by Use of articles in English
Definition of article
Articles such “as a/an and the” are the words that define a noun as specific (particular) or unspecific.
Use of articles in English
We use articles before nouns.
Types of articles: definite and indefinite articles
| Indefinite article (A/ An) | Definite article (The) |
Indefinite articles : a/an
Indefinite articles are used to indicate An unknown noun or indefinite person, place, or thing:
Indefinite article examples
I saw a woman in the park.
There was a lion there.
A strange man was standing in the street yesterday.
We use a/an article before common nouns when it is singular in form.
‘A’ is used before consonants sounds: (b,c,d,f,g,h,j,k,l,m,n,p,q,r,s,t,v,w,x,y,z)
A utensil, a university, a year, a European country, a school
(a,e,i,o,u) (first sound from a,e,i, o,u)
‘An’ is used before vowel sounds:
An MBBS doctor, An S.D.M., An S.H.O., An MP, An Fir, An hour, An honest man, An N.C.C. boy, an heir, an heiress
Definite article: The
A particular or specified noun can say a known thing, person, or place.
Definite article examples
She is the girl whom I met yesterday.
He is the topper who got the highest marks in a university.
This is the phone which I have bought it.
The tea of Assam is very good in taste.
The Gold of South Africa is not much expensive.
‘The’ is also used with:
Water bodies:
Rivers:
| The Ganga The Nile |
| The Yamuna The Amazon |
| The Brahamaputra The Missipi |
| The Krishna The Huango ho |
| The Kaveri The Kango |
| The tapti The Murray |
| The Koshi The darling |
Oceans:
| The Atlantic Ocean |
| The Arctic Ocean |
| The India Ocean |
| The Pacific Ocean |
| The Southern Ocean |
S.E.A.
| The Aral Sea |
| The Black Sea |
| The Red Sea |
| The Caspian Sea |
| The Dead Sea |
| The Mediterranean Sea |
| The Sea of Galilee |
| The Salton Sea |
| The Arabian Sea |
Canals:
| The Panama Canal |
| The Suez Canal |
| The Saimaa Canal |
| The Ganges Canal |
| The Anupgarh Canal |
| The Ainsley Canal |
| The Manchester Canal |
Deserts:
| The Thar desert |
| The Gobi desert |
| The Somali desert |
| The Kalahari desert |
| The Arabian desert |
| The Karakum desert |
| The Sahara desert |
| The Kazilkum desert |
Historical caste:
| The Aryans |
| The Red Indian |
| The Negroes |
| The Eskimoes |
Historical dynasties:
| The Chandel Dynasty |
| The Chalukya Dynasty |
| The Chola Dynasty |
| The Gupta Dynasty |
| The Pala Dynasty |
| The Maurya Dynasty |
| The Magadh Dynasty |
| The Maurya Dynasty |
| The Pallavi Dynasty |
| The Rashtrakuta Dynasty |
| The Satavahana Dynasty |
Historical buildings:
| The Tajmahal |
| The Red Fort |
| The Pyramids |
| The Golchar |
| The Pancha Mahal |
Historical event:
| The French Revolution |
| The Battle of Panipat |
| The Civil War |
| The word War I & II |
| The Russian Revolution |
| The Industrial Revolution |
Historical ages/period
| The Middle Age |
| The Old Stone Age |
| The Victorian Age |
| The Elizabethan Age |
Planets:
The Earth, the Mars, the Jupiter, the Saturn, the Neptune, the Venus
Historical buildings:
The Tajmahal, The Pyramids, The Winds of Palace, the Red Fort, The Amer Fort, The Jantar Mandir
Religious books:
The Geeta, The Ramayana, The Mahabharta, The Bible, The Quran, The Granth Sahib
Directions:
The east, The west, The south, and The north, the north pole
Name of countries:
| The U.S.A. | THE UK | The U.A.E. |
English Newspapers:
| The Times of India | The Hindu | The Indian Express |
Magazines:
| The India Today | The U.K. today | The Caravan | the Forbes India |
Mount Ranges:
| The Himalayas | The Alps | The Eastern Ghats | the Vindhyas |
No article before peaks of mountains:
| Mount Everest | Mount Fuji | Mount Abu | Annapurna | Dhaulagiri and Nanda Devi |
Gulfs:
The Bay of Bengal, The Bay of China, The Bay of Biscay
The Persian Gulf, The Gulf of Mexico, The Gulf of Guyana
The Gulf of St. Lawrence
Group Islands:
| The West Indies | The Andamans | The Philippines | the Laccadive Islands |
Exceptions: no article before
| Java | Sumatra | Ceylon | Sicily |
Musical instruments:
| The Guitar | The Violin | The Tabla | The Trumpet |
The + adjective makes plural noun to denote class
| The rich = rich people |
| The poor= poor people |
| The blind= blind people |
| The wicked= wicked people |
| The honest= honest people |
Note: the poors, the riches, the blinds are wrong expressions.
However, we can say:
| A poor man | A rich man | An honest man | A sick man |
Superlative degrees:
| The tallest man |
| The most beautiful |
| The most handsome |
| The longest river |
The + language = nationality of people
| The English= English people |
| The French= French people |
Omissions of articles:
No article/zero article before:
Before the regular meal:
| Dinner | lunch | breakfast |
No article before
| Airports | railway stations | streets | roads |
‘The’ article is not used in some places if used for primary/general purposes. The following nouns are mentioned below:
Home, bed, jail, university, court, sea, hospital, school, college, bank, temple, church, mosque, market and prison, work, bed, etc.
I go to school daily.
She goes to the temple.
I bought a teddy bear from market.
Note: if the purpose is not according to a place, we use ‘the’ article. For examples:
I saw a thief coming to the bed.
His bike was stolen from the market.
He went to the hospital to misbehave with his uncle.
But ‘the is used before cinema, movie, picture, theatre, office, bus stop, and station, etc.
No article before hobbies:
Painting is her profession.
Singing is his passion.
My father loves to do gardening.
Reading makes him happy.
Walking makes him healthy.
Talking with patients is good therapy for them
Dancing is the best skill to show emotions before the audience.
Conversing with foreigners is an art.
I love traveling.
He likes cooking on weekends. Colour
No article Before disease:
Cancer and aids are the dreaded diseases.
Insomnia is a mental disease.
Asthma affects the respiratory system of the body.
The Mumps is a contagious and infectious viral disease.
but ‘the’ is used before some epidemic disease
For example:
The plague is an epidemic disease.
The flu is an epidemic disease that infects the community rapidly.
The measles is a viral disease. It spreads in the skin, causing a red rash.
The rickets is a bone disease due to vitamin D deficiency. It makes weak children’s’ bodies.
No use of articles in English for modes of traveling transports:
He went to school by car.
She goes by train.
He travels by bus.
He rides on scooter.
He commutes by bicycle.
Before the name of relations:
Brother will make payment.
Sister is about to come.
Mother is the only relation that has selfless divine love.
Note: sister and brother imply my brother, my sister (Place of the possessive adjective)
Season: No article is required while we denote that
I will come in winter.
She will start college in summer.
But if you need to say that I go to granny’s home in the summer season.
Exercise I ( Use of articles in English)
Fill in the blanks with suitable articles a/an, where it is not necessary; cross mark (×):
- ….M.L.A.
- …..oxen
- …..eye
- …… ants
- ……effect
- …….Indian farmer
- ……N.C.C. boy
- …….art
- ……honest man
- …… F.I.R.
- …….typist
- ……drive
- ………university
- ………million
- …….honest
- …….. R.J.
- …….. N.R.I.
- ………sheep
- ………deer
- ………cartoon
Exercise II:
Fill in the blanks with use of articles in English:
- Which is ……….. longest river in the world.
- Is your friend ….. N.R.I.?
- Do you have ….. sheep?
- She is …. Intelligent.
- My brother speaks ……. Truth.
- He tells …. Lie.
- …. Earth rotates on its axis.
- …..Sun rises in ….. east.
- ……Himalaya is the largest mountain series.
- I am going to …. theatre.
- He saw …. Bay of Bengal.
- …. Geeta is a holy book.
- She is ….. SDM at Sardhana in Meerut.
- …… poor should be helped by …. rich?
- …… Mount Abu is a mountain peak.
- Does your friend play ….. football?
- …… breakfast was got ready on time.
- I went to ….. school late yesterday.
- Didn’t you go ….. home?
- He is reading …….. newspaper.
- I saw …….. Red fort and ……… Amer Fort. And then I saw ….. guitar in …….. museum.
- ……. Ganga and …….. Yamuna are ……… longest River in India.
- ……… Pacific Ocean is ……… largest ocean in …… world.
- India could have won …….. World Cup 2019.
- ……… Suez Canal is the longest river in the world. Is there black water in …….. Black Sea?
- He didn’t go to …… office. I saw him in …… market to buy clothes.
- He sent to ….. prison charge of murdering.
- …….. Dinner was taken late at night, and all ….. guests enjoyed themselves.
- I went there left to …. right.
- …… plague is an epidemic disease, but ….. cancer is very dangerous disease.
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