English Grammar, By: Mohan Paraseth, B.A., B.Th., B.Ed., M.Div., MSW., M.A. (Eng. Ltr.

ARTICLES

(A) ARTICLES: A, AN, THE

Look at the following sentence:

 This is a pen.
 That is an apple.
 The earth is round.
 Here is the ink. I want.

A, an, and the are called articles.

In modern English grammar, articles are number of a group of words called

determiners that are used before nouns.

There are two types of articles:-

Articles:

Definite article:- The

Indefinite articles:- A/ an

Indefinite articles:-

Bipin brought me a pen/ an orange.

A or an means one or any. We used a or an when we do not mean a particular thing.
A pen means any one pen; an orange means any one orange.

So a and an are called indefinite articles.

An is used in place before a word beginning with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u,)

Definite articles:-

I saw the doctor.

The is called the definite article because we use the when we speak of a particular
person or thing. In the above sentence, the doctor means a particular doctor. The may be used
both with singular and plural nouns.
 English Grammar, By: Mohan Paraseth, B.A., B.Th., B.Ed., M.Div., MSW., M.A. (Eng. Ltr.)

(B) POSITION OF ARTICLES

1. Article is used before a noun, as:

 Give me a pen.
 Here is an apple.
 This Is ball.
 These are the boys.
Her pen, ball, apple and boys are nouns.

2. If a adjective (good, old, new, red) has been used before a noun, then article is always
used before adjective, as:
 This is a good pen.
 Here is an old pen.
 This is the new ball.
 The red pen is mine.
3. Generally article is used after the all, both, such, double, half, as:
 All the girls are here.
 Give me double the amount.
 I want such a book.
 Please come in half an hour.
4. If adjective is used after how, so, too, then article is used after an adjective but before
nouns, as:
 How fine a day!
 She is so fine a girl!
 How beautiful a flower!
 It is too good an attempt.

(C) RULES FOR THE USE OF ARTICLES.

A common noun in the singular number generally takes an article before it, as: a cow,
a boy, a temple, a television, etc.

The choice between a and an is determined by sound.

‘A’ is used:-

i. Before a wood beginning with a consonant having a consonant sound, as: A boy, a
woman, a horse, a hole, etc.
ii. Before a word beginning with ‘o’ when it has the sound of ‘w’, as: A one-man
show, a one-rupee note.
iii. Before a word beginning with a vowel having a consonant sound, as: a university,
a European, a uniform, a youth, a U.K plane, a ewe, a yard.
 English Grammar, By: Mohan Paraseth, B.A., B.Th., B.Ed., M.Div., MSW., M.A. (Eng. Ltr.)

‘An’ is used:-

i. Before a word beginning with a vowel, as: an ink port, an elephant, an orange, an
egg.
ii. Before a word beginning with a silent ‘h’ as: an hour, an heir, an honest man, an
hourly report.
iii. Before a word beginning with a consonant having a vowel sound, as: an M.P, an
S.D.O., an X-ray plant, an S.I, an M. Sc, an M.A, an F.I.R, etc.

(D) USE OF INDEFINITE ARTICLE

The indefinite articles are used:-

i. Before name of the profession, as: She is a Teacher,

 I am an engineer
ii. Before a proper, material or abstract noun, provided it is used as a common noun,
as:
Sudha was a great beauty.
iii. Before a dozen, hundred, thousand, million, etc, as:
 I have hundred rupees.
 She has a dozen books.
iv. In exclamation sentence before a singular countable noun but after what, as:
 What a foolish girl!
 What a cat!
v. In its original numerical sense of one, as:
 Sixty minutes make an hour.
 Twelve inches make a foot.
vi. Before a few, little, great, many, deal, as:
 A few boys, a little sugar, a great deal of money.
vii. In the sense of certainty, as:
 There lived a rich man in my neighbourhood.
viii. After many, quite, such as:
 Many flower, such a fine book.
ix. To make a common noun of a proper noun, as:
 He is a Dara Sing, (Dara sing= a very strong man)
x. In special phrase, as:
 To make a noise, to make a good guess at,
 To have a knowledge, to pay somebody a visit,
 A short time ago, to be in a temper, etc.
xi. In the sense of one\ any, kind, some.
 There is a boy; iron is a useful metal.
 He has a chance of success.
 English Grammar, By: Mohan Paraseth, B.A., B.Th., B.Ed., M.Div., MSW., M.A. (Eng. Ltr.)

xii. When singular countable noun after, with or without the indefinite article, is a
used before a singular countable noun as:
 He came with a bag.
 She ran without an umbrella.

(E) USE OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLES

The is used:-

i. Before the musical instrument, as:

 Sudha plays the table.
 Can you play the trumpet?
ii. Before the political parties’ name, as:
 The BhartiyaJanta Party, the congress Party, the Labour Party
iii. Before the name of ships, aeroplanes, trains, newspapers, magazines, journals and
well known buildings, as:
 The Victory, The Rajdhani Express, The Times of India, The red Fort
iv. Before the name of Sacred books, as:
 The Bible, the Veda, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat. But we say- Homer’s
lliad, Valmiki’sRamayan.
v. Before the names of rivers, sea, oceans, mountain ranges, group of lands, as:
 The Ganga, The Arbian Sea, The Bay Of Bengal, The Indian Ocean, The
Himalayas, The Alps, The Andamans.
vi. Before nouns which are the names of things of which there is only one, as:
 The earth, The Earth, The sky, The Moon, The Star, The Sun.
vii. Before proper, material and abstract nouns when they are specified, as:
 The Fish of Bengal, The beauty of the Taj.
viii. Before the physical position, as:
 The top, the back, the side, the front, the outside
ix. Before the committee, club and foundation, as:
 The Rotary Club, The United Nations, The Ford Foundation.
x. Before important historical events, empire, dynasty such as:
 The French Revelation, The Roman Empire, The Middle Ages, The Gupta
Dynasty, The World War 1.
xi. Before descriptive geographical names such as:
 The United States of America, The Ocean
xii. Before name of the branches of Government such as:
 The Executive, The Judiciary, The Legislative.
xiii. Before last, next, first, second, etc, as:
 I will reach the next bus.
 Tom is the second son.
 He missed the last train. But, I will see you next Monday: I went home last
Sunday
 English Grammar, By: Mohan Paraseth, B.A., B.Th., B.Ed., M.Div., MSW., M.A. (Eng. Ltr.)

xiv. Before the superlative degree, as:

 Sudha is the tallest girl in the class.
 Mr. Verma is the oldest man in the village.
xv. Before the ordinal, as:
 He was the first man to arrive.
 This is the best book of English literature.
xvi. Before the nationality word such as:
 The Indians, The Italians, The Russians, The Americans.
xvii. Before the dates of a month such as:
 The 3rd of November, 1975
xviii. When we speak of a Particular person of thing, or one already referred to, as:
 The book you want is out of market.
 Let us go to the cinema.
xix. Before a proper noun when it is qualified by an adjective such as:
 The beautiful Richa.
xx. Before the parts of the body such as:
 He was wounded in the leg.
 They hit him on the head
xxi. Before a comparative degree when selection is meant such as:
 He is the clever of two.
 This is the better of the two books.
xxii. Before the names of the direction preceded by prepositions such as:
 The wind blew from the east.
xxiii. Before any invention such as:
 I hate the radio.
 Television is gift of science.
xxiv. Before words indicating number, weight, and measure to embress the idea of rate such
as:
 Eggs are sold by the dozen.
 Cloth is sold by the meter.
 Apple is sold by the kilo.
 Petrol is sold by the litter.
xxv. Before expressed with title:
 The President of India,
 The director, the chairman.
xxvi. Before the armed forces, as:
 The Army, the Air Force, The Navy
xxvii. After all and both:
 All the boys are present.
 Both the boys were absent.
Note: - Article is not used when proper noun is used after all, as:
 All India respected him.
 English Grammar, By: Mohan Paraseth, B.A., B.Th., B.Ed., M.Div., MSW., M.A. (Eng. Ltr.)

xxviii. Before some phrases, as:

 You are in wrong.
 I shall win the long run.
 The old man is on the point of death.
xxix. Before a proper noun (with emphasis) to give the force of a superlative, as:
 This is the book on algebra (The best book).
xxx. For stress of emphasis, as:
 Corruption is the order of the day.
 He is the teacher for you.

(F) NO ARTICLES

i. Don’t use the articles before language, as:

 He Knows English, Hindi, French, Russian and German.
ii. Don’t use the articles before play’s name.
 They play football, cricket and hockey.
iii. Articles are not normally used in genitive expressions when the first word is proper
name of the people, town, countries and mountain peaks, as:
 Mahatma Gandhi, Patna, India, Hari, Nepal, Mount Everest, etc.
iv. Don’t use the articles before subject’s name such as:
 He is a student of geography.
 She got good marks in chemistry.
v. Don’t use the articles before headlines, telegrams, notices, lists, and outlines such as:
 Missing family newsman safe. (Newspaper heading)
 Collage closed for summer vocation (title in notice, posters)
 Open packet at other end. (Instructions)
vi. Don’t use the articles before proper name of street, month of the year, days of the
week, as:
 She lives in Patel roads.
 January is very cold.
 I was busy on Monday.
vii. Don’t use the articles before the uncountable nouns such as:
 Tea is hot, water is useful for us, dogs bark and asses bray.
Note: - But we use ‘the’ when the uncountable noun is made particular, as:
 The milk is in jug.
 The water is in the pot.
viii. Don’t use the articles in the case of comparison. If two nouns refer to the same
person, or thing, the article is placed before the first noun only. But if they refer to
different persons or things, the article must be repeated before each, as:
 Our principal is better administrator than teacher.
ix. Don’t use the articles when the noun has such, what, both or all and many preceding
it; the article is placed after these words, as:
 What a fool!
 English Grammar, By: Mohan Paraseth, B.A., B.Th., B.Ed., M.Div., MSW., M.A. (Eng. Ltr.)

 Such a strong man,

 Both the girls;
 All the labours.
x. Don’t use the articles before the nouns that come after such phrases, as:
 What sort of job is he doing?
 What sort of soup is this?
xi. Don’t use the articles before the complement in sentence, as:
 He was appointed teacher.
 They choose him leader.
xii. Don’t use the articles before nature, science, life, parliament, freedom, death, etc,
when they are generally used.
 Wordsworth was a poet of nature.
 Life is very hard here.
 Society will not permit us to do it.
 Science has changed our life.
xiii. Don’t use the articles after type of, sort of and kind of man.
 I want this type of gun.
 He is different kind of men.
xiv. Don’t use the articles before common noun in pairs, as:
 Sister and brother.
 Day and night, husband and wife.
 Father and son, right and left etc.
xv. Don’t use the articles before the names of the materials:
 Cloths are made of cotton, wool and silk.
 Gold is precious metal.