English Grammar
Basic Grammar -> Articles
| 1. | Articles : |
|---|---|
| An article is word used to identify a noun, which is a person, place, objects or idea. | |
| Technically, an article is an adjective, which is any word that modifies a noun. | |
| A or an does not refer to a particular person or thing. It leaves indefinite the person or thing spoken of. | |
| For example: | |
| I saw a doctor (means I saw any doctor) | |
| An is used before a word beginning with vowel sound (please note a word beginning with vowel sound and not necessarily a vowel itself). | |
| For example: | |
| an ass, an enemy, an inkstand, an orange, an umbrella, an hour. | |
| An is placed before an abbreviation if the first letter of an abbreviation is F, H, L, M, N, R, S or X. | |
| For example: | |
| An MBA was required for the post. | |
| An SAO is an officer of high rank | |
| A is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound. | |
| For example: | |
| A boy was running down the streets and he suddenly fell as he tried to avoid a collision. | |
| a boy, a woman a horse, a one rupee note, a university, a European (both university and European begin with a consonant sound of 'yu') | |
| A and an are used with words 'few' and 'little' if they refer to a small amount. Words 'few' and 'little' without the articles means almost none. | |
| For example: | |
| For example: | |
| We have little time to share. (means almost no time) | |
| We have a little time to space. (means some time) | |
| Few persons were present at the meeting. (means almost no one was present) | |
| A few persons were present at the meeting . (means some were present) | |
| The points out a particular person or thing or someone or something already referred to | |
| For example: | |
| I saw the doctor. (means I saw some particular doctor) | |
| The book you want is out of print. | |
| The is used with names of gulfs, rivers, seas, oceans, groups of islands and mountain ranges. | |
| For example: | |
| The Persian Gulf, The Red Sea, The Indian Ocean, The British Isles, The Alps. | |
| The is used before the name of certain books. | |
| For example: | |
| The Vedas, The Puranas, The Ramayana. | |
| The is used before the names of things unique of their kind. | |
| For example: | |
| The sun, The sky, The ocean, The sea. | |
| The is used before a proper noun only when it is qualified by an adjective. | |
| For example: | |
| The great Rani of Jhansi, the immortal Kalidas. | |
| The is used before the superlatives. | |
| For example: | |
| Sachin is the best batsman in the world today. | |
| The best person should win. | |
| The is used with ordinals | |
| For example: | |
| He was the first student to finish his homework. | |
| The second chapter of the book is very interesting. |