Article Omission

Emily:	Joshua, what comes to your mind when you think of American food?
Joshua:	Hot dogs, pizza, French fries, Coca-Cola.
Emily:	I agree with you. But… doesn’t it sound a little strange?
Joshua:	What’s so strange about it?
Emily:	Well, hot dogs came from Germany, pizza came from Italy. And French fries? It’s in the name, Josh.
Joshua:	How about apple pie?
Emily:	Sounds a lot like German strudel to me. But Coca-Cola is all-American, indeed. So, all the foods that you just named, with the exception of Coca-Cola, came from other countries, and yet most people would consider them American.
Joshua:	Well it’s not strange to me; we are a nation of immigrants. Our great-grandparents brought their traditional recipes with them to the New World, and over time, they have become part of our culture.
Emily:	Yes, they all came from our ancestors. But there’s something else that ties them all together: salt, sugar, and trans fats. I’m talking about junk food!
Joshua:	I doubt our great-grandparents thought that way about their food. I bet they didn’t even know what trans fats were or that excess sugar or salt were not good for their health.
Emily:	But you do, right?
Joshua:	Of course, because I read the Nutrition Facts label on the products I buy.
Emily:	I do, too. But food labels haven’t always been around. Did you know there was a major campaign in the 70s to educate the American public about their food?
Joshua:	Actually, no, I never wondered where those labels came from.
Emily:	Well I can assure you, it wasn’t the food companies!
Joshua:	Well then, to whom do we owe the privilege of knowing what’s in our food?
Emily:	The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
Joshua:	Hmm, never heard of it.
Emily:	CSPI was instrumental in changing the way Americans look at food. It was founded by Michael Jacobson in 1971. He has written numerous books and reports, including Nutrition Scoreboard and Salt: the Forgotten Killer.
Joshua:	1971? How did he get into this field?
Emily:	Jacobson received his doctorate in microbiology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but was also involved in the political turbulence of the 60s. In an interview with National Public Radio in 2017, he said, "I loved laboratory research… My experiments worked well. But I saw cities burning down, Vietnam being toasted to a crisp, and I thought, 'Do I want to spend all my time in a lab, or could I be doing something using my background that would have a more direct involvement in trying to improve society?'"
Joshua:	Wow, and that’s how he became a food activist. So, what does CSPI do these days? Organize protests against food companies?
Emily:	No, times have changed, Joshua. Nowadays, CSPI brings lawsuits against food companies, accusing them of deceptive labeling or targeting children with advertisements for unhealthy food.
Joshua:	That’s certainly a way to improve society.
Emily:	I think so. Many people believe that his work made America healthier.
Joshua:	Perhaps, but I still indulge in something sweet, salty, or fatty every once in awhile.
Emily:	The point is not to cut junk food out entirely! The point is to be educated -- to know what’s in the food you eat. The rest is up to you.

Article Omission

Not every noun is preceded by an article. Articles are usually omitted in the following circumstances.

I. Before Uncountable Nouns

Don’t use articles before uncountable nouns.

Countable	Uncountable
A book	rice
A person	milk
A donut	music
A table	electricity

An article is omitted before uncountable nouns. (An uncountable noun is a noun that cannot be divided into separate elements. They cannot be “counted”.)

Remember, the word “a” means “1”, “A book” = “1 book”. Uncountable words like “rice” cannot be counted.

I ate one/a rice. ✘ Not correct Toothpaste is good for your teeth. ✔ Correct Money is everything. ✔ Correct I put milk and sugar in my coffee. ✔ Correct

II. Before Plural Countable Nouns

An article is also omitted before plural countable nouns when used in a general sense. (A countable noun can be counted or made plural.)

Countable Singular	Countable Plural
A book (1 book)	2 books
A person (1 person)	3 people
A donut (1 donut)	5 donuts
A table (1 table)	15 tables

Articles are not needed to talk about countable plural nouns.

Computers are more powerful and faster today. Children go to school everyday. His books are heavy.

III. Before Countable Nouns (Exceptions)

There are a number of words in English that use the ⍉ article.

Meals	breakfast, lunch, dinner
People	Justin, Grandma, Princess Diana
Places (Countries, Cities, States)	Korea, Barcelona, Massachusetts, Ontario
Streets (With a name)	Commonwealth Avenue, Wall Street, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Boulevard, Abbey Road
Days and Months	Wednesday, Eid, Christmas, September, January
Languages	Catalan, Japanese, Portuguese, English
Games and Sports	baseball, soccer, badminton, chess, ping pong
Universities/Colleges	NYU, Harvard, Boston College
Famous Natural Landmarks (Lakes, Mountains)	Mount Everest, Lake Michigan, Old Faithful (*** Note: Say “the beach, the lake for general/local places)
Stadiums, Parks	Shea Stadium, Fenway Park
Diseases	Cancer, Arthritis (*** Note: Say “A cold” and “The> flu”)

Routine Places

We use the ⍉ article with routine places. Especially when used with the words “go to”.

I go to school every day. On Saturday, we go to synagogue. I go to bed at 11. Criminals go to jail. I leave work at 5pm.

Here are some examples of the ⍉ article:

I went to school in Florida. She graduated from college last year. He went to church. It’s time to go to bed. Boston is smaller than Los Angeles. Apple will release a new phone soon. He works on Wall Street. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I usually eat dinner around six o’clock.

Article Omission

Fill in the blank with the / ⍉. If there is no article, type x in the blank.

Article Omission

Fill in the blank with a / an / the / ⍉. If there is no article, type x in the blank.