this door is called shut)

5jj · Dec 22, 2012

Marina Gaidar said:
(I just found that this door is called shut)

I have never heard of a door called a 'shut'. Where did you find this?

Barb_D · Dec 23, 2012

We know a room must have a floor. Therefore, they are sitting on THE floor, which happens to be wooden.
We don't know that there is an oven (do you mean "stove"?) in the room, so you need an "a" there. It's the same with "a bench."

You can refer to "the" floor, roof, walls, of a room - all rooms have them. You need an "a" for objects that are not necessarily part of any room.

Raymott · Dec 23, 2012

Marina Gaidar said:
A small room is full of children. They are sitting on the wooden floor, close to a big oven. Its shut is open, and red light bickers upon the faces of the children. A very old granny is sitting on the bench in front of the children and telling stories.

In this abstract I have written those articles which I felt were correct here. Still I do not know why I want to put the before wooden floor while I put a before big oven. Help me, please!

Aren't you pleased that you are familiar enough with English to get most of them right without knowing why? How many English speakers do you think could explain why they use articles where they do? (Hint: Not very many).

[Grammar] The articles are killing me!!!

Marina Gaidar

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