ARTICLE

Usage of 'A'
• 1. If the first letter of a countable singular common noun is
'Consonant',
• 'A' is used before it.
• For Ex – (a)Rajeev has bought a new car
• (b)I have caught a fish
• 2. 'A' is used with a singular countable common noun when the noun
• denotes a complete class of things/Persons/Animals etc.
• For Ex – A dog has four legs.
• In the above sentence, 'A' has been used before 'dog' because we are
• talking about a complete class of dogs.
• 3. 'A' is used before a Profession, rank, title, religion, nationality, etc.
• For Ex – A teacher, A Japanese, A Hindu.
• 4. 'A' is used before singular countable nouns and after 'what' and
• 'How', in exclamatory sentences.
• For Ex – (a)What a beautiful painting!
• (b)What a great match it was!
• 5. 'A' is used before an indefinite collective noun.
• For Ex – A team of cricket players, A bundle of money
• 6. 'A' is used to express the rate.
• For Ex – Ten rupees a kilo, Fifty words a minute.
• Note:
• we can also use 'per' in the place of 'a' in the above
• expressions.
• Ten Rupees per kilo, Fifty words per minute
• 7. We use 'A' before an adjective, when the adjective is followed by a
• singular noun.
• For Ex – (a) Madhuri is a good dancer.
• (b) Lata is a melodious singer.
• 8. When a verb is used as a noun, we use 'a' before that verb:
• For Ex – (a) I'll take a bath in the morning.
• (b) They have gone for a walk.
• 9. If 'a' is used before a plural number, the forthcoming noun becomes
• singular.
• For Ex – (a) Five days match ® a five day
• (b) Ten days trip ® a ten day match.

• 10. If 'such, quite, how, rather, etc are placed before a noun, 'a' is used
• before that noun.
• For Ex – (a) I have never driven such a car in my life.
• (b) Ram is quite a brilliant boy.
• 11. If words like 'Noise, lie, hole, headache, etc' are used in singular
• sense, then we use 'a' before them.
• For Ex – (a) I have a headache today.
• (b) He never tells a lie.
• 12. A is used before some indefinite numbers:
• For Ex – A lot of books, A great many actors, A number of
• questions
Usage of 'AN'
• 1. If the first letter of a countable singular noun is a vowel, then 'An'
is
• used before it.
• For Ex – (a) He is an astronaut.
• (b) He ate an apple.
• 2. We use 'An' before some abbreviations which start with 'H, L, M, N,
• F, R, S, X, etc.
• For Ex – (a) He is an MLA.
• (b) She works for an N.G.O.
• Note: We can use 'an' in the place of 'a' whenever the indefinite article is
followed by a noun, which starts with a 'vowel sound'.
• Note:
• Indefinite articles ('A'/ 'An') Are used on the basis of the 'initial sound' of a
noun and not on the first letter of the same, because usage of 'A/An' depends
on the initial sound of the noun and not on its spelling.

• For Ex – We write - 'An honest man' (not 'A honest man')

2. Indefinite Articles are not used before the name of"meals", "Sports',
Subjects', 'language', etc.
For Ex – (a)Harsh was absent from a dinner (wrong)
Harsh was absent from dinner (correct)
(b)I am playing a Tennis (wrong)
I am playing Tennis (Correct)
• 3. Indefinite articles are not used before material noun.
• For Ex – (a)It is a gold (wrong)
• It is gold. (correct)
• (b)That statue is made up on an Iron. (wrong)
• That statue is made up of Iron. (correct)
• 4. Indefinite Article are not used two times for the same noun in the
• same sentence.
• For Ex – (a)Priya is a singer and a dancer. (wrong)
• Priya is a singer and dancer. (correct)
• (b)India is a great and a beautiful country (wrong)
• India is a great and beautiful country (correct)
II. DEFINITE ARTICLE (THE)
• Definite Article (the) is used when the noun with which it is used is a
particular one, which is identifiable to the listener. It may also be used
for a noun that has already been mentioned or is uniquely specified.
• For Ex – "This is the boy who played cricket."
• In the above sentence, the boy has been specified to be the
• one 'Who played cricket'
• Note:Unlike indefinite articles, the definite article can be placed
• before both singular and plural nouns.
• For Ex
• (a) She called the doctor.
• (b)One of the boys is absent.
• 1. Definite article (The) is used before a noun if it is followed by a
• relative pronoun stressly.
• For Ex – (a)He is the boy who plays Guitar.
• (b)She is the girl who plays Tennis.
• (c) This is the dog which I bought.
• 2. Definite article (The) is used before the name ofcommission, Rivers,
Seas, Gulfs, Deserts, Direction, Canals, historical caste, Name of
titles and posts, buildings and monuments, Religious books Community,
Holy Scriptures, etc.
• For Ex – The Ganga, The Arabian Gulf, The Pacific Ocean, The
• Mahabharata, The Gita, The East, The Sun, The Taj Mahal, The
• Brahmin, The Iron Man, The Father of the Nation.
• 3. 'The' is used before an adjective if that adjective is followed by
proper noun.
• For Ex – Yesterday, I met the great Sachin Tendulkar.
• 4. 'The' is used before common noun whenever it is used as adjective.
• For Ex – When Sonam saw a hungry girl crying, the mother came in
her.
• 5. 'The' is used whenever two proper nouns are compared.
• For Ex – Prabhu Deva is the Michael Jackson of India.
• 6. 'The' is always used before "Superlative degree"
• For Ex – (a)Shyam is the fattest boy of his class.
• (b)Rahul is the best player of his team.
• 7. If comparative Degree is used for two, or, it is used in parallel, then
• the Definite Article (The)is used before it.
• For Ex – (a)The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war
• (b)Rajesh is the taller of the two sons
• 8. We use Definite article (The) before ordinals.
• For Ex – The latter, The former, The first, The last.
• 9. The is used before the word 'Space' only when it means 'room'
• For Ex – We all tried to get into his car but the
• space was not enough.
The omissions of definite Article
• 1. Definite Article (The) is not used before the name of language and
• sports.
• For Ex – (a)The Hindi is our national language. (Wrong)
• Hindi is our national language (correct)
• (b)The Hockey is my favourite sport. (Wrong)
• Hockey is my favourite sport. (Correct)
• 2. Definite Article is not used before the name of day, month, parts of
• day.
• For Ex – (a)The Monday is the first day. (Wrong)
• Monday is the first day. (Correct)
• (b)The December is the last month. (Wrong)
• December is the last month.
• 3. 'The' is not used before the name of meals
• For Ex – The breakfast was very delicious. (Wrong)
• Breakfast was very delicious. (Correct)
• 4. Definite article (The) is not used before these words.
"Life, money, Pride, God, Love, Society, Parliament, Death" and
name of subjects.
• For Ex – (a)The love is as important as the air we breathe. (Wrong)
• Love is as important as the air we breathe (Correct)
(b)The mathematics is an interesting subject (wrong)
Mathematics is an interesting subject. (Correct)
• Þ But, if the words given above are particularised or if the name of
• the subjects is particularised, we use definite article before them.
• For Ex – (a)The love of mother is incomparable. (Correct)
• (b)The Mathematics of Priya are good. (Correct
• 5. Define article should not be used before these places if we go
there for the primary purpose. "Church, Mosque, Temple, School,
College, Court, Prison, Hospital, Library, University, Jail (as accused)."
• For Ex – (a)I went to the temple to worship. (Wrong)
• I went to temple to worship. (Correct)
• (b)I went to the temple to attend a marriage. (Correct)
• 6. Definite Article does not come before 'Northern', 'Southern',
'Eastern' 'Western' and 'directions' when we use them as adjective.
• For Ex – (a)He is going towards Northern India.
• (b)Rajasthan is in western India.