Grammar-Articles
Grammar-Articles
An article is a word (determiner) which is used with a noun, and which shows whether the noun used refers to something particular or something indefinite, for example, English has two articles: the definite article, ‘The’ and the indefinite article, ‘A’ and ‘AN’
A. Why and when do we use the indefinite article A?
1. We use A to determine a singular count noun with a consonant initial sound, as A cat, a bat, a boy, a kite, a utopian society, a ewe, a European, a university, a eugenist, a UPS, a UNESCO member, a xylophone, a Uruguayan, etc.
2. With certain numbers like a hundred, a million, a billion, a thousand, etc.
3. Before the words like a half, a half, one and a half kilo, a kilo and a half, a half-holiday, four times a day, before meals only if they are special ones, as; I had a good dinner last night.
B.Why and when do we use the indefinite article AN?
1.We use AN to determine a singular count noun with a vowel initial sound notwithstanding the words/nouns starts with a vowel or a consonant letter, as: an honest man, an umbrella, an hour, an FBI agent, an MBBS doctor, an SSP officer, an interesting story, an XL mo-bike, an astronaut, an imperial soap, an owl, an MA in English, an eraser, etc.
C.Why and when do we use the indefinite article THE?
1.We sue THE to determine a particular count and non-count noun. Its use indicates that both the speaker or writer and the listener or reader share a definite knowledge about the noun referred to. Like: The milk in the bottle is soured. He is the one-eyed man that I saw yesterday. The sweet Supriyaa gave me was an exotic one. Also, we use the before the following nouns/words. Look at these words/nouns carefully and retain them in your memory.
1. The noun has been qualified by an adjective clause: as;
i. The pen that I bought yesterday is on the table.
2. The names of rivers: as;
i. the Bagmati
ii. the Trishuli
iii. the Gandaki
iv. the Narayani
v. the Koshi
vi. the Hudson
vii. the Thames, etc.
3. The names of theatres or the cinemas (halls): as;
i. the Odeon
ii. the Gopi Krishna Movies
iii. the Kumari
iv. the Guna Cinema, etc.
4. Superlative degree of adjectives: as;
a. The most intelligent girl is Hritika
b. The best boy is Harry Potter
5. Names of plural surnames: as;
i. the Koiralas
ii. the Shresthas
iii. the Bhusals
iv. The Williams
v. the Pradhans
vi. the Karkis
vii The Johnsons
viii. the Bhandaris, etc.
