"A perfect" or "the perfect"

[English Maiden]

Sir, I'm not quite sure which kind of articles to use in the following sentences:

-My mother is (a/the) perfect mother.
-This is (a/the) perfect time to go shopping.
-These are (no article/the) perfect books to read in my free time.
-We need to come up with (a/the) perfect backup plan.

Please explain to me which kind of articles to use and why. Thank you in advance!

[English Maiden]

Also, why can we say or write "I had A FEAR of falling from high places when I was in high school" during the first mention of the noun FEAR or when we are establishing for the reader/listener the existence of such a fear, but not "I have AN ABILITY to spell my name backwards," given the exact same instance or intent as with the 1st sentence?

[Joe Carillo]

All of the four “perfect”-using sentences you presented should use the article “the.” They are socially acceptable idiomatic overstatements that would lose their cogency if the article “a” or no article is used instead. So even if nothing’s perfect and you know in your heart that they are not exactly truthful, don’t hesitate to say those statements as follows:

“My mother is the perfect mother.”
“This is the perfect time to go shopping.”
“These are the perfect books to read in my free time.”
“We need to come up with the perfect backup plan.”

As to your question about the usage of the perfect tenses in the two sentences you presented, the difference between those sentences is as follows:

When you say “I had A FEAR of falling from high places when I was in high school,” you need to use the past perfect “had a fear” because based on that declaration of yours, that fear was a subsisting (continuing) condition during the time that you were in high school, and it can be inferred from that statement of yours that you no longer have that fear at present (today).

In contrast, when you say “I have AN ABILITY to spell my name backwards,” you need to use the present perfect “have an ability” because based on that declaration of yours, that ability to spell you name backwards has been a longstanding ability of yours that subsists up to the present. The present perfect is the tense that denotes that continuing condition.

[English Maiden]

Thank you for your explanation of using the before the word perfect. It is clear to me now. But what if I don't want to express cogency or make my sentence sound compelling, would it be okay to precede the word perfect with the indefinite article using the same structure, as with "This is A perfect time to go shopping"? Or is that sentence grammatically and semantically wrong? Also, I wasn't asking about the use of the Past Perfect or Present Perfect in the sentences I presented with the subjects FEAR and ABILITY. What I wanted to clarify was the use of articles in those sentences. I notice that the noun fear can occur with the indefinte artice, as in "I have A fear of heights," but the noun ability usually takes the definite article, even if it's being used in an indefinite, non-specific sense, as in "I don't have THE ability to sing." Why is that? You see, sir, I'm still having so much trouble with the definiteness and indefiniteness, and specificity and generality of nouns. For some reason, I can't make heads or tails of when the noun, especially when it is countable and in the plural, is being used in an indefinite or definite sense, or in generic or specific reference? I don't think I even fully understand what those terms mean in the first place. What exactly do those four terms--definite, indefinite, generic, and specific--mean, anyway? If you could explain to me in detail and simple terms the rules that govern article usage in the English language, I would really appreciate it. And finally, sir, I need your opinion on this tweet that I just posted: "My uncle has a weird habit of talking to and feeding lizards in his room." Is my use of the indefinite article before the noun "habit" correct? What about my not using an article before the noun phrase "lizards in his room"? Is it correct as well? And suppose I had written that tweet this way:
"My uncle has a weird habit of talking to and feeding THE lizards in his room."
Would there be any difference in meaning if I chose to use the definite article the before the noun lizard? Quite frankly, sir, I can't think of what difference in meaning, if any, putting the article the in that tweet would make. Please really help me understand. I am really extremely confused. A million thanks in advance!

[English Maiden]

Sorry to post yet another question alongside this topic. It's still related, don't worry. This consciousness of English grammar & rules that has recently sprung up within me has taken its toll on my speech & writing. Now, I'm having difficulty with using words I've used with so much ease before. The words "courage" and "time" are an example. In the sentences that follow, what is the difference between the sentences that have the indefinite article before the words courage and time, and those that occur without it?

-I don't have THE courage to sing.
-I don't have courage to sing.

-I don't have THE time to get a haircut.
-I don't have time to get a haircut.

I used to not worry about using these words before, sir. I just want to get my confidence back. Please help me. Thanks again.

[Joe Carillo]

To be thoroughly conversant with the usage of the articles “a,” “an,” and “the,” you need a full-dress review of the nature and kinds of nouns in the English language. You will recall that there are seven kinds of nouns: common nouns, proper nouns, collective nouns, abstract nouns, compound nouns, count nouns, and mass nouns. There are specific rules for indicating the indefiniteness, definiteness, specificity, and particularity of each of these kinds of nouns. Click this link to the eHow Family Education website for its nifty, short and sweet description of each of them.

For the usage of the articles in modifying nouns, click this link to the Purdue Online Writing Lab. It makes a comprehensive discussion of the usage of English articles depending on the sound that begins a particular noun, the choice of article for count and noncount (mass) nouns, and the types of nouns that don’t need to be preceded by articles. I’m sure that after studiously going over the discussions in those two websites, your confusion over the usage of articles will forever be a thing of the past.

As to this tweet that you have just posted, “My uncle has a weird habit of talking to and feeding lizards in his room,” it’s a grammar-perfect sentence. It correctly uses of the indefinite article “a” for the noun “habit” and correctly omits using any article before the noun phrase “lizards in his room” Had you written that sentence as “My uncle has a weird habit of talking to and feeding the lizards in his room,” it would have given the weird impression that he knows those lizards intimately and that he knows precisely which and how many of them are regular denizens of his room. Without the article “the” before “lizard,” on the other hand, it would indicate that his relationship with those lizards hasn’t really gotten out of hand; he just enjoys feeding them regardless of whether or not he knows them intimately and whether they are regular denizens of his room or just strangers out to get a free meal. From this, we can see how profound the impact of article usage is to the subjects or objects of our sentences and, even more important, to what it is precisely that we want to say in English.

I noticed just now that you’ve made a P.S. regarding your confusion over the article usage for the following sentences:

“I don’t have THE courage to sing.”
“I don’t have courage to sing.”

“I don’t have THE time to get a haircut.”
“I don’t have time to get a haircut.”

I’m sure that after going to the two websites I indicated earlier in this post, you’ll get your confidence back and find it a breeze figuring out which versions are correct in the sentence pairs you presented above.

Go for it and let me know what happens!

[carlsteve]

for me it is perfect coz when I'm visiting your site i really like it ..

[English Maiden]

Thanks for that explanation, sir. It was really, really helpful. But I am afraid I still am not sure which of the sentences below are the correct ones. I'll just take a guess. Sentences 1 and 4 are the ones that are correct. Please reply and tell me if I'm right or wrong. Thank you.

1) I don’t have THE courage to sing.
2) I don’t have courage to sing.

3) I don’t have THE time to get a haircut.
4) I don’t have time to get a haircut.

[Joe Carillo]

Sentence 1 is correct; Sentence 2 isn’t and sounds stilted as well.

Both Sentence 3 and Sentence 4 are correct. When the speaker uses the article “the,” he or she is referring to the specific length of time it takes to have that haircut; without the article “the,” he or she is referring to having a haircut in general, regardless of how long it might take. Be aware, though, that the difference is very slight and is often only in the speaker’s mind. The listener will probably not even notice that difference.

[jojokoko40]

Thanks for that explanation, sir. It was really, really helpful. But I am afraid I still am not sure which of the sentences below are the correct ones. I'll just take a guess. Sentences 1 and 4 are the ones that are correct. Please reply and tell me if I'm right or wrong.
Laser Tattoo Removal South Florida

[Nanny]

The perfect is the best