[etni] Teaching the article

Dear etniers,

Our local English grammar textbooks are designed for Hebrew speakers and take 
rules common to the two languages for granted. As a consequence they overlook 
first language interference from other languages. Immigrant or simply migrant 
students from other countries, irrespective of their knowledge of Hebrew, may 
have serious difficulties quite beyond the scope of our textbooks and regular 
TEFL teachers.

Russian speakers are a case in point. Although I have never learnt this 
language, I understand that (like Latin) it does not use any articles, neither 
definite nor indefinite. This means that one the basic tasks for 
Russian-speaking students is to decipher what seems to them our arbitrary habit 
of prefixing a noun alternately  with a, an, the, some, any or even zero. 

I have found no systematic treatment of this grammar point in the many British, 
American or Israeli TEFL grammars in my personal library. I need something 
which starts from scratch. If anyone can suggest a source of teaching 
materials, rules and exercises I would be most grateful.

Moadim LeSimha,

Joe Barnett

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