Articles

 

 

 

Articles

 

Articles are words that identify a noun as being specific or unspecific. Articles are basically an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.

 

An article is a word that is used to define if the noun is specific or not. Articles are normally used before nouns and since they are used to speak about the noun, they can be considered as adjectives.

 

An article is used to modify a noun. Articles a and an are used when we refer to something which is not specific. Both of them are called indefinite articles.

Article the is used when we refer to a specific noun; therefore, it is called a definite article.

 

Examples:

1. She is an honest woman.

2. The sun rises in the east.

3. I have a laptop.

 

Types of Articles

There are two types of articles:

·         Indefinite Article – a and an

·         Definite Article: the

 

Indefinite Articles

The articles a and an are called indefinite articles. These articles do not specify a particular noun.

 

Using Indefinite Articles According to sound

Whether to use a or an depends on the sound of the word follows the article.

 

An is used:

·         before a word beginning with a vowel sound:

o   an apple, an engine, an umbrella

 

·         before a word beginning with h which is silent and thereby the word begins with a vowel sound:

o   an honest person, an heir, an hour

 

·         before acronyms and abbreviations when spoken as a series of letter and begin with vowel sound:

o   an S.H.O, an M.L.A, an M.P

 

Using Indefinite Articles According to sound

 

A is used:

·         before a word beginning with a consonant sound:

o   a pencil, a table, a person

 

·         before a word beginning with a vowel, but pronounced with a consonant sound:

o   a university, a uniform, a European, a one-eyed person

 

Uses of Articles Indefinite Article

 

·         with count nouns whose specific identity is not known to the reader/hearer:

o   She has bought a car.

o   He works in a hotel.

o    

·         before number collectives and some numbers:

 

o   The farmer has a dozen sheep.

o   We need a gallon of fuel.

 

·         in place of one referring to a single object or person, or a single unit of measure:

 

o   I need a kilogram of sugar. (=I need one kilogram of sugar.)

o   Please give me a pen. (=Please give me one pen.)

 

·         with the names of the days of the week when not referring to any particular day:

 

o   The meeting will be held on a Sunday.

o   My grandfather died on a Tuesday.

 

·         before a singular noun followed by a restrictive modifier:

 

o   A girl who was wearing a yellow hat has lost her way.

o   A statue that is erected in the garden is made of bronze.

 

·         to specify profession or job:

o   Raman is a teacher.

o   I am a student.

 

·         with a singular noun when it represents the whole class:

o   A cow is a useful animal. (= All cows are useful animals.)

o   A lion is a carnivores. (= All lions are carnivores.)

 

·         with singular nouns after the words what and such:

o   What a shame!

o   He is such an intelligent boy.

o   What a fine day!

 

·         with a proper noun when used in the sense of a common noun:

 

o   Even a Shakespeare will hail the beautiful literary work.

o   A Chanakya can only devise such an infallible plan.

 

·         with a certain quantity:

o   I have a lot of problems to solve.

o   You need to pay a great deal of amount to buy this house.

 

Omission of Indefinite Article

 

We do not use an indefinite article:

·         with plural and uncountable nouns:

o   She was wearing blue shoes.

o   Water is precious.

 

·         with possessives: The indefinite article cannot be used with possessives. We use double possessives instead.

o   He is a friend of mine. (NOT He is a my friend.)

 

·         with adjectives without nouns:

o   He is intelligent.

o   She is smart.

 

Uses of Definite Articles

 

Definite articles are used with:

 

·         to refer to something which has already been mentioned:

o   I met a photographer. The photographer was carrying a camera.

o   I bought a shop. The shop is near my home.

 

·         before a noun when we believe the hearer/reader knows exactly what we are referring to:

o   I spoke to the principal.

o   Please switch off the phone.

 

·         to indicate a noun that is unique:

o   The sun rises in the east.

o   The Eiffel Tower is in Paris.

 

·         with adjectives like rich, poor, elderly, unemployed to talk about groups of people:

o   The government has unfolded a special scheme for the poor.

o   The rich should come forward to fund the big projects in the country

 

·         before a noun that represents a whole class:

o   The tiger is a dangerous animal.

o   The elephant lives in a group.

 

·         before musical instruments:

o   He plays the guitar well.

o   She is learning the piano.

 

·         before the words like first, last, only, next, following:

o   He reached here at the last moment.

o   This is the only friend I always trust.

 

·         before Cardinal Directions:

o   the north

o   the east

 

·         before inventions:

o   the microscope

o   the Computer

·         to refer to a certain system or service:

o   The railway has introduced a new train from Delhi to Mumbai.

o   The Prime Minister will address the nation on the radio.

 

·         to refer to a family:

o   The Vermas will host the party.

o   The company is owned by the Sharmas.

 

·         before proper noun for close comparison:

o   He is the Kalidasa of modern times.

o   She is the Lata Mageshker of this area.

 

·         with countries that have plural names:

o   Have you ever been to the Netherlands?

o   Does your sister live in the Philippines?

 

·         with countries that include the words republic, kingdom, or states in their names:

o   She has been living in the United States for many years.

o   The delegation has come from the Republic of Ireland.

 

·         with newspaper names:

·         The Times of India,

·         The Indian Express,

·         The Hindu

 

·         with famous building, train, ships institution:

o   The gateway of India

o   The Rajdhani Express

o   The Indian Airline

o   The Indian Navy

 

·         before geographical features, such as mountain ranges, groups of islands, rivers, seas, oceans and canals:

o   the Himalayas,

o   the Atlantic,

o   the Atlantic Ocean,

o   the Panama Canal

 

·         before famous buildings or monuments:

o   We went to Paris to see the Eifel Tower

o   I visited the Taj Mahal last Sunday.

 

·         before names holy books:

o   The Ramayana

o   The Bible

 

·         Before famous historical event

o   The war of  Panipat

o   The war of Haldighati

 

·         Repeated use of The

o   the more the merrier

o   the sooner the better

o   the richer the miser

 

·         to refer to a natural phenomenon:

o   I will go to my village in the summer.

o   The wind has been blowing since the morning.

 

·         to refer to a time period:

o   India was a prosperous country in the past.

o   She was a famous actress of the 1990s.

 

·         before superlative degree:

o   She is the most intelligent girl in the class.

o   This is the best machine we have ever bought.

 

Omission of Definite Article

·         with proper nouns:

o   Rohan plays cricket.

o   Suman drinks milk.

 

·         with the names of languages:

o   Hindi is spoken by a large population in the world.

o   English uses many words of Latin origin.

 

·         with the names of meals:

o   We take our lunch at 2 o’clock.

o   She eats breakfast before going to the office.

 

·         with titles when combined with names:

o   Prime Minister Modi will chair the meeting.

o   Chairperson Ragini will visit the company tomorrow.

 

·         after the 's possessive case:

o   My brother's car was stolen.

o   Ram’s shop is near the temple.

 

·         with years:

o   India got freedom in 1947.

o   He was born in 1995

 

·         with uncountable nouns:

o   Water is vital to our life.

o   Sugar is obtained from plants.

·         before plural nouns used to denote a class:

o   Students play in the field during the recess.

o   Girls are always soft spoken.

 

·         with the names of individual mountains, lakes, islands, cities, and towns:

o   Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

o   Lake Chilka is in Odisha.