§ 49. The noun sea is regularly found with the definite article. This may be accounted for by different reasons. In some cases it may be understood as a generic singular.

e.g. The sea covers nearly three fourths of the world's surface. He always spends his holiday by the sea.

In other cases it is used with the individualizing definite article, e.g. A cold wind was blowing from the sea. Let's go for a swim in the sea.

Certain Countable Nouns in Their Phraseological Use

§ 50. There are a number of countable nouns in English, which are often used without any article, as they undergo a change of meaning and become uncountable.

§51. The nouns school, college, hospital, prison, jail, camp, church, court, bed, table and occasionally market are used without any article when, as part of set phrases, they lose their concrete meaning and express the purpose which the objects denoted by these nouns serve. Thus hospital comes to denote treatment, prison — punishment, school — studies, bed — sleep, etc. Compare the fol- lowing examples:

e.g. After lunch Dr Reily went off to the hospital.

"How long were you in hospital with that wound?" she asked. They had a hospital in the town during the war.

Madame Duclerk sat at the table darning socks.

I asked her to tell me who all the people at table were.

In the cafe we had a table to ourselves, but those around us

were soon filled.

The road to the prison was blocked by policemen. He would be sent to prison if he were caught. Perhaps he was in a German prison.

I softly drew the chair to the bed and sat down.

He went to bed early, but lay awake for a long time.

I found a bed made up for me, and placed the candles on the

old-fashioned chest of drawers.

It should be noted that the use of a descriptive or limiting at- tribute destroys the idiomatic meaning of the phrases in question. See the examples above and also compare the following sentences:

e.g. He was sent to school.

He was sent to a secondary (good, public) school.

He was sent to the best school in the town.

§ 52. The noun town in some prepositional phrases may be used without any article when it means the centre or business part of a town, the town one lives in, or the nearest town to a country place-

e.g. She drove into town and drew up at the curb beside the drugstore. I called up and asked her if she wouldn't prefer to lunch in

town. I thought that he would be out of town next week.

§ 53. A considerable number of different nouns when used in adverbial prepositional phrases have no article, e.g. by train, by plane, by boat, by coach, by bus, by tram, by taxi, by air, by car, by sea, by post, by mail, by phone, by radio, by accident, by mistake, by hand, by chance, by letter, by land, by sight, at hand, off hand, [ in detail, in person, on board, on deck, on foot, on tiptoe, at sea, to sea, on hand, on leave, on business, on holiday, etc.

e.g. It was nearly eight o'clock, and I had to go home by taxi.

I had already told her by telephone about my talk with

Keats. You needn't tell me about it in detail.

§ 54. There is no article in a number of combinations con- sisting of a preposition + a noun + a preposition. Such set phras- es are to be treated as compound prepositions, e.g. in addition to, in charge of, in contrast with, in regard to, in support of, in reply to, in connection with, on account of, in comparison with, in con- formity with, in honour of, in memory of, in pursuit of, in favour of, in combination with, in answer to, in defiance of, with regard to, in recognition of, in return for, in place of, in relation to, in search of, by reason of, by way of, etc.

e.g. I rushed through the passage in search of my mother. My father found himself in charge of a factory. However, in some other set phrases built up on the same pat- tern the definite article is used, e.g. under the influence of, in the centre of, on the invitation of, by the side of, in the middle of, on the initiative of, under the pretence of, etc.

§ 55. There is no article in some combinations consisting of a preposition 4- a noun + a conjunction which are on the way of beco- ming compound conjunctions, e.g. for fear that, on condition that.

However, in some cases the definite article is found, as in: on the ground that, for the reason that.

§ 56. The definite article is used in the following set phrases: to the forest, in (to, across) the fields, to (at) the cinema, to (at) the theatre, to the pictures, to (in) the country, on the spot, in the slums, in the trenches. (Note, however, that the nouns museum, picture gallery, concert, exhibition do not form such set phrases.)

e.g. I took Marian aside and asked her to come for a walk. We

went to the fields.

We had an early dinner and went to the theatre. "Oh," he said, "Sarah*s come in. She's been to the pictures." I knew that Aunt Lin would not ring up because it was her

afternoon at the cinema.

But if these nouns indicate a particular object, the articles are used with them in accordance with the general rules. But this case is not common.

e.g. We found that the film was on at a cinema across the river. Charles suggested that we should have a meal and go to a the- atre.

§ 57. The definite article is also used in the following set phrases: to play the piano, to play the violin and the like. But no article is found in the combinations: to play volleyball., to play hockey, to play golf, to play cards and the like.

The Use of Articles with Nouns Denoting Unique Objects

§ 58. There are a number of nouns in English denoting either concrete objects or abstract notions which are considered to be unique. These nouns are neither countable nor uncountable as, on the one hand, they express oneness but, on the other hand, the idea of more-than-oneness, is inconceivable in connection with them ¹. Such nouns are used with the definite article as reference is always made to the same object or notion. They include:

¹ Occasionally some of these nouns are used in the plural for stylistic purposes. e.g. The morning skies were heavy with autumn mists.

1) names of unique objects, such as the sun, the moon, the earth, the world, the globe, the universe, the Milky Way, the ground, the cosmos, the atmosphere.

e.g. The sun was falling flat across the field and the grass was

pale with it.

We had been there all day, the whole party of us; the ground was littered with our picnic.

Even when these nouns have descriptive attributes they may be used with the definite article in accordance with the rule stat- ed above.

e.g. Only the yellow light of the low autumn moon ruffled the water. The stars were quivering in the frosty sky.

However, the indefinite article in its aspective function may also be used in this case. Then attention is focused on the noun and it becomes the centre of communication, which is as usual marked by strong stress.

e.g. There was a splendid tropical moon and a soft breeze last

night. It was a glorious night, with a great full moon gleaming in a

purple sky. My first reply was: "Of course, I want to see a better world."

It should be noted that the above use is typical of literary style.

2) names of unique notions, such as the present, the past, the future, the singular, the plural, the South, the North, the East, the West, the equator, the horizon, the post, the press, the telegraph, the telephone, the radio. But: TV, {the) television.

e.g. The film star had a particular smile for the press.

presently the sun rose over the horizon. I knew that the future was going to be full of pain for me. "The telephone in this town," Hallam said, "is as private as the radio." Note. The above rule does not concern the nouns radio and telephone indicating concrete objects, Somewhere a radio softly played.

The use of articles with these nouns modified by descriptive attributes is the same as that with nouns denoting unique objects.

Compare: Even the distant future looked quite gloomy to him.

Everyone believed that he had a brilliant future before him.

Note. Note the following set phrases: at present ('в настоящее время'), in the past ('в прошлом'), in the future ('в будущем'), in future ('отныне', 'впредь').

The Use of Articles with Proper Names