CHANPTER-3

ARTICLES

Definition :
A, an, and the are special adjectives. These are called Articles.
When articles combine with nouns, they form noun phrases: There are two articles
in English

Types

Words

Examples

The Indefinite article

A or An

A king, an elephant

The Definite Article

The

Call the man

Use of a / an / the
1. A / An means one . So we can use a / an only with singular countable nouns.
2. An is not used wth plural nouns or proper nouns.
3. A / An cannot be used with uncountable nouns.
For example, We cannot say : a milk, a water, a tea, a sugar, a rice.
The can be used with all nouns (singular or plural).

THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE

Definition:
The words a and an are called indefi nite articles. We can use them with
singular nouns to talk about any single person or thing.
Deciding which indefinite article to place in front of a word depends upon the initial sound of
the word, not the first letter of the word.

When to use a; when to use an

The Indefinite Article (A)
Definition :

A is used before words beginning with a consonant sound.

e.g.
a usual

a student

a doctor

a hotel

The Indefinite Article (An)

Definition :
The article an should be placed before words that begin with a vowel
sound.
The initial sound should be a, e, i, o, or u.
e.g.
an hour

an elephant

an actor

an ice-cream

RULES for A and An

1 . A must be used before words which begin with a vowel symbol pronounced with the same

sound as the y or a w-likesound.

e.g.
a Europe

a uniform

a union

a unique

a unitarian

a united

a university

a usual

a one-eyed
a useful thing

a year

giant

a one-dollar note

2 . Sometimes, an is found before words beginning with the letter h.

Silent h : an is used before these words :

e.g.
an hour

an honour

an heir

an heirloom

an hourly

an honorarium

an honesty

an honorary

But this paractice is going out. If h is pronouncec, a is used:

e.g.
a hotel

a house

a horse

a human being

3 . We use AN before abbreviations that begin with vowel sound.

e.g.
an M.A.,

an M.Sc.,

an M.B.B.S.,

an M.L.A.

an M.Com.,

an M.C.A

an M.B.A.,

an N.C.C
Officer

4 . a or an must be used before a singular noun standing for things that can be counted.

e.g.
England is a country

London is a city

Rice is a cereal

A dog is an animal

5 . a or an must be used before the names of professions.

e.g.
His father is a doctor
She is an engineer
6 . Words like hero, genius, fool, thief and liar take the indefinite article.

e.g.
Beware fo that fellow; he is a liar
My friend is a genius
7 . The following word has indefinite article. Such + a/an + noun (or) Such + a/an + adjective

+ noun
e.g.
Such a thing

Such a person

Such an honour

Such an interesting story

8 . The following word has indefinite article. so + adjective + a/an + noun

e.g.

So interesting a person

So nice an opportunity

9 . Few and Little are negative meaning. A few and a little are positive and mean

'some'
e.g.
He has little knowledge of this subject

I have a little money on me

He has few friends

I have a few books on this subject

10 . In its original numerical sense of one ; as,

e.g.
Not a word was said

Twelve inches make a foot

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

I have a book

11 . A , an = one thing or person.

e.g.
Sara works in a bank

Can I ask a question?

I have not got a car

Theres a woman at the bus stop

12 . We use a/an when we say what a thing or a person is.

e.g.
The sun is a star

Football is a game

A mouse is an animal. Its a small animal

He is a very jolly person

13 . We use a/an for jobs, etc.

e.g.
I am a dentist

He is a teacher

She is a student

Are you an engineer?

Note : The indefinite articles are not used before plural nouns, proper nouns, abstract
nouns, uncountable and material nouns.

e.g.
A dog is a faithful animal

Dogs are faithful animals

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

Definition:
The Defi nite Article the generally specifi es and identifi es. It answers
the question: Which one? It specifi es a person, place, or thing alrady
mentioned.
The definite article the means this, that. It answers the question which one?. It can be used
with both singular and plural nouns. A noun is first inroduced with the indefinite article and
the definite article is used to refer to it again .

Rules for THE

1 . The superlative degree :

e.g.
The best

The tallest

2 . The names of

e.g.
River

The Ganges

Seas

The Arabian Sea

Oceans

The Pacific Ocean

Bays

The Bay of Bengal

Trains

The Blumountain Express

The least

Banks

The State Bank of India

Ships

The Queen Elizabeth is a famous British liner

3 . The words King and Queen

e.g.
The King of France

The Queen of England

But the is not used before the words King and Queen if they are followed by the name of the
king or queen.
King George V (the Fifth)

Queen Elizabeth II (the Second)

4 . Do not put the before the names of games

e.g.
I play cricket

She loves tennis

Similarly: football, rugby, hockey, polo, baseball, chess, etc.

5 . Put the before the names of musical instruments.

e.g.
She plays the guitar

He plays the violin

6 . Do not put the before the names of single mountains or hills.

e.g.

Mt. Everest

Nanga Parbat

But the must be put before the names of mountain ranges or ranges of hills.
The Himalayas

The Alps

7 . Use the with ordinals : as

e.g.
The first

The tenth

He was the first man to arrive

The tenth chapter of the book is very interesting

8 . Do not put the before the names of meals if they refer to the meals generally, as a part

of the daily routine.

e.g.
I have breakfast at eight every morning

We have lunch in the afternoon.

But the must be used when the meal is a particular one, thought of as a social function.
The dinner will be held at the Park Plaza

9 . We say all day, all night; but :

e.g.
All the morning

All the afternoon

All the evening

All the week

10 . Use the before the names of municipal or government departments and before the

names of shops, business houses, industrial concerns; banks, etc. except when they begin
with a personal noun.
e.g.
The Ministry of Education

The Public Library

The Grand Hotel

The State Bank of India

11 . Do not use the before the names of railway stations when they are also place names.
12. Do not use the before the name of language.

Language

Inhabitants

English

The English

French

The French

e.g.
We are learning English
The English have been a sea-faring people for many countries
The French live in France and speak French.
13 . the may be used before a name which ends in Road, but it may also be omitten

e.g.
He lives in Gandhiji Road
I bought this pen at a shop in the Salamon Road
14. Purpose for which the building exists visit or inspection.

e.g.
go to school

go to the school

go to college

go to the college

go to hospital

go to the hopsital

go to prison

go to the prison

When the is omitten, the reference is to the purpose for which the building exists.
e.g.
Students go to school to study
Christians go to church to pray
With the the reference is merely to the building. It is the visit or inspection that is referred
to, not the actual purpose.
e.g.
He went to the school to meet the Headmaster
He went to the chruch to look at the buildings.
15 . Do not put the before the names of substances if they are used in a general sense.

e.g.
Gold is a precious metal
We drink water
Apples are good for health
But the must be used if the reference is to a particular kind of specimen of the substance:
e.g.
The gold mined here is of poor quality
The water in that well is very dry
16 . Do not put the before plural nouns when they are using in a general or a univercel

sense.
e.g.
The aeroplanes of the Jet Airways are well-maintained
The apples from Kashmir are costly

17 . Do not use the before the names of countries unless the name suggests that the country

is made up of smaller units or constituent parts.

e.g.
Japan

France

Italy

The U.K.,

The U.S.S.R.,

The United State of

America

18 . the is used before a singular noun to express what we call the generic singular, i.e. the

one thing mentioned is taken to represent all of the kind.

e.g.
The tiger and the cat belong to the same family of animals.
An exception to the above rule is the noun man when it is used to denote the human race as a
whole.
19 . the is used before common nouns which are names of things unique or their kind:

(Before a noun of a thing which exists only one)

e.g.
The sun

The moon

The earth

20 . the is used before an adjective when the noun is understood.

e.g.
The rich must help the poor
21 . is also used as an adverb with comparatives.

e.g.
The more you study, the more you learn
The earlier you come, the better of you

The two uses of the articles

Generic use
When the articles, a, an and the are used to refer to the whole class with interchangeable
option, they are called to be in thegeneric use.
e.g.
A cow is a useful animal

The cow is a useful animal

In the above two, we talk about the whole class of cow with the use of a in the first
sentence and the in the second sentence.

Anaphoric use of the

When we introduce a singular noun for the first time, we use a or an and later we use the to
refer to the same noun. This kind of use is called anaphoric use of the.
e.g.
I saw a policeman. He was very tall and shout.

But the policeman did not possess any kindness

In the above sentences, we introduce the policeman with a and later we use the. This
is anaphoric use of the.

Adjectival Articles
Definition :
The articles a, an, and the are also limiting adjectives. When an article comes before a
noun or a phrase, it clarifies whether the "something" to follow is definite (the) or
indefinite (a, an). When an article is used, another adjective can also be used between
the article and the noun itself.
e.g.
They go down the road

She was born a working girl

For a series of coordinate nouns, an article must be added before each noun.
e.g.
The doctor and the dentist ran toward the exit first.
If the list of nouns has a single thread of an idea, theres no need to repeat the article.

e.g.
The cat and mouse appeared to be in a dance to the death.
When an a or an is required and one doesn't work for both examples, just use them both as
appropriate.
e.g.
He recommended that I see a dentist and an orthodontist.
When the named things have one plural noun governing them, the definite article should not
be repeated for each modifier.
e.g.
He ran for president during the second and third semesters