need help..about Indefinite Article

[venusian]

Hi, friends..
First, I have an assignment of my college from my lecture about what is indefinite article and how to understand on its structure and I have to present it in my class. therefore If anyone understand about indefinite article just let me know to explain or is there any site about this material? I need your help to explain about indefinite article ...

Thanks for share with me :)
Yayu

[Tukanja]

I am going to tell ya how do i see the matter but I expect someone at a higher level will make some time to correct this.

There are the definite article (the) and the undefinite article (a/an) in English.

the undefinite article, we use for undefinite person or thing.
a boy
a pistol

We don't know the boy and we haven't seen the pistol we've mentioned. could be any one.

Of course we can't use the undefinite articles with plural nouns.
We can not say a boys.
We are to say
boys
only.

In addition we do not use the undefinite article with the uncountable nouns as well.
a beans,
would be stupid to say, especial if the a substitute the word one in many cases.
half a dollar a day. (half a dollar per day.) a = one

but

some nouns take both forms. sometimes they are countable and sometimes they are not.

potato might mean cooked, then peeled and mashed and being on a dish or a two kilos of potato in a bag or potato as a seed.

but

a potato means a single potato.just one piece in somebody's hand.

Anyway the complete but proper use of the undefinite article is one of the hardest things in English for the learners, I think.

The same is with the definite article.

The the we use with the both noun forms singular and plural.

The bridge means this bridge in front of us or we are at or the one we've already mentioned in our conversation.
But all bridges are not the same.
All the cars are for sale., means all the cars i've got at the stock in the garage, or all the cars you've just seen 'em.

But

Not all vans are six wheels driven but the very off-road ones only, like Pinzgauer. (here, the very off-road ones means the particular types of all vans)

And i'll tell you what!, hardly i haven't made few mistakes in these sentences using the a & the the, telling you about their use.

finally here are the sentences for the exercise
put the a/an or the the if need be

1. A,'I've got ..... hour and ..... half to repaire this oscilloscope.' B,'I've thought you had at least two hours for repairing ..... such oscilloscope.'
2. Your .... biggest dog has collected .... few bones only. Will it be enough for him for his todays lunch?
3. A,'Are you going to cut it off with ....scissors or .... knife?' B,' Pass me ......scissors please.'
4. Should this be cut off with ..... pair of .... scissors or .....knife?
5. Did you come by ....air or by .... sea?
6. What do you think about ....girl over there, .... one in ... white tennis shoes?
7. I've had .... bath before I went to .... church yesterday.
8. Have you been to ..... tennis club as well later on?
9. A,'There's been .... murder here.' B,' Where's ..... body?' A,' There isn't ..... body.' B,'Then how do you know that there's been ..... murder here?' A,'Haven't you seen .... blood spots on ..... floor?' No I haven't. Those .... spots are not of blood but .... paint.

Now I am going to ..... bed to get some sleep.