Lesson The article. The indefinite article. The absence and omission of the article

Use of Articles in Some Syntactic Relations
The use of articles with predicative nouns.
As stated above (see § 2) a predicative noun is used with the in­definite article if the speaker states that the object denoted by the noun belongs to a certain class.
If a predicative noun is modified by a particularizing attribute, the definite article is used.
He is the student you wanted to speak to.
If a predicative noun denotes a post which can be occupied by one person at a time, either no article or the definite article is used.
Mr. Henderson is manager, not under-manager any longer. (Lindsay)
Montanelli was director of the theological seminary at Pisa.
No article is used with predicative nouns after the verbs to turn, to commence, to appoint, to elect.
Compeyson turned traitor. — Компейсон стал предателем. Shakespeare commenced actor. — Шекспир начинал как ак­тер.
They appointed him head-teacher. — Его назначили старшим преподавателем.
A predicative noun sometimes has an adjectival character, espe­cially when it is followed by the adverb enough. In this case no article is used.
Surely Bolla isn't fool enough to believe that sort of stuff? (Voynich) — Неужели Болла настолько глуп, чтобы поверить подобному вздору?
When a predicative noun in an adverbial clause of concession is placed at the head of the clause, no article is used.
Child as he was, David understood that Creakle was an ignorant man. — Хотя Дэвид был ребенком, он понимал, что Крикль — невежественный человек.
The nouns son and daughter used predicatively take the definite article when modified by an of-phrase, though there may be several sons and daughters in the family.
Lomonosov was the son of a fisherman.
Becky Sharp was the daughter of an artist.
The use of articles with nouns in apposition.
Nouns in apposition and nouns forming part of an apposition are used with the indefinite article if the speaker states that the object ex­pressed by the noun in apposition belongs to a certain class.
I want to introduce you to Terry, a great friend of mine.
In the plural no article is used.
I want to introduce you to Terry and Caroline, great friends of mine.
Nouns in apposition or nouns forming part of an apposition are used with the definite article if they are modified by a particularizing attribute.
John, the student you have mentioned, has come.
If the noun denotes a well-known person or work of art, the definite article is generally used.
Pushkin, the great Russian poet, died in 1837.
Hamlet, the immortal tragedy by Shakespeare, was written in the first years of the 17th century.
But if the person or the work of art is not widely known the indefi­nite article is used.
Pericles, a comedy by Shakespeare, is hardly ever staged.
No article is generally used with a noun in apposition when the opposition expresses a post which can be occupied by one person at a time. Occasionally the definite article is used.
Professor Petrov, director (the director) of the Medical Institute, is going to deliver a lecture.
Mr. Edwards, dean (the dean) of the English department, has left for New York.
Class nouns used in address take no article. Come downstairs, child. (Voynich)