PART1 什么是冠词？
首先，我们来明确一下冠词的概念。
冠词是置于名词前并限定名词意义的虚词。英语中的冠词只有定冠词和不定冠词两种，其中定冠词只有“the”这一种形式，不定冠词只有“a”和“an”这两种形式。名词前若不用冠词时，又称零冠词。不定冠词之所以冠以“不定”两字，就是因为它的主要特点就是“不确定”或“泛指”；定冠词之所以冠以“定”字，就是因为它的主要特点是“确指”或“特指”。
举一个最简单的关于买书的例子：
[1] I bought a book about Einstein yesterday. (有很多关于爱因斯坦的书，我买了其中的一本，但是从这句话了读者无法了解到底是哪一本。)
试比较：I bought the book about Einstein we discussed in the class yesterday.（本句中，谈话的双方都知道是哪一本书，用了定冠词 the。)
[2] I bought three books about Einstein's general relativity. (随便三本。)
[3] I bought the three books about Einstein's general relativity. (只有三本。)
[4] I bought the three most popular books about Einstein's general relativity. (三本最受欢迎的。)
[5] I bought three most popular books about Einstein's general relativity. (最受欢迎的其中三本。)
通过比较这几个例句，可知[2]—[5] 的意思完全不同。
有一些经常漏掉“the”的情况，需要特别注意：
例如：
[1] “In left panel of Figure 2”应改为“In the left panel of Figure 2”; （left panel 是特指）
[2] “In following section, we show…”应改为“In the following section, we show…”;（following section 是特指）
[3] “We will calculate this quantity in following paragraph.” 应改为“We will calculate this quantity in the following paragraph.”（following paragraph 是特指）
有一些习惯用法，必须使用定冠词“the”：
例如：
[1] Our calculation result is the same as (注意这里常常犯两个错误，一是忘记加“the”，二是把“as”误写为“with”) that reported in Zhang et al. (1989).
[2] This is the (经常忘记加“the”，或者把“the”写成“a”) same phenomenon.
[3] The twins look the same. 那对双胞胎看上去一模一样。
[4] “The same method is also used here. ”很多同学都会误写为“Same method is also used here.”
不该用但是误用“the”的情况：
例如：
[1] “the equation 3”, “the table 4”, “the figure 5”都是错误的，因为“equation 3”, “table 4”, “figure
5”已经是特指了，不需要再加“the”。
This is shown in the equation (10) and the figure 5.
As the description above 改为 As described above
as the follows 改为as follows （上述例子中的“the”都需要去掉）
[2] 物理量符号前面一般不需要加“the”，因为已经是特指了。例如“Empirically, the (需要删除the)
We employ this empirical relation to estimate the (需要删除the) Ep of Swift GRBs and correct the observed peak luminosity to a bolometric band.”
但是“We employ this empirical relation to estimate the peak energy Ep of Swift GRBs and
correct the observed peak luminosity to a bolometric band.”就是正确的，因为“peak energy”前的“the”不是指的“Ep”，而且指的“peak energy”。
[3]“The role of MXBs in the cosmology has attracted increasing attention in recent years.”改为“The role of MXBs in cosmology has attracted increasing attention in recent years.”，因为“cosmology”在这里是抽象名词，而如果使用“the cosmology”就意味着讨论的有几种 “cosmologies”，“the cosmology”特指其中的一种“cosmology”。
对于英文单词前不定冠词“a”和“an”的用法。读音以元音音素开始的单词前面加“an”，以辅音音素开始的单词前面加“a”。
有几个地方需要注意：“an hour，(因为这里“h”不发音)，“a histology class, a one-way path, a uniform look” (因为h, o, u 的发音是辅音)。
Part2 冠词的用法
以下几个在SCI论文中曾出现过的错误及修改后的正确版本：
Incorrect ：
Figure 2 shows the distribution of relative velocity on surface of main and splitter blades.15
Correct ：Figure 2 shows the distribution of relative velocity on the surface of the main and splitter blades.15
Incorrect ：The software PowerSHAPE is chosen to be a 3D modeling tool; it is good at dealing with free surfaces and curves.
Correct ：
The software PowerSHAPE is chosen to be the 3D modeling tool; it is good at dealing with free surfaces and curves.
Incorrect ：A theoretical method for calculating the inner flow-field in centrifugal impeller with splitter blades and investigation of the interactions between main and splitter blades is presented in this paper. The vortices are distributed on the main and splitter blades to simulate the effects of flows. Systematical study of number and distribution of vortices is conducted.
Correct ：
A theoretical method for calculating the inner flow-field in a centrifugal impeller with splitter blades and an investigation of the interactions between main and splitter blades is presented in this paper. The vortices are distributed on the main and splitter blades to simulate the effects of flows. A systematical study of the number and distribution of vortices is conducted.
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