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

Place of the article.
The usual place of the article is before the noun if it is not modi­fied by an attribute; if the noun is modified by an attribute, the article is placed before the latter. However, there are cases when the article follows the attribute.
1. The definite article follows the attribute expressed by the pro­nouns both, all.
Both the stories were interesting.
All the stories were interesting.
2.The indefinite article follows the attribute expressed by an adjec­tive after so, too, as.
Mr. Pickwick could not resist so tempting an opportunity of study­ing human nature. (Dickens)
You compel me to tell you that this is too serious a matter to be treated in such a fashion. (Dreiser)
It was as black a house inside as outside. (Dickens)
3.The indefinite article follows quite, such, what (what in exclama­tory sentences).
She is quite a child.
I've never heard of such a thing.
What a wonderful piece of luck!
The indefinite article either precedes or follows rather.
This enquiry envolved the respected lady in rather a delicate position. (Dickens)
They stop and interchange a rather heated look. (Dickens)
Special Difficulties in the Use of Articles
The use of articles with the nouns day, nighty morning, evening.
The nouns day, night, morning, evening art used without articles:
(a)if day and morning mean 'light', and night and evening mean 'darkness', or if they denote a certain part of the day.
Day broke and we started.
The sun had gone and night had come. (Abrahams)
Day is meant for work, night for sleep.
It was evening. The river was before them. (Dreiser)
(b)in the expressions by day, at night, from morning till night.
It is easier to work by day than at night.
The definite article is used when these nouns are modified by a particularizing attribute or when the situation makes them definite.
He will never forget the day when he met her.
The night was warm and beautifully still. (Voynich)
We spent the night in the forest.
The indefinite article is used when the noun is modified by a de­scriptive attribute.
I spent a sleepless night.
When the nouns morning and evening are modified by the adjec­tives early and late, no articles are used because these adjectives do not describe the morning or night, but only show the time.
It was early morning when the train pulled into the little siding. (Abrahams)