The indefinite article does not
refer to a particular person or object.
- The indefinite article is a [ə],
emphatic [a],
used before both consonants and vowels. The indefinite
article an may also occur before vowels.
Here's a aiple tae ye.
Here's an apple for you. |
Are ye haein a egg tae yer tea?
Are
you having an egg for dinner? |
He dee’d a fair strae daith.
He
died of natural causes. |
It wis a unco sicht he saw.
It was a strange sight he saw.
|
A seen a ingine doun the railwey
yaird.
I saw an engine
down at the railway yard. |
Sometimes the indefinite article
is omitted after mony.
Thair's mony ane daes that.
Many
a one does that. |
Mony time A thocht o her.
Many a time I thought of her. |
- Ae [e:, je:]
is the adjectival form of ane and means 'single'
or 'solitary' or the 'only one' and is usually used
before nouns.
The cantie wee lassie wis Aidam's ae dochter.
The cheerful young girl was
Adam's only daughter. |
The young man gaed oot the disco wi an ae
lass.
The young man left
the disco with only one girl. |
- The indefinite pronoun some is the plural of
a, ae, ane and an meaning
an unknown number of the the things named by the noun.
Some o thae flouers is wiltit.
Some
of those flowers are wilted. |
Some fowk's trystin at the kirk.
Some people are meeting at
church. |
The definite article the [ðə]
refers to a particular person or object.
- Scots usage often prefers the definite article over
the indefinite article.
He wis feelin hungert an eatit the bit
breid.
He was feeling hungry
and ate a piece of bread. |
Efter he telt her it wis throu she gaed aff
wi the tear in her ee.
After
he told her it was finished she left with a tear
in her eye. |
Taiblet costs twal pennies the piece.
Tablet costs twelve pence a
piece. |
Thay haed a stoot walkin stick the piece.
They each had a stout walking
stick. |
- Special uses of the definite article.
Before the names of the seasons and
the days of the week.
| Scots |
Standard English |
| The ware |
spring |
| The simmer |
summer |
| The hairst |
autumn |
| The winter |
winter |
The Monanday.
Monday. |
The Tysday.
Tuesday. |
The Wadensday.
Wednesday |
The Fuirsday etc.
Thursday
etc. |
Are ye gaun til the gemme on the
Seturday?
Are you going
to the game on Saturday? |
Hit's cauld in the winter.
It's cold in winter. |
Before many nouns.
Awa til the kirk.
Off
to church. |
Doun the toun.
In
town. |
At the schuil.
In
school. |
Up the stair.
Up
stairs. |
Fish tae the tea.
Fish
for dinner. |
On the knock.
O'
clock. |
Sent til the jyle.
Sent
to goal. |
A gemme at the bouls.
A
game of bowls. |
Doun the brae.
Down
hill. |
Wi the train.
By
train. |
He begoud the dealin.
He began trading. |
The price o the milk an the
butter's aye gaun up.
The
price of milk and butter is always increasing. |
In a number of adverbial phrases.
The nou.
Just
now. |
The day.
Today. |
The morn.
Tomorrow. |
The morn come aicht day.
Tomorrow week. |
The nicht.
Tonight. |
The streen / yestreen.
Yesterday
(evening). |
The morn's morn(in).
Tomorrow morning. |
The morn's nicht.
Tomorrow
night. |
Thegither.
Together. |
The baith o ye.
Both
of you. |
The maist o ye.
Most
of you. |
A shillin the piece.
A
shilling each. |
For the maiter o a poond
or twa.
For the sake of
a few pounds. |
The corn's guid the year.
The corn is good this year. |
The definite article is often used
colloquially instead of a possessive pronoun.
The wife.
My
(your or his) wife. |
The guidman.
My
(your or her) husband. |
The wife wis in the gairden
wi's.
My (your or his)
wife was in the garden with me. |
She clawed the mutch aff
me.
She tore off my cap. |
The sodger wis wantin the helm.
The soldier was lacking his
helmet. |
Hou's the guidman the day?
How is your husband today? |
Before the names of diseases.
The measles.
Measles. |
The brounkaties.
Bronchitis. |
The haingles.
Influenza. |
The gulsoch.
Jaundice. |
The cauld.
Cold. |
The buffits.
Mumps. |
The rheumatise.
Rheumatism. |
|
Before the names of trades, occupations,
sciences and departments of learning.
Ma son's learnin the carpenterin.
My son is learning carpentry. |
He kens the chemistry gey
guid.
He knows chemistry
very well. |
She's guid at the Laitin.
She
is good at Latin. |
He canna speak the French.
He
can't speak French. |
