Jan18
2018Despite the fact that articles are some of the most frequently used words in English, many people get confused while choosing the right article in a sentence or deciding if at all an article is needed. This happens because we all use articles generously in our conversations but lack a clear understanding of how to use them or what their role is in a sentence. This blog will touch upon areas like type of articles, grammatical understanding of articles, common errors in use of articles etc.
Type of Articles: There are two types of articles namely Definite Article and Indefinite articles. Let us discuss about each type of articles.
Definite Articles: There is only one definite article in English namely "The". It can be used with both countable as well as uncountable nouns. Article "The" can be used in following cases:
1. Use the before a noun which is already mentioned in a sentence:
2. Use the to Indicate certainty of noun: When a noun is preceded by definite article, it indicate that the noun is specific or particular:
3. Use the to identify a particular person or object:
4. Use the to refer to people or objects that are unique:
5. Use the before superlatives and ordinal numbers:
6. Use the to refer to a whole group of people:
The Patels are very hard working people.
Bill Gates has donated a lot of money to the poor
7. Use the with decades:
8. Use the with countries that have plural names:
9. Use the with countries that include the words "republic", "kingdom", or "states" in their names:
10. Use the with newspaper names:
11. Use the with the names of families:
12. Use the in the geographical areas:
Indefinite Articles:
There are two indefinite articles namely "a" and "an". Both these articles are singular which means they can be used only with singular and countable nouns. Moreover, unlike indefinite articles, they do not indicate certainty of a noun. Use of an indefinite article implies any member of a group but does not refer to any specific member.
When to use indefinite articles?
Indefinite articles are opposite to their counterpart i.e., definite article. They are used when a noun is not certain. When a speaker is referring to an object which is not specific, article "a" or "an" may be used instead of "the".
Example: "When I was at the park, I saw a monkey carrying bananas!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-specific monkey.
Example: "My daughter really wants a gift for Diwali." This refers to any gift. Here we are not talking about any specific gift.
Choice between "a" and "an":
Whether to use article "a" or "an" depends on the sound of the word which proceeds the article. If the article is followed by a word beginning with consonant sound, use "a". On the other hand if the article is followed by a word beginning with vowel sound, use "an".
Examples:
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