Articles | English Grammar

'A', 'An', 'The' is Articles. According to Modern Grammar, Articles are a type of Determiners. 'A/An' are the Indefinite Articles and 'The' is a Definite Article.

Use of 'A' and 'An' : 

In the English Language, A, E, I, O, U are considered as Vowels. Many words can start with these vowels, but the main thing is the pronunciation of that word. If it is a consonant sound then 'A' is used. If it is a vowel sound then 'An' is used.

In the English Language, a letter is used for many types of sound. Letters that have been considered as vowels are used very often like consonants. Many consonants act as vowels. Maybe the first letter of the word is M, F, N, X, S, L, H, but the first sound of pronunciation is vowel then 'An' will be used before such words.

Example: 

    He is an MLA.

    He lodged an FIR.

    I have an x-ray machine.

    She is an LLB.

    Ram is an honest person. 

More Examples: A house, A unity, An hour, An honest person, A uniform, A year, A university, An MLA, An honorable person, A unique, A ewe 

Specific Use of 'A' and 'An' : 

(1) 'An' is used before Singular Countable Nouns.  Countable means which can be counted.

Example:

    I have a pen.

    

    Ram has an umbrella.

    

    She is a girl. 

    

    She has a car.

(2) Exclamatory sentences use 'A/An' before a Singular Countable Nouns after a What. 

Example:

     What a grand building!

     What a pretty girl!

(3)Normally no 'A/An' is used before Proper Noun but in the following cases 'A/An' can be used before Proper Noun. 

Example:

    This novel is written by a Manish.

    This book is written by a Suresh.

Manish and Suresh are Proper Nouns when it is unknown to the speaker, then the use of 'A/An' before it means someone or Suresh.

(4)'A/An' is used when used in terms of price per month or per article.

Example:

    She can run twelve kilometers an hour.

    Rice sells fifty rupees a kilo.

(5)'A/An' is used before some counting words like A hundred, A thousand, A million.

Examples:

I have a hundred pens

I have purchased a dozen eggs.

He has a thousand rupees.

(6)'A/An' is used before the Profession.

Example:

    She is a nurse.

    He is a teacher.

    He is an MLA.

(7)'A\An' is used when another person is identified in relation to the characteristic of a specific person.

Example:

    He is a Gandhi.

    He is a Hitler.

(8)'A/An' is used to express a particular caste before Singular Countable Noun.

Example:

    A dog is an animal.

    A peacock is a bird.

(9)In a sentence, when a verb is used as a noun then 'A/An' is used before them.

Example:

    He goes for a walk daily.

    I want to have a bath.

(10)If Singular Noun comes after many/rather/quite/such then 'A/An' is used before a noun.

Example:

    Many a women would welcome such a chance.

    It was quite an impossible task.

(11)If so, as, too, how, quite are used before adjective then 'A/An' is used after an adjective.

Example:

    She is as beautiful as a girl as you ever likely to meet.

    Ram is not so big a fool as you think.

'A/An' should not be used in the following cases :

(1)'A/An' is not used before any Plural Noun.

(2)'A/An' is not used before any Proper Noun. The name of any country, state, day, city, month, the item is called Proper Noun.

(3)'A/An' is not used before any Uncountable Noun. We can use 'A/An' using some words that will make the noun Countable. 

Example: 

    I have a good news for you. 

    I have a milk bar.

    She is a beauty.

Use of 'The' :

'The' is used before a noun that is certain, special, or which has been used earlier.

Some Rules for 'The' :

(1) 'The' is used when it is said about a predetermined object.

Example :

    I found a bag. The bag contained a coin.

    She bought a saree. The saree is very costly.

(2) 'The' is used before Comparative Degree when used like Adverb.

Example : 

    The more she gets, the more she demands.

    The sooner he completes, the better it is.

(3) 'The' is used when a Selection is expressed or a Comparison is expressed before a compressive degree.

Example:

    He is the stronger of two.

    This is the better of the two novels.

(4)'The' is used before Parts of the body.

Example:

    He was wounded in the arm.

    Ram hit him in the head.

(5)'The' is used before Superlative degree but if 'most' is used as a Superlative degree then 'The' is not used.

Example:

    He is the best student in our class.    

    She is a most beautiful girl.

(6) If 'The' is used before the Singular Noun, it gives the characteristics of that particular caste.

Example:

    The dog is a faithful animal.

    The tiger is a fierce animal.

(7) 'The' is used before names of religious communities, states, religious books, newspapers, political parties, buildings, rivers trains, ships, oceans, jobs, professions, musical instruments, inventions, committees, clubs, countries, islands, mountains.

Example: 

    The Ganga, The Godavari

    The Hindus, The Muslims

    The Pacific, The Red sea

    The Taj Mahal, The Char Minar

    The Hindustan Times, The Times of India

(8)'The' is used before unique items.

Example :

    The sunsets in the west.

    The earth revolves around the sun.

(9)'The' is used before the position of any person.

Example:

    The chairman will decide the matter.

    This decision is taken by the Prime Minister.

(10)'The' is used before words expressing nationality.

Example:

    The English defeated the French.

Some Examples:

1. Shaym plays the Piano.
2. Iron is a hard metal.
3. Who invented the Microscope?
4. Delhi is a beautiful city.
5. The man is a second Hitler.
6. I met him at the Church.
7. He is a student of mathematics.
8. I went to the hospital to meet my friend.
9. The bed is broken.
10. It is a very useful book
11. The sun rises in the East.
12. Do not make a noise.
13. Ram is a good boy.
14. It is a matter of chance.
15. The poor can be trusted.
16. He is an honest person.
17. I will go there in the morning.
18. He comes here once a week.
19. I want to buy a book.
20. This is the house I live in.