Definite and Indefinite Articles.

ARTICLES: ENGLISH GRAMMAR 

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Today our topic of discussion is ARTICLES in English grammar. We always focus quality contents; thereby they can be highly useful to our readers. For this we go through the internet before creating any content, to see what people have searched on the topic of the content we are going to create.  Today, before creating this content on ARTICLES in English grammar, we went through the search engines to know what are the queries of people in this context, what they have wanted to know? And today we saw the following keywords , that people round the globe entered into the search engines to get answers of their queries:-

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AETICLES

Article is a kind of determiner. There are two kinds of articles: Definite Articles (The) & Indefinite Article (A or An).

*.  A or An is called indefinite article because it usually indefinite the person or thing being spoken about.

For example: A doctor, a dog, a car, a man, an actor, an umbrella, an orange etc.

*. The is called definite article because it usually points out a particular person or thing.

For Example: The doctor, the dog, the girl, the umbrella etc.

Note that, when we say I visited the doctor we say about a particular doctor but when we say I visited a doctor here we mean any doctor.

An indefinite noun (A or An) can be used with a singular countable noun  but  definite article (The) can be used singular countable nouns, plural countable nouns, uncountable nouns and abstract nouns.

USES OF A OR AN

The choice between A and AN is determined by the sound that we articulate.

a.       Before noun beginning with a vowel sound, we use AN. For Example An apple, an ass, an orange, a umbrella, an astronaut, an hour, an honest man etc.

Notice that the words hour and honest begin with a vowel sound and their initial consonant h is not pronounced.

b.      Before a word beginning with a consonant sound we use a. for example: a boy, a cat, a dog, a horse, a village etc.

We use a before singular countable nouns like European, union, university, ewe because they star with a vowel but their initial sound is yu, and y is treated as consonant.

In a one eyed man, the word one is pronounced as wan and w is a consonant.

                                                                                  

Use of Definite article.

The definite article the is used

a.       When we talk about a particular person or thing, or one already referred to ( That it is clear from the context which one we mean)

Example: The beggar who died on the street yesterday was very rich some years ago.

                   Lets go to the library. (A particular library that is relevant to the context)

                   I saw a car, the car was blue in colour.

b.      When a singular noun represent the whole class or community.

Examples: The cow eats grass. (All cows here being referred to)

                    The cat dislikes water. (Whole cat community)

                    The grape is a juicy fruit.    (Whole grape class)

However; in today’s English a cow or only cow is more popular. And the case is the same to all other classes or communities.

c.       Before some proper nouns:

Examples: The Ganga, The Nile, The Pacific Ocean, The Suej canal, The Sahara, The Himalayas etc.

d.      Before the names of certain books.

Examples: The Vedas, the Iliad, the Ramayana etc.

e.      Before names of things unique of their kinds.

f.        Examples: The sun, the sky, the earth, the moon etc.

g.       Before a proper noun that is qualified by an adjective or an adjective phrase or clause.

Examples: The great Caesar, The Mr. Roy, whom you met yesterday.

h.      With the superlative degree of an adjective:

Examples: The simplest way, the tallest statue, the darkest night etc

i.         With ordinals:

Examples: the first boy, the fifth of March, the fourth chapter of the book etc.

j.        Before musical instruments.

Examples: The flute, the piano etc.

k.       Before an adjective when the noun is defined:

The poor is always the most deprived class.

l.         Before a noun (with emphasis) to give the force of a superlative:

Example: The verb is the word (chief word) in any sentence.

m.    As an adverb with comparatives:

Example: The fewer people crowd here better we can function.

                                                                                  

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