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| Indefinite & Definite Articles |
What is an articles in English Grammar?
In English Grammar there are two types of articles Definite Articles
and Indefinite Articles.
The words ‘a’ and ‘an’ are called Indefinite Articles and the word ‘the’ is called Definite Articles.
Articles are actually Demonstrative Adjectives and are used to point out people or things.
Example:
- He is an African not a European.
- Rahul is a student of an Architecture.
- A diamond ring will be an expensive gift.
- The phone is ringing in your room.
- The sun light is coming in verandah .
- The sun rises in the east.
- We should speak the truth.
- He is a businessman.
- She is a doctor.
- Mr. Irfan is an engineer.
'THE' is called Definite Article because it is used to point out some definite or particular person or thing whereas 'a' or 'an' is called an Indefinite Articles because it is not used to point out some definite or particular person or thing. In English grammar an article is used before noun.
- A stranger came to our school. (Here 'the stranger' is any unknown person and we have mentioned first time.)
- The stranger wanted to meet our class teacher.(Here 'The stranger' is a particular person.)
Similarly,
- Alafia showed me a box.
- The box was full of different size of dolls.(Here 'The box' is a particular person.)
- Indefinite Articles
- Definite Articles
1. INDEFINITE ARTICLES
(i) Before a countable in the singular number beginning with a consonant sound:
e.g. a mango, a pen, a pencil, a box , a boy, a dog etc.
Example:
- He is eating a mango,
- A table has four legs.
- This is a new book.
- His father is a shopkeeper.
- That is a chair.
- There is a big forest.
- I saw a beggar lying in park.
(ii) With vowel letters having consonant value:
e.g. a university, a union, a European, a useful, a unique article, a young, a youth, a U.K. plane, a U.N. spokesman, etc.
Example:
- His brother is Professor in a University.
- This is a useful plant in Ayurveda.
- The news given by a U.N. spokesman is true.
(iii) before a word begins with a sound of h:
e.g. a horse, a hen, a hero, a holiday, a human, a humble, a hill etc.
Example:
- Tomorrow they bought a horse.
- Being a human we should help poors.
- I have a humble request to you please don't abuse her parents.
(iv)In exclamatory expressions before singular countable nouns:
Example:
- What a pretty girl!
- What a surprise!
- It was a great movie!
(v) With certain expressions of quantity:
e.g. a lot of, a dozen, a great deal of, a couple
(vi) With a special meal (to celebrate something or in someone's honor)
e.g. I called my friend to a lunch celebrate my success.
(vii) Before hundred, thousand, dozen, million, etc.
Example:
- A hundred workers came out from the company.
- I bought a dozen of bananas.
- A hundred workers came out from the company.
- I bought a dozen of bananas.
(b) Use of ‘An’ :
(i) before a countable in the singular number beginning with a vowel sounds (a, e, i, o u are vowel and others are consonant)
an apple, an egg, an owl, an umbrella, an African, an Indian etc.
Example:
- Try to take an egg daily.
- During winter we should take an orange daily.
- We should take An apple daily .
- He is an Arabian by birth not a European.
- Take an umbrella before going outside during rainy season.
(ii) before words beginning with silent 'h':
e.g. an honorable, an honorable man, an honest man, an hour, an honorary etc.
- Srishti is an honest girl.
- He is an honorable person.
- Our class will start in an hour.
F, H, M, N, R, S, X are letters that are not vowels but begin with vowel sound 'M' has the sound of 'em'. So 'an' is used before abbreviations begining with vowels of these letters.
e.g. an M.L.A., an M.P., an X-Ray, an F.I.R., an N.C.C., an S.P., an H.E. School etc.
Example:
- My mother is an M.A. in English from Patna University.
- His uncle is an M.L.A of Dhanbad.
- My brother became an I.A.S. Officer this year.
- They filed an F.I.R. for theft in their house.
The words M.A., M.L.A., I.A.S., F.I.R., X-Ray, S.D.O., etc. are consonant but it begins with a vowel sound; as M=em, i=aee, F=ef, X=ex, S=as, etc. So an is used before these words.
2. DEFINITE ARTICLES
Use of ‘The’
(i) with the superlatives and words in superlative sense:
e.g. the oldest, the youngest, the best , the worst, the biggest, etc.
Example:
- Ramesh and Sami are the best cricket players in their team.
- She is the most beautiful girl.
- This is the oldest book store in the market.
- He is the best teacher of Physics.
- He is the best boy in the class.
- Mumbai is the biggest city in India.
- Rose is the most beautiful flower.
(ii) before a noun when we want to make it particular
Example:
- This is the house I live in.
- Please Shut the box.
- The sun rising scene of morning looks very beautiful.
- Close the doors when you leave this room.
- Call the Doctor for complete checkup.
- Look at the birds sitting on the tree.
- He promised to use the medicine I gave him
(ii) with words as first, second, last, next, only, same, etc. if these words comes before a countable noun :
Example:
- He sits on the last bench.
- Harry is the third son of their parents.
- The next day after exam is a holiday.
But ‘the’ is not used with such expressions as:
Not with last night/week/month/year; next week/month/year
- What did you eat last night?
- Will you come here next Sunday?
- We went to their house last Monday.
(iii) with a common noun when that noun represents the whole class:
Example:
- The dog is a faithful animal.
- The cow is an useful animal.
- The rose is beautiful flower.
- The elephant has a remarkable memory.
(iv) with the names of
- rivers : the Ganga, the Narmada, the Kaveri
- seas : the Arabian Sea, the Mediterranean sea, the black sea
- oceans : the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean
- mountain ranges: the Himalayas, the Alps, the Bindhyas
- holy books: the Bible, the Mahabharata, the Quran, the Gita
- ships : the Titanic, the M.V. Akbar
- trains : the Tegus Express, the Rajdhani Express
- aero planes : the Boing747, the Indian Airline
- well-known buildings : the Taj Mahal, the Gateway of India, the Lal Qila
- newspapers : The Times of India, The Indian express
- the directions : the north, the west, the east
- deserts: the Thar, the Sahara,
- musical instrument: the flute, the violin, the tabla, the trumpet
(v) before a name of a thing which is only one in nature or universal body:
e.g. the sun, the moon, the earth, the sky, etc.
Example:
- The sun shines in the sky.
- Look at the beautiful moon.
- The sun shines brightly during the day.
- We could see the moon in the sky.
- The earth revolves round the sun.
(vi) before the name of countries and the countries which are collectively formed:
the U.A.E, the India, the United States of America (U.S.A.), the United Kingdom (U.K.)
(vii) before an Adjective to represent a whole class of person:
Example:
- The rich are not always happy.
- The poor are not always dishonest.
- The poor would favor him.
(viii) before Comparative degree as adverbs:
Example:
- The sooner, the better.
- The more they get, the more they want.
- The sooner that work is done, the better.
- The more, the merrier.
- The more we have, the more we want.
- The more you works, the more you get.
- The harder you get, the more you will be paid.
- The more you love , the more you get.
(ix) If there is a sense of choice and contrast from a comparative degree, then 'the' is used before that noun.
Example:
- This is the better of the two glass.
- She is the cleverer of the two.
(x) before some Common Nouns and Adjectives to express an abstract sense:
Example:
- All the mother rose in her.
- Check the humanity in yourself.
- Do not make the fool.
- Do not keep him in the dark.
(xi) before some Proper Noun when it is qualified by an Adjective or Adjectival phrases or clauses:
Example:
- The great Akbar was king of India.
- The immortal singer Lata Mangeskar cannot be forgotten.
- Dilip Kumar was the great actor of India.
(xii) before the name of a nation and sometimes before the name of a community or a class of people or religious group:
Example:
the Hindus, the English, the French, the Sikhs, the Parees, the Jains, the Muslims, the Buddhists
(xiii) before the names of parts of the body:
e.g. the leg, the head, the tail, the arm
Example:
- They hit him on the leg.(not his leg)
- I struck him on the head.
- He was wounded in the hand.
- He pulled the dog by the tail. (not its tail)
- He caught me by the arm. ( not my arm)
(xiv) before Proper Nouns for comparison to denote a type:
Example:
- Hritick is the Michael Jackson of India.
- Jamshedpur is the Steel City of India as an industrial belt.
- His father was the Kalidas of his time.
- My friend is the Tagore of Hindi Poetry.
(xv) Before name of an empire, dynasty or historical events:
e.g. The First World War, the Gupta Dynasty, the old Stone Age. the American Dynasty
(xvi) Before name of Political Parties
e.g. the Congress, the Janta Dal, the B.J.P
(xv) Before name of the clubs or Foundations
e.g. the Lion's Club, the Ford Foundation