§ 10. The use of articles with countable nouns modified by ad- jectives. Attributes expressed by adjectives are usually descrip- tive.

She drove an old car. His office was in a fine, gay, busy little street.

As was stated above, descriptive attributes do not affect the lice of articles. Thus we may find a noun modified by a descrip- attribute used with the definite article.

The woman looked at me shrewdly and there was a glint of hu- mour in the dark eyes. We lay lazily on the steep bank, looking at the tall reeds.

The definite article in this case is accounted for by the situa- tion but not by the attribute.

Note. The adjective pronouns all and whole are to be treated as descriptive at- tributes. The use of articles with nouns modified by these attributes is determined by the situation.

All children like ice-cream.

All the children watched the game with excitement.

He never stayed a whole evening with us.

He spent the whole evening watching the telly.

The adjective pronoun such is also a descriptive attribute, but, unlike all and whole, it is never combined with the definite article. Your father is such a handsome man. I'm not prepared to believe such things about my son.

But adjectives may become limiting attributes when contrast is implied- In this case they are marked by stronger stress.

e.g. Will you pack my things for me? I want the little suit-case

as I'll be away only one night.

She saw a car pull up at the curb with two women in it. The younger woman asked her the way to the railway station.

Adjectives in the superlative degree, however, are always limit- ing attributes.

e.g. She was the smartest girl in the room.

"The most dangerous person of all is my uncle," the young man whispered.

Note 1. Compare the following sentences.

e.g. He's the most experienced doctor I know. He's a most experienced doctor.

In the first sentence we find the superlative degree of experienced which ac- counts for the use of the definite article. In this combination both most and expert enced are stressed. In the second sentence most is an adverb of degree ('крайне`, 'чрезвычайно), so the whole combination is a descriptive attribute and most is unstressed here.

Note 2. The combination a best suit ('выходной костюм') and a best seller ('ходкая книга') are set phrases.

Some adjectives, adjective pronouns and adjectivized toff-forms almost always serve as limiting attributes. The most important of them are: right ('тот, который нужен'; 'правильный') and wrong ('не тот'), very, only, main, principal, central, left and right, same, coming, following, present, former ('первый') and latter ('последний').

e.g. It just seems to be the wrong way to go about it.

My chief is the right man in the right place.

The questions you ask are the very questions I am putting myself.

My mother was the only person whom I told what had hap- pened.

My relatives take a very grave view of the present situation.

Besides, there are other adjectives which commonly, though not always, serve as limiting attributes, e.g. proper ('надле-

жащий', 'правильный'), adjacent, alleged, lower, necessary, op- posite, previous, so-called, upper, usual, and some others.

Note 1. An only child is a set phrase ('единственный ребенок у родителей'). i e.g. She is as spoiled as if she were an only child.

But we say: She was the only child present in the drawing room.

Note 2. Nouns modified by the adjectives next and last are generally used with the definite article.

e.g. We shall probably eat at the next table to him.

My father had not read the last seven pages of the book.

But when these adjectives modify nouns denoting time, actually coming or just past from the point of view of the speaker, there is no article at all.

e.g. He said: "No, you can't see her. She went to London last week"

He said: "I am determined not to spend more than ten pounds on my clothes

next year and so I'll manage by myself." It must be noted that in narration there is a fluctuation in the use of articles with nouns modified by next. We find either the definite article or no article at all. e.g. We had not been sitting long in the drawing-room before Mr March was ar- ranging a timetable for the next day. I sent her a wire and she met me at the station next day. Note 3. Note the difference in the use of articles with nouns modified by the adjective pronoun other. The definite article is used with a singular noun modified by other if there are only two objects of the same description.

e.g, He pulled on the other glove and said he would run along to his office.

If there are more than two objects of the same description, the indefinite arti- cle is used (another). In this case another has three meanings: 'еще один', 'любой другой', and 'не такой', 'иной'.

e.g. Could I have another cup of tea?

"You can do as well as another man," he said. When I came back I found him in another mood.

The definite article is used with a plural noun modified by other if there is a definite number of objects divided into two definite groups.

e.g. Of the three people invited by her for the weekend, one had already arrived.

Her husband wanted to know when the other guests were expected. My mother needed me more than the other members of the family.

In this case the other guests, the other members, etc. means 'the rest'. If some objects are divided into two groups and either one of the groups or both of them are indefinite, there is no article.

e.g. I was thinking of other people in the same position.

Her brothers, as a rule, could not make themselves good friends to other men.

In this case other people, other men, etc. means 'другие'.

The same rules are applied to other when it is used as a noun pronoun.

e.g. He drove with one hand, and used the other to draw diagrams in the air.

Young Martin was first sent on an errand to the grocer, then on another to the

butcher. Then Katherine remembered about her mail: "The only letter I've opened is my

husband's. Lewis, will you fetch in the others?" When people say they do not care what others think of them, for the most part

they deceive themselves.

Note 4. The other day is a set phrase meaning 'недавно', 'на днях'.

§ ll. The use of articles with countable nouns modified by numerals. Cardinal numerals serve as descriptive attributes.

e.g. He had refused three invitations to golf, his excuse to his friends being that he had no time.

If a noun modified by a cardinal numeral is used with the def- inite article, this is accounted for by the situation or context.

e.g. By candlelight the two men seemed of an age if indeed not of the same family.

Ordinal numerals are usually limiting attributes.

e.g. During the second week in October she met him in Oxford Street.

However, when ordinal numerals are not used to indicate or- der but acquire the meaning 'one more' or 'another', the noun they modify is used with the indefinite article.

e.g. They must have a third race to decide who is the real winner. After a moment's hesitation she added a fourth spoonful of sugar to her tea.

Note 1. The above mentioned rule does not apply to the numeral first. The combi- nation a first night ('премьера') and a first prize are to be regarded as set phrases.

Note 2. Different articles are used in the following patterns with nouns modi- fied by cardinal and ordinal numerals: the third chapter but chapter 3 (three), the fifth page but page 5 (five).