冠詞指“a”，“an”，和“the”。學(xué)生常在句子中漏掉冠詞，以為這樣“高效”或“聽起來象律師（說得話）”。但是，漏掉冠詞往往寫出劣質(zhì)文章。需要用冠詞的時候就用冠詞，律師也不能例外。亞洲國家學(xué)生在寫作時應(yīng)注意正確使用冠詞，因為許多亞洲國家語言沒有冠詞。

　　1 避免律師的習(xí)慣干擾。漏掉冠詞并不能使句子更簡潔，反而使句子更難懂。不要試圖把句子寫得“象律師寫的那樣”。文章寫得正式，而不是“象律師那樣”。

　　Incorrect: Police officer moved evidence to avoid disappearance from crime scene.

　　Correct: The police office moved the evidence to avoid its disappearance from the crime scene.

　　Incorrect: Abrams, officer on duty at time of crime, testified against defendant, Joanna Stone.

　　Correct: Abrams, the officer on duty at the time of the crime, testified against the defendant, Joanna Stone.

　　2 發(fā)元音和發(fā)輔音。如何選用“a”和“an”。原則很簡單：以輔音開頭的名詞前用a，以元音開頭的名詞前用“an”。在第三點中將討論稍難些的問題－如何處理元音發(fā)音和輔音發(fā)音。

　　Incorrect: The judge had an gavel, and he used it frequently.

　　Correct: The judge had a gavel, and he used it frequently.

　　Incorrect: The judge had a elephant in her courtroom, though nobody noticed.

　　Correct: The judge had an elephant in her courtroom, though nobody noticed.

　　3 元音發(fā)音開頭和輔音發(fā)音開頭。

　　有時一個單詞以輔音開頭，但聽起來象以元音開頭（即，發(fā)元音），這些單詞在選用冠詞時應(yīng)被看作是以元音開頭。這些單詞多以“h”打頭（例如hour和 heir），但是如果該輔音發(fā)聲（發(fā)聲的輔音），就應(yīng)象其它輔音一樣選用冠詞“a”。從而，單詞“heir”以元音發(fā)音開頭，單詞“hotel”以輔音發(fā)音開頭。

　　下面舉個輔音開頭發(fā)元音選用冠詞的例子。

　　Incorrect: The judge gave the lawyers a hour's recess to review the new evidence.

　　Correct: The judge gave the lawyers an hour's recess to review the new evidence.

　　下面舉個輔音開頭發(fā)輔音選用冠詞的例子。

　　Incorrect: The professor was well known for posing an hypothetical question when students suggested that one rule would suffice for all situations.

　　Correct: The professor was well known for posing a hypothetical question when students suggested that one rule would suffice for all situations.