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Generic plurals, uncountables, and abstractions that take no article.
Why you specifically
Zero article là khi tiếng Anh dùng danh từ mà không có mạo từ a/an hay the. Điểm này rất quan trọng vì tiếng Việt thường không có hệ mạo từ như tiếng Anh, nên người học dễ bỏ sót hoặc thêm the một cách không cần thiết. Với danh từ số nhiều mang nghĩa chung, danh từ không đếm được, và nhiều danh từ trừu tượng dùng theo nghĩa khái quát, tiếng Anh thường không dùng mạo từ: apples, water, honesty, music, advice, English. Ví dụ I like apples nghĩa là thích táo nói chung, Water is essential for life nghĩa là nước nói chung, Honesty is important nghĩa là sự trung thực nói chung. Trong các trường hợp này, the không dùng vì the chỉ một thứ cụ thể, đã xác định: the apples on the table, the water in this bottle, the children in the garden. Vì vậy, hãy nhớ: không có mạo từ = nghĩa chung/khái quát; the = nghĩa cụ thể, người nói và người nghe cùng biết đang nói về cái nào.
The rule
Zero article means no article is used before a noun. In English, this is common with generic plurals, uncountable nouns, and many abstract nouns when we talk about them in a general sense: apples, water, honesty, music, English, advice. In these cases, the noun does not point to one specific thing, so the is usually wrong. Use the only when the noun becomes specific: the apples on the table, the water in this bottle, the honesty of his answer, the children in the garden. For Vietnamese learners, this point is difficult because Vietnamese often does not have articles, so it can be tempting to add the everywhere. In English, however, zero article and the have different meanings: zero article = general; the = specific and known.
Both correct
Every sentence here is correct English. Only the meaning changes.
I like music.
Music in general - the whole category.
I like the music.
One specific piece, or the music playing right now.
The trap
I like the apples.
I like apples.
When we talk about apples in general, English usually uses no article. Vietnamese often omits a marker here too, but English can also need the article the when talking about specific apples.
The water is essential for life.
Water is essential for life.
Uncountable nouns used in a general sense do not take an article. Vietnamese learners often add the because the noun sounds specific, but here it is a general statement.
The honesty is important.
Honesty is important.
Abstract nouns used in a general sense usually take no article. The is used when the speaker means a specific honesty, which is not natural in this sentence.
The children need sleep.
Children need sleep.
Plural nouns used in a general sense take no article. The children would mean a specific group of children, not children in general.
Prove it
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