Practice with Articles (Determiners)

in Casey at the Bat

articles overview

After you read and enjoy this classic poem, look at the common nouns in verse 10 and 11. What other words go with them to make up each noun phrase?:

"Casey at the Bat":

There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

We can arrange these nouns (and all common nouns) in FIVE LISTS, based on what we can see, that will help us understand their use in a particular context:
Can you explain the criteria for making these five lists?:

Can you add the common nouns from these verses to the lists?:

"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and the echo answered, Fraud!"
But a scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

Now, complete the following exercise: (Here is what your charts from the first verses should look like.)

SPECIFIC GENERIC

indefinite
noncount
count, plural
count, singular
(impossible) 		1. ............
2. ...........s
3. a .........
4. a .........s 		(almost exactly
          like indefinite,
                       "all")
--
complex technical/literary (abstract)
(not for noncount)
limited, human groups

definite		 count, singular
or noncount
count, plural 		5. the ........

6. the .......s


At 100 years old, outlook remains brilliant for poem.*

By DAVE CARPENTER (from the C-U News-Gazette, June 4, 1988)
*(What determiners are missing from this headline?)

SAN FRANCISCO - A hundred years have passed since Thayer's filler ran that day.
It stirred the souls of millions but was worth just five bucks pay,
O'l Casey fanned with two men on and caused Mudville to pout,
But somewhere hearts are lighter because Ernest L. cranked it out.

I. Choose the best form for each noun phrase. More than one is often possible. Is there any difference in meaning? Compare your choices with the author's. (If you click here, a new window will appear with the original document. Then you can adjust the two windows so that part of each is always visible, and you can easily move back and forth between them.)

Often imitated but never matched, 'Casey at the Bat' hit on Friday with in still secure as of . remains of all, far outdoing any involving Reggie Jackson or Carl Hubbell.

II. Complete each noun phrase. Decide if you should add a, an, or the, and whether the noun should be plural.

The San Francisco Examiner first published on June 3, 1888, placing it inconspicuously on Page 4 between on , which would nominate Benjamin Harrison, and by Ambrose Bierce.

As noted in reprinting on Friday, wouldn't have been nearly as great had the mighty Casey homered to win for the Mudville nine . And if he'd hit to drive in Flynn, who was "a hugging third," and Jimmy Blake ("safe at second") for , he'd be just .

" OF CASEY has become because Casey is of ," wrote Martin Gardner, who was inspired to undertake of and compile of about Casey.

himself was of a Casey.

Born in Lawrence, Mass., Ernest Lawrence Thayer was at Harvard University, where he developed with William James and George Santayana. He edited The Harvard Lampoon and faithfully attended every Crimson baseball game in 1885, when he graduated with .

He accepted from William Randolph Hearst to write . for in Hearst's Examiner. later, when he was 24, "Casey" ran as -- as usual under of "Phin," .

A few Eastern papers reprinted it, but only caught on after capturing of William De Wolf Hopper.

A BORED HOPPER decided to try reciting it in May 1889 during of on Broadway. was so delighted that, by , there were in when he cleared and began: " wasn't brilliant for ."

After disgustedly watching falsely claim of "Casey," Thayer spent immersed in and and admitted shortly before in 1940 that he'd never succeeded in writing anything serious.

Not unlike , Thayer was chagrined at how he'd left . He called "nonsense" and huffed that " is simply unaccountable."

NOUNS in the FIRST VERSES:

INDEFINITE NOUN PHRASES
count singular
a(n) ___
(one, each, every, (n)either)		 count plural
___s 		noncount
____
a smile a sneer no stranger ten thousand eyes
five thousand tongues 		ease
pride
dirt
defiance
a scornful look
   hate
cruel violence
DEFINITE NOUN PHRASES
count singular/noncount
the, this.., my .._____		 count plural
the, this ..., my .. ____s
the bat
the crowd
the writhing pitcher
the ball
his place
his hat
his shirt
his hip
Casey's manner
Casey's bearing
Casey's face
Casey's eye
Casey's lip		 the cheers
his hands
the echo
the audience
his face
that ball
the sneer
Casey's lip
hisi bat
the plate
the pitcher
the ball
the air
the force
Casey's blow 		the maddened thousands
his muscles
his teeth

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Ann Salzmann
Intensive English Institute
University of Illinois