STUDENT: ___________________________ Class: ___________
Teacher: _____________________________ Date: ___ / ___ / ___
Lecture Sheet: 01
ARTICLE USAGE
ARTICLE
Indefinite Definite Zero
articles: article: article:
a / an the Ø
Indefinite articles: a, an
Use “a” before a word beginning Use “an” before a word beginning
with with
(a)a consonant sound: a boy, (a) a vowel sound: an ass, an
a word, a BA, etc. enemy, an inkstand, an
(b)such vowels with a orange, an umbrella, an
consonant sound ‘yu’ : a eye, an ox, etc.
ewe, a useful thing, a unit, (b) a consonant with a vowel
a European, `niversity, a sound: an MA, an MBBS, an
union, etc. MP, an X-ray, etc.
(c) ‘o’ with a consonant sound (c) an unaccented syllable with
‘w’ : such a one, a one- ‘h’: an heir, an honest boy,
taka note, a one-eyed an hour
man, etc.
STUDENT: ___________________________ Class: ___________
Teacher: _____________________________ Date: ___ / ___ / ___
Other uses of “a” and “an”
Use “a”/ “an” before A son should obey his parents.
a singular countable An ant is an industrious creature.
noun to indicate a
class:
Use “a”/ “an” as a He went a-hunting (= on hunting).
preposition:
Use “a”/ “an” in the A Mr Bose (= a certain Mr Bose) came to see
sense of ‘a certain’: me.
There lived a king (= a certain king) in a country.
Use “a”/ “an” in a in a temper, to have a cold, to take an interest
number of phrases: in, in a hurry, in a day or two, once in a while,
once upon a time, in a nutshell, a hue and cry, in
a body, in a fix
Use “a”/ “an” with There was not a man to support him, though no
the meaning of ‘a one spoke a word against him openly.
single’ or ‘any’:
Use “a”/ “an” with He thinks he is a Sarat Chandra.
the meaning of ‘one You are a Nazrul, I see.
like’:
Use “a”/ “an” with Criminals are of a character (=the same
the meaning of ‘the character).
same’: They are men of a profession (=the same
profession).
STUDENT: ___________________________ Class: ___________
Teacher: _____________________________ Date: ___ / ___ / ___
What a thing to say!
Use “a”/ “an” after Wow! What a pretty girl walked by just now.
‘what’ / ‘how’ / ‘such’ in What a hot day! I can’t stand it any more.
an exclamatory Such a long queue!
sentence:
How nice a bird!
Use “a”/ “an” before a I’ve received a postcard from a friend of mine
singular countable noun in the United States.
to refer to someone or After months of searching my brother found a
something for the first job.
time: There are an apple and an orange for dessert.
My next-door neighbour is a dentist and his
Use “a”/ “an” what wife is an architect.
someone or something Rahim doesn’t eat meat; he’s a vegetarian.
is, including jobs or There is a man at the door who says he is a
professions: detective.
That was a kind thing to say.
There is a very clever handyman down in the
village.
Use “a”/ “an” after a She was always a sensitive child.
linking verb: He studied Law at university and became a
judge.
Use “a”/ “an” before an There was still an abundance of food when we
abstract noun that is arrived.
restricted by the phrase We’re looking for someone with a good
which follows it: knowledge of English.
STUDENT: ___________________________ Class: ___________
Teacher: _____________________________ Date: ___ / ___ / ___
A thousand guests were invited.
I’ve told you a thousand times not to do that.
There are a few apples on the table.
There are a lot of books in the library.
There is a little water in the jug.
He lived a great many years.
I have a good many reasons to say so.
Use “a”/ “an” with some King Solomon had a great deal of money.
numerical expressions to King Solomon had a good deal of money.
mean ‘one’ or with
There are a score of people present in the
expressions of price,
meeting today.
speed, ratio and
quantity: There are a number of boys absent today.
Petrol costs Tk 60 a litre in Bangladesh.
The man can eat half a kilo of meat.
A group of students have come to meet the
Principal.
You must take this medicine four times a
day/twice a day, thrice a day.
He is driving the car at sixty kilometres an
hour.
Use “a”/ “an” before a A friend of my father’s (= one of my father’s
countable noun friends)
followed by of + A habit of Rahim’s (= one of Rahim’s habits)
possessive
determinative + noun +
s: