Articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. In English, ‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’ are called articles. In fact, they are “Demonstrative adjectives” of which ‘a’ & ‘an’ are Indefinite Articles, and ‘the’ is a Definite Article. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.
Indefinite Articles:
An indefinite article is a/an that is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. For example, a teacher, a flower, an apple
Definite Articles:
A definite article is the that is used to refer to specific or particular nouns.
-
- He met the teacher.
- I plucked the flower.
A or An?
An is used before a vowel sound, not necessarily a vowel. For example,
an apple, an orange, an umbrella, an hour, an heir,
Note that “an” precedes “hour” and “heir” despite the words having the consonant ‘h’. It is because ‘h’ is silent when pronounced here and a vowel sound is uttered instead.
A is used before a consonant sound or “semi–vowel” /j/ sound. For example,
a girl, a man, a table, a pen, a book, a university, a European, a ewe, a unicorn, a union.
Note that “semi–vowel” /j/ sound is heard when you pronounce “University”, “European”, “ewe”, “unicorn”, and “union”, so a is used instead of an.
Use of the Definite article
Use ‘the’ in the following cases:
1. To specify a person or a thing, For example,
-
- We are going to the cinema.
- I like the fellow.
- I want the book you borrowed from me.
2. To indicate a class before a singular countable noun, for example,
-
- The cow gives us milk. (Cows give us milk.)
- The dog is a faithful animal. (Dogs are faithful animals.)
- The rose is the symbol of beauty. (Roses are symbols of beauty)
However, you cannot use any article before “man” and “woman” to indicate the whole mankind. For example,
-
- Man is mortal.
- Women are called man’s better half.
3. Use the in the following cases:
-
- names of rivers, oceans, and seas: the Nile, the Pacific, the Padma
- points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
- geographical areas: the Middle East, the West, the Deccan, the Carnatic
- deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Bay of Bengal, the Black Forest, the Iberian Peninsula
- mountain ranges: the Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes, the Rockies
- unusual names: the Matterhorn
4. Before the names of some books. For example,
the Puranas, the Ramayana, the Iliad, the Quran, the Vedas.
5. Before countable nouns: for example,
The star, the moon, the earth, the book, the problem.
6. Sometimes before the common noun to indicate the abstract noun. For example,
The mother in her arose to see the baby. (motherhood)
7. To specify the uncountable noun. For example,
-
- The water of this pond is clean.
- The honesty of the poor man is praiseworthy.
8. To modify the Proper noun before the adjective or adjectival clause. For example,
-
- Alexander the great
- The immortal Shakespeare.
- The Ram whom you met yesterday is my friend.
9. Before the Superlatives. For example,
-
- He is the best boy.
- Mouri is the slimmest girl.
10. Before the Ordinal number. For example,
-
- He is the first man to speak.
- I found the eighth chapter of the book interesting.
11. Before the musical instruments. For example,
-
- He plays the guitar / flute / piano.
12. To indicate the class before an adjective. For example,
-
- The poor are not always happy.
- The brave are praised by all.
13. To impose the quality of the Superlative. For example,
-
- Afridi is the man of the year. (the best man of the year)
14. To act as an adverb before the comparative degree. For example,
-
- The sooner the better.
- The more one gets, the more one wants.
15. To compare between two persons/things before the comparative degree. For example,
-
- Of the two sisters, Shaila is the more beautiful.
Use of the Indefinite Articles (A, An)
Use ‘a/an’ in the following cases:
1. To indicate a number ‘one’. For example,
-
- I have a parrot. ( one parrot)
- An hour passed. ( one hour)
2. To mean ‘someone‘. For example,
-
- A Ramprashed came to meet you. (someone named Ramprashed)
- A beggar came to my door. ( one beggar)
3. To indicate a class. For example,
-
- A cow gives us milk. ( Cows give us milk.)
- A student should devote to his / her studies. ( Students should devote themselves to their studies. )
4. To indicate a class with a proper noun. For example,
-
- A Newton (a scientist) cannot be a Milton (poet).
The omission of the Article
1. Do not use articles before “Man”, “woman” to indicate mankind or womankind. For example,
-
- Man is mortal.
2. Do not use articles with nouns after “kind of / sort of / type of. For example,
-
- What type of boy is he?
3. Do not use articles before uncountable nouns unless they specify something. For example,
-
- Give me information/news.
- Water has no color.
4. Do not use articles before proper nouns. For example,
-
- Ottawa is the capital of Canada.
5. Do not use articles before the names of language. For example,
-
- I speak in English.
- She loves French.
However, use ‘the’ when you also use the word, language with the name, or specify the name of a language. For example,
-
- The English language
- The French language
- The English you speak is excellent. (Not English in general, but the way you speak English)
6. Do not use articles before the nouns: school, college, university, church, mosque, temple, pagoda, bed, hospital, market, jail when they mean the purposes for what they are made. For example,
-
- He goes to school/college/university. (He goes to study)
- She goes to bed. (She goes to sleep)
- We are going to church. (We are going to pray.)
- They are going to market. (They are going to shop)
- Stephen is still in hospital. (Stephen is ill, so he is hospitalized.)
And when the purposes are different, or they specify a place, a building, or a thing, use ‘the’. For example,
-
- The college is near my home.
- I went to the hospital to see my brother.
7. Do not use articles before the nouns that refer to the relationships. Such nouns are father, mother, aunt, uncle, cook, and nurse, etc. For example,
-
- Father has come home.
- Cook has given notice.
8. Do not use articles to indicate the unique position before a predicative noun. For example,
-
- Karim was elected captain of the team.
- We elected him chairman of the committee
9. Do not use articles in some phrases. For example,
to set fire, to catch fire, at home, in hand, by day, by night, at noon, at night, by bus, on foot, etc.
Repetition of the article
Look carefully at the following cases how meaning changes because of the repetition of articles.
-
- I have a black and white cat. (a cat that is black and white)
- I have a black and a white cat. (two cats: a black cat and a white cat)
- The secretary and chairman is Present. (The same person holds two positions: secretary and chairman)
- The secretary and the chairman are present. (Two different persons)
- The third and the fourth chapter. ( singular use of the noun ‘chapter’)
- The third and fourth chapters. (plural use of the noun)
- He is a better poet than orator. (the same person)
- He is a better poet than an orator. (two different persons)