Articles – a, an, the
1) Articles are a type of
determiner that precede and modify nouns. They provide information about the
specificity or generalization of the noun.
Articles are used to indicate whether a noun
is definite or indefinite.
They can also signal whether
the noun is countable or uncountable.
2) Three main articles : "the,"
"a," and "an."
Definite
Article: "The" is used to
refer to specific nouns that are known to both the speaker and the listener, or
that have been previously mentioned or identified.
It indicates that the noun is unique or
specific in some way.
Example:
a) Please
pass me the book on the table.
b) She
visited the Eiffel Tower during her trip to Paris.
c) He
is the tallest student in the class.
d) Let's
go to the park tomorrow.
e) Have
you read the article about the new discovery?
Indefinite
Articles: "A" and "an" are used to
refer to nonspecific or generic nouns.
They
indicate that the noun is not specifically identified or known, or that it is
one of many possible items.
·
"A" is
used before words that begin with a consonant sound.
·
"An" is
used before words that begin with a vowel sound.
Examples:
a) I
need a pen to write this letter.
b) She
wants to buy an umbrella for rainy days.
c) He
adopted a cat from the animal shelter.
d) Could
you pass me an orange from the fruit basket?
e) She
has a new job at a local restaurant.
3) While using ‘a’ and ‘an’,
note that they precede the word that begins with consonant and vowel sounds respectively.
NOT the consonant and vowel letters.
Examples:
i.
a eulogy
ii.
a ewe
iii.
a one-way street
iv.
a unicorn
v.
a uniform
vi.
a utensil
vii.
a union
viii.
a European country
ix.
a user
x.
a used car
xi.
an honor
xii.
an hour
xiii.
an honest person
xiv.
an heir
xv.
an herb
xvi.
an X-ray
xvii.
an L-shaped desk
xviii.
an N95 mask
xix.
an S-shaped curve
xx.
an R-rated movie
xxi.
an FBI investigation
xxii.
an MRI scan
4) Some rules for ‘the’
1. Superlatives:
"The" is used with superlative adjectives to indicate the highest
degree of comparison.
·
Example: "He is the tallest member
of the team."
2. Unique
Objects: "The" is used when referring to unique
objects, such as geographical landmarks, historical events, or specific
organizations.
·
Example: "She visited the Taj
Mahal during her trip to India."
3. Ordinal
Numbers: "The" is used before ordinal numbers (e.g.,
first, second, third) to indicate a specific position in a sequence.
·
Example: "He won the first place
in the competition."
4. Geographical
Locations: "The" is often used before the names of
certain geographical locations, such as rivers, oceans, mountain ranges, and
deserts.
·
Example: "They sailed across the
Atlantic Ocean."
5. Specific
Events: "The" is used before the names of specific
events or historical periods.
·
Example: "He studied the
Renaissance in his history class."
6. Unique
Titles: "The" is used before unique titles or names of
specific works.
·
Example: "Have you read the Munsi
Prem Chand?"
7. Publications:
"The" is often used before the names of newspapers, magazines, or
other publications.
·
Example: "I read about it in the Times
of India."
8. Musical
Instruments: "The" is used before the names of
certain musical instruments.
·
Example: "She plays the
piano."
9. Families:
"The" is sometimes used before the names of families to refer to the
family as a whole.
·
Example: "They're going on vacation with
the Sharmas."
10. Specific
Days: "The" is used before specific days of the
week.
- Example: "We're going to the beach
on the Sunday."
11. Specific
Seasons: "The" is used before specific seasons of the
year.
- Example: "I love hiking in the
spring."
12. Specific
Years: "The" is used before specific years.
- Example: "He was born in the
year 1990."
13. Specific
Directions: "The" is used before specific
directions or points on a map.
- Example: "They live on the
west side of town."
14. Specific
Names: "The" is used before specific names of things,
such as certain inventions or landmarks.
- Example: "He invented the
telephone."
15. Specific
Groups or Categories: "The" is used before specific
groups or categories of people or things.
- Example: "She's in the top
10% of her class."
16. Specific
Parts of the Body: "The" is used before specific parts
of the body when referring to them in a general sense.
- Example: "He injured the
knee while playing soccer."
5) Omission of articles
a)
Names of Places:
Articles are often omitted before names of cities, countries, continents, and
other proper nouns.
a.
Example: "She lives in Paris."
b)
Names of Languages: Articles
are generally omitted before names of languages.
a.
Example: "He speaks French."
c)
Uncountable Nouns:
Articles are often omitted before uncountable nouns, which refer to substances,
concepts, or qualities that cannot be counted individually.
a.
Example: "She drinks coffee every
morning."
d)
Abstract Nouns:
Articles are frequently omitted before abstract nouns, which represent ideas or
concepts rather than tangible objects.
a.
Example: "He has love for all
animals."
e)
Professions and Occupations:
Articles are sometimes omitted before professions and occupations when
referring to them in a general sense.
a.
Example: "She's studying to be
lawyer."
f)
Meals and Meals as Activities:
Articles are often omitted before the names of meals or when referring to meals
as activities.
a.
Example: "They had breakfast
together."
g)
Plural Nouns Used in a General Sense:
Articles can be omitted before plural nouns when referring to them in a general
sense.
a.
Example: "Dogs are loyal animals."
h)
Titles and Names of People: Articles
can be omitted before titles and names of people when used in direct address or
titles of respect.
a.
Example: "Good morning, President."
i)
Days of the Week and Months:
Articles are generally omitted before the names of days of the week and months
when used in expressions of time.
a.
Example: "They met on Monday."
j)
Acronyms and Initialisms:
Articles are often omitted before acronyms and initialisms.
a.
Example: "He works for NASA."
6) Note :
There are many rules for the
use of articles and even more exceptions to these rules. So, the only way to
master the correct use of articles is to have a lot of practice.
Students should have a close
eye for the use of articles in the write-ups they come across.
7) Exercise for practice
Exercise 1: Fill in the
blank with the appropriate article ("a," "an," or
"the") or leave it blank if no article is needed.
1. She
adopted __________ puppy from the animal shelter.
2. Have
you ever visited __________ Grand Canyon?
3. He
is studying to become __________ engineer.
4. They
live on __________ 7th Street.
5. We
need to buy __________ new couch for the living room.
6. Can
you pass me __________ salt, please?
7. I'm
going to __________ grocery store to buy some milk.
8. __________
apple a day keeps the doctor away.
9. We
went camping in __________ Rocky Mountains last summer.
10.
She plays __________ piano beautifully.
Exercise 2: Rewrite the
sentences, adding or removing articles as necessary to make them grammatically
correct.
1. She
wants to be doctor.
2. They're
going to beach next weekend.
3. I
saw cat on street yesterday.
4. He's
reading book about space.
5. She's
studying history of Europe.
6. We
need to buy new car.
7. He's
playing guitar in band.
8. They
visited museum last week.
9. I'm
going to hospital to visit friend.
10.
She's wearing necklace that she bought in
Paris.
Exercise 3: Choose the
correct article (a, an, the) to complete each sentence.
1. She
adopted __________ dog from the animal shelter.
a) a b) an c) the
2. Have
you ever been to __________ Eiffel Tower?
a) a b) an c) the
3. He
wants to become __________ astronaut.
a) a
b) an c) the
4. They
live on __________ 10th Street.
a) a b) an c) the
5. We
need to buy __________ new car.
a) a
b) an c) the
6. Can
you pass me __________ salt, please?
a) a
b) an c) the
7. I'm
going to __________ grocery store to buy some bread.
a) a b) an c) the
8. __________
apple a day keeps the doctor away.
a) A
b) An c) The
9. They
hiked in __________ Rocky Mountains last summer.
a) a
b) an c) the
10.
She plays __________ violin in the school
orchestra.
a) a b) an c) the
Answers:
Exercise 1:
1. a,
2. the, 3. an, 4. 7th, 5. a, 6. the, 7. the, 8. An, 9. the, 10. the
Exercise 2:
1. She
wants to be a doctor.
2. They're
going to the beach next weekend.
3. I
saw a cat on the street yesterday.
4. He's
reading a book about space.
5. She's
studying the history of Europe.
6. We
need to buy a new car.
7. He's
playing the guitar in a band.
8. They
visited a museum last week.
9. I'm
going to the hospital to visit a friend.
10.
She's wearing the necklace that she
bought in Paris.
Exercise
3:
1. a,
2. the, 3. an, 4. the, 5. a, 6. the, 7. the, 8. A, 9. the, 10. the
