The Noun Marker Matrix

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The Noun Marker Matrix
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The Noun Marker Matrix
The Noun Marker Matrix is a tool to help you
learn how to use articles (a/an, the) and other
noun markers (some, any, these, your, etc.)
correctly. As you go through this workshop,
remember that YOU are in charge of selecting the
noun marker so your readers think of the noun the
way you want them to. A noun may have several
different noun markers that are OK to use,
depending on what you want to say. Are you
ready? Great lets go!
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What are noun markers?

• possessives
• some
• the zero marker Ø
• this/that/these/those

Articles A, An The
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What are some examples of noun markers?
Horoscope for Libra You will be going Ø places.
An excited friend talks you into a trip be sure
it is not a wild goose chase. Be careful and have
Ø fun! This could be your lucky day. Watch out
for those people who are jealous of you they
could cause you some trouble. Enjoy the company
of Ø friends this evening.
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What are count and non-count nouns?

• Count nouns can be counted as individual items
  I have three dogs. He ate several apples.
• Non-count nouns cannot be counted individually
  My dogs drink lots of water. Would you like some
  coffee?

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What is the difference between specific and
non-specific?
Specific means that the writer (you) can name
the item and the reader knows which one the
writer means. Non-specific means that the
writer (you) and the reader do not know which one
theyre talking about and they probably dont
care.
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What are three specific cases for using the?

• The noun has a cultural context shared knowledge
• Did you see the sun come up today?
• 2. The noun has a linguistic context refers to a
  previous occurrence in the text
• She said her cat was missing. We all helped look
  for the cat.
• 3. The noun has a descriptive context the writer
  describes the noun to the reader
• The house I grew up in was small.

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The Noun Marker Matrix
SPECIFIC
NONCOUNT
COUNT
The, this, that, possessives
Some, no, Any, all
A/an
Ø the zero marker
NON-SPECIFIC
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Specific and Count
SPECIFIC
The dog behind the fence is mean.
the, this, that, possessives
Her dog is funny.
C O U N T
Those dogs we saw yesterday belong to Susan.
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Count and Nonspecific
C O U N T
a, an
some, no any, all
Marta wants a dog.
Ø The zero marker
She already has several dogs.
Marta loves Ø dogs.
NON-SPECIFIC
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Specific and Noncount
SPECIFIC
Ill buy the coffee thats on sale.
the, this, that, possessives
NONCOUNT
This coffee is cold.
Is your coffee hot enough?
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Noncount and Nonspecific
NONCOUNT
Some, no, any, all
Yes, Ill have some coffee.
We have no coffee in the house.
Ø the zero marker
Would you like a little coffee?
Would you like Ø coffee or Ø tea?
NON-SPECIFIC
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What Did You Learn

• Click here to go to an assessment, where you can
  find out how well youve learned to use noun
  markers.