Articles
Articles are used before nouns. These are
adjectives. They are called determiners.
A, An & The are Articles in English Grammar.
Article
Definite : The
Indefinite: A & An
The’ is used for something particular.
A / An is used for something general.
The use of A/An
‘A is used with the words starting with a Consonant sound.
Eg. A boy, a king, a man, a woman etc.
‘An’ is used with the words starting with Vowel Sound.
An apple, an eagle, an old man, an M.A. etc.
A & An are used with Singular Countable Nouns.
The is used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
Some other uses of ‘A’ & ‘An’: A European, A Union, A University, A Useful book, A Unique scene, a one-rupee note.
An hour, an honest man, an M.A. an M.P., an L.L.B.
So, we should emphasize on the sound of the word than the letter while using an article.
Position of Articles: 1. A, an or The is used before noun. I have a book. The cow has a tail.
2. If an adjective is used before a noun, A, An or The takes its position before adjective+noun. She is an intelligent girl. Monika has a long stick.
3. If an adverb is used before adjective+noun, A, An or The takes its position before Adverb+adjective+noun. She is a very intelligent girl. He is the very best player.
4. ‘Such’, what, ‘many’, ‘rather is used before a singular noun, A/An takes its position before the singular noun. Such a girl, what a fool, many an inkpot, half a kilo, many a book, many books, half an hour.
Use of Indefinite Article(A/An) : 1. A or an is used to mean someone or something for the first time. I saw a man on the street. An old man came here.
2. A/An is used in the sense of ‘One ‘ . Mukesh has a cat. Binay has an apple.
3. A/An is used in the sense of ‘each/every’ or ‘per Ex: Rice is sold at 40/-a kilo.
4.To make a proper noun a common noun. Ex: He is a Kalidas. You are a Rabindranath.
5. A/an is used before an unknown name/surname. Ex: A Mr. Sen came to see me. A Mr. Mohan wants to talk to you.
5. A is used before ‘dozen’, “hundred’, ‘thousand’, etc. Ex: A hundred boys came out from school. There are a hundred people.
6. A/An is used to indicate a class as a whole. Ex: A cow has horns.(All cows have horns) An elephant never forgets(All Elephants)
7. A/An is used before the Superlative ‘most when it means ‘very’. Ex: He is a most handsome boy.(He is a very handsome boy) That was a most interesting novel. (That was a very interesting novel).
8. A is used to make a plural noun, Singular. Ex: Five-days journey.-Plural. A five-day journey– Singular .
9. A/An is used before “Few’, ‘little’, Lot of, ‘good deal, great many’, ‘good many A great many soldiers came here. I saw a good many boys. Many a flower is born to blush unseen. There are a few books in the table. There is a little honey in the bottle.
10. A/An is not used before an abstract noun. He has pride. Wisdom is the gift of heaven.
11. A/An is used before some phrases:
In a nutshell . Have a pain Have a chance. In a temper. Have a talk In a mood. Have a bath . In a dilemma . Keep an appointment . As a matter of fact. Make an excuse . In a rage. Take a risk .As a rule. Take a meal . At a cost . Take a courage . A short time ago. Take a vacation. A short while ago. Have an opportunity. Have a headache. Have a pain. Have a fever. Have a cough.
Use of Definite Article (The)
1. The’ is used before the names of ‘a series of mountains’/Rivers/Oceans/Seas/a Group of Islands/ canals/ ships/ /Trains/Religious Books/Desert/ Historical Buildings/ newspapers etc. The Himalayas, The Alps, The Eastern Ghats,The Thames, The Nile, The Ganges, The Hoogali, The Pacific Ocean, The Atlantic Ocean, The Arabian Sea, The Mediterranean Sea, The Bay of Bengal, The Andamans, The Suez Canal, The Panama Canal, The Vikrant, The Titanic, The Rajdhani Express, The Gita.
2. Before Nationality Expressing Words’ The Asians, The Italians, The Japanese, The Chinese, The Indians, The Nepalese etc.
*** Note-If a Nationality Expressing word is used as a countable noun, A/An is used before it. Eg. A Chinese, A Nepalese, An Indian etc.
3. The’ is used to represent a whole class. The cow is a useful animal. The rose is the sweetest of flowers.
4. Before a name of a thing which only one exists in nature. Look at the moon. The Sun shines in the sky. The Earth moves round the Sun.
5. To particularize a person or thing Look at the boy. He is wearing a red shirt. There is a tree in the garden. The tree is an Oak.
6. ‘The’ is used to mean a class of persons or people. The rich- rich people. The honest- honest people
7. Before a noun denoting nation or race. The English are rich people. The Bengalees are intelligent.
8. Before Ordinal Numbers(First, Second, third,fourth etc…) The 23rd January, The 15th August etc.
9. Before proper nouns used for comparison Bankim is the Scott of Bengal. Rabindranath is the Shakespeare of India.
10. Before Superlative degree He is the best boy in the class. She is the most beautiful girl.
11. Before comparative as Adverbs. The sooner, the better. The higher we go, the cooler we feel. The more he gets, the more he wants.
12. Before title or post. The Prime Minister, The Home Minister, The Education Minister etc.
13. The’ is used before the name of ‘some countries or states‘ The United Kingdom The U.K.
14. If two Singular nouns are joined by ‘And’ and it denotes two different persons/things/animals, The’ is used before both singular nouns. The Headmaster and the Secretary are coming.
15. If two Singular nouns are joined by ‘And’ and it denotes the same person/thing/animal, The’ is used before the first singular noun. The Headmaster and Secretary is coming.
Zero Article
The Articles are not used before the following
Before proper nouns
Kolkata is the city of joy.
Ram is the best boy in the class.
Newton is a great scientist.
Before Material Nouns
Gold is a precious material.
Coal is found in India.
Note: ‘The’ is used before a material noun when it is
particularized.
Eg.-The Gold of Nepal is cheap.
The water of this lake is fresh.
3. Before Abstract noun. Health is wealth. Honesty is the best policy.
Kindness is a great virtue. (Exception: The kindness of Vidyasagar has become a proverb)
4. Before school, college, church, bed, hospital etc. He goes to school.(To learn) He goes to church.(For Prayers)
Exception- But if there is any secondary purpose we use an article .
Example- I went to the school to see the Headmaster He went to the hospital to see his uncle.
5. Before games/Seasons/Festivals We like to play football. Winter is the best time for picnic. But, In the Spring season/in the summer season is used.
6. In certain phrases like, —- At sunset, at home, at dinner, at dawn, by night, by land, by water, by bus, by train, by ship, on foot etc.
Also see: Renaissance in Europe
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