ARTICLES

 

There are two kinds of articles in English grammar: definite and indefinite. ‘the’ is called definite article because it refers to specific persons and things. ‘a’ and ‘an’ are called indefinite articles because they refer to vague person or thing implying as one.

1_ Determiners‘A’ or ‘An’ and ‘The’ are usually called Articles.

‘A’ is pronounced before consonant sound [ә].

‘An’ is pronounced before vowel sound [әn].

2_ ‘A’ or ‘An’ is called Indefinite Article, as it is used when you do not talk of any specific person or thing; as :-

i_  I saw a boy in the market.              

ii_ I found an ink-pot lying in the room.       

3_ ‘A’ or ‘An’ is used with only singular countable nouns; as :- a book, an umbrella, a year, an eye, an hour etc.

4_ ‘A’ or ‘An’ cannot be used with uncountable nouns; as :-

Ink, sugar, tea, paper etc.

Use of ‘A’:-

A_ ‘A’ is used with countable common noun in singular or used before those words which begin with a consonant sound when pronounced; as:- a boy, a school, a woman, a cow, a tree, …….

B_ ‘A’ is used before those words which begin with a vowel sound but create ‘yu’ sound when pronounced; as:- a ewe, a useful person, a unit, a university, a European, a uniform, a utensil, a union,………

C_ ‘A’ is used before those words which begin with ‘o’ vowel sound but create ‘wa’ sound when pronounced; as:- a one-rupee note, a one eyed man, a one way traffic,…….

Use of ‘An’:-

A  ‘An’ is used with countable common noun in singular or used before those words which begin with a vowel sound when pronounced; as:- an egg, an elephant, an eye, an ox, an idiot, an umbrella, an army, …….

B ‘An’ is used before those words which begin with silent ‘h’ when pronounced; as:- an hour, an heir, an honest man, an honourable man, …….

Use of ‘The’:-

A  ‘The’ is rhythmic with a [ә] when there is a word beginning with a consonant sound after it. The’ is rhythmic with ‘be’ when there is a word beginning with a vowel sound after it.

B  ‘The’ is used for a proper noun when it denotes unique or particular things or events like lakes, rivers, seas, oceans, mountains, great events, natural calamities, seasons, directions, countries, books; e.g.  The Sukhna lake, The Sutlej river, The Arab sea, The Indian ocean, The Himalaya, The Second world war, The Summer, The west, The United States, The Bible etc.

C  When ‘a’ or ‘an’ has already been used before a word in a sentence or in a paragraph, ‘the’ is used before the same word if it is repeated in the sentence or the paragraph; as:-

1_ I saw an elephant, the elephant was black.  

D  ‘The’ is used before a superlative degree; as:-

1_ Today is the hottest day of the month.    

E  ‘The’ is used before an adjective when it is used as noun; as:-

1_ The wise do not hate the foolish.        

F  ‘The’ is used before titles or simile; as:- The immortal Shakespeare, The wise Solomon, The great Caesar, The famous Napoleon, Akbar the great,……….

But you say: a bottle of ink, a bag of sugar, a cup of tea, a piece of paper

G  ‘The’ is called Definite Article, as it is used when you talk of a specific person or thing; as:-

1_ This is the boy whom I saw in the market today.

2_ This is the ink-pot which I found lying in the room.

H  As a general rule, an article should precede a common noun in singular number; as :-

1_ He fought like a hero.           

2_ I saw an elephant yesterday. 

3_ This is the book he gave me.