articles - "I have got a Playstation" versus "I have got Playstation"


Is it possible to avoid using the article in the following sentence:



I have got a Playstation.




Answer



In English you need an article before a noun except when the noun is already preceded by a number or certain other words that identify quantity, or when it is a proper noun, i.e. the name of a unique thing.


So, "I have a dog." (article needed) "I have two dogs." (no article needed -- number) "I have several dogs." (no article -- "several" works like a number) "I have Rover." (no article needed, Rover is the proper name of a specific dog)


The case you give is potentially confusing because "Playstation" may look like it's a proper name. But it isn't, because it doesn't identify a unique object. There are many Playstations out there. So the correct usage is, "I have a Playstation."


If you gave names to each of your video game consoles and you like to call this one "Playstation Zebra" [subtle cinematic allusion for old people], then the correct usage would be, "I am using Playstation Zebra". You would not include an article because Playstation Zebra is a proper name.


Maybe it helps clarify to point out: if you own a Nintendo game console, you would say, "I own a Nintendo", because it's one of many. But if you bought the company, you would say, "I own Nintendo", because there is only one Nintendo company, so it's a proper name.


Side note: The fact that there may be more than one of something with the same proper name doesn't make it not a proper name if you are using it to refer to an individual and the common name is a coincidence. Like if you had a dog named Rover, you would say, "I took Rover for a walk" -- no article -- even though there may be other dogs named Rover. You are not considering your dog to be a member of the class of Rovers, rather, he is an individual who is named Rover.


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