Articles

Articles

There are two types of articles.

1.         Indefinite article: a/an

2.   Definite article: the

Indefinite articles are used with consonant countable nouns.

Use of indefinite article: A/an

i.   A or an  is used before consonant sound and an is used in front of the vowels s

a.    A/an is used when it is mentioning someone or something (  singular countable nourn) for the first time. Eg. I saw a man.

ii. A or an is used to indicate a unit. A meter a kg

iii.          A or an is used in the sense of one like( to make a proper noun a common noun)

iv.             A or an is used before an unknown name or surname. A Jatin Babu called you.

v.    A or an is used in the sense of same. Birds of a feather flock together. Man

vi.             A or an is used to denote profession, trade class: an engineer

vii.         A or an is used to before dozen, hundred, thousand, million

viii.       A or an is used in the sense of each or per

ix.             A or an is used to indicate a class as whole

x.    A or an is used in exclamatory sentence.

 

Definite article (The)

i.   To indicate a particular persons ir things  Look at the boy.

ii. Before a noun which has become definite  by being mentioned a second time. There is a tree. The tree is an oak.

iii.          Before a noun made definite by the addition of a phrase or clause. The girl with red sari is beautiful.

iv.           Before a singular noun meant to represent a whole class. But  do not uses the article if the word man and woman are used for whole  The cow is a useful animal.

v.   Before a countable noun to particularise it: The gold of the ring is very bright.

vi.            Before a name of a thing which is only one in nature: the moon

vii.        Before a noun denoting nation or race: The English are industrious.  But the words without article it denotes language.

viii.      Before a name of road, but not before a name of the Street or avenue.  The bus is running on the Devkota Road. I bought the book from College Street

ix.           Before some nouns to indicate profession:  He joined the church

x.  Before the name of a musical instrument, when one plays it. Otherwise not: He plays the flute.  But he has a flute.

xi.           Before ordinal numbers

xii.        Before the name of the holy books, newspaper, name of ships, trains aeroplane, space, famous building. Rivers, seas, oceans, gulfs, mountain, ranges, groups of island.

xiii.      Names of direction: the east

xiv.       Before name of a province having a descriptive geographical meaning  the Deccan

xv.         Before name of countries which are collectively formed. The USA

xvi.       Before the plural names of families The Boses are familiar with the Browns.

xvii.     Before proper noun for comparison to denote a type. Rabindranath is the Shakespeare in Indian literary field.

xviii.  Before a proper noun when it is qualified by an adjective or adjectival phrases or clause: the great Caesar

xix.       Before some common nouns and adjectives to express abstract sense: the entire mother rose in her.

xx.         Before adjectives to denote a particular part of a thing: I like the yellow of an egg.

xxi.       Before a common noun as a substitute for the Possessive adjective:  He caught me by the arm.

xxii.     Before an adjective to represent a whole class of persons. The rich are not always happy.

xxiii.   Before superlative degree of adjectives: the best.

 

No Use of Articles: Omission of articles.

i.              Before generalization with plural or uncountable nouns: Birds can fly in the sky.

ii.            Before proper noun: Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal.

iii.          Before material nouns: Gold is precious metal. But the article can be used if the material noun is particularly referred or adjective is formed.

iv.          Before abstract nouns: Health is wealth. But, definite article is used if abstract noun is specified.

v.             Before common noun proceeded by phrases: kind of/ sort of/ species of in interrogative sentence. What kinds of flower is it?

vi.          Before school hospital, college, church, bed market, prison for primary propose of the visit

vii.        Before man and woman in the sense of mankind. Before father mother if the own concept is expressed.

viii.      Before home

ix.          Before names of games and meals.

x.             Before names of festivals and seasons but we can use the article if followed by adjectives.

xi.          Before king and queen followed by their name.

xii.        Before complement of a transitive verb: They elected him President.