1. Definition of articles.
According to Grammarly website,
an article is defined as the words which appear before nouns i.e. they
come before nouns, different articles have a role of modifying a noun. Articles
define whether a noun is obviously known or NOT. These articles are
found in big family which is known as “Determiners”
This type of nouns often beats several
English learners who are just starting their journey of learning English. But
also, sometimes advanced English users misuse them. That’s why you should keep
revising whoever you are either a beginner or an advanced one. Actually, there
are two main categories of articles which are:
The Indefinite Article: (which
contains A & An)
The Definite Article: (which
contains “The”)
In addition to above type there’s
another one which is known as “Zero article”. Let’s explore more about articles
and I really know that you’ll enjoy the lesson.
The Indefinite Article (A / An)
Firstly, the indefinite articles
(a & an) are used to show something which is not specific or deserved i.e.
particular to someone. These articles prove that the identity of the noun is
not known, not important, or is being introduced for the first time. Let’s have
different examples:
Use of “a" and "an"
Whenever you
are choosing appropriate article do not rely on spelling rather see how a word
is spoken (sounds). You must know that “A” is used before a noun which starts
with “consonant”
Eg: A house, A boy, A chair, A computer,
etc……….
Attention: The words which
start with vowels like “U” , “O”, and “EU” take an article “A”
Eg:
Words start with “U”
A uniform
A university
A unit
A unique, etc…
Words start with “O”
A once
A one, etc…
Words start with Eu
A European
A Eucalyptus
A eulogy, etc…
Use of “An”
You must know that an article “an”
is used before a word which start with a vowel. For example:
An umbrella
An orange
An apple
An echo, etc…..
Attention: Sometimes an
article “an”, starts a word which starts with “H” which has sound for example:
An heir
An hour, etc…..
Note: Use these articles in only
singular.
Do not say: Eric lifts a bags
Say: Eric lifts a bag.
The definite article
Secondly, the definite article (the)
is used to show something which is specific i.e. particular to someone. Let’s
have different examples:
Eg: The sun
The moon
The government, etc…..
Notes: Also,
“The” is used on superlatives and ordinal numbers. Let’s have an example:
Eg: I am the smallest girl in the
world
Ange is the most beautiful
girl in our country.
Elon loved Chantal at the first time.
Etc…
Do you want to master phrasal verbs? Check our 50 phrasal verbs here
Know that this article is used on
every and each word that begins with “consonant” even though there is an
exception we have seen above.
Attention: Do not use “The” with
countries ( India, Pakistan, Rwanda, France), continents ( Africa, Europe,
Asia, Australia). Nevertheless, you can use an article “The” with names of
countries which are in plural or start with: republic, Kingdom, States, Union,
etc….
Example:
The United States, The
United Kingdom, The Netherlands, The Philippines, The
Dominican Republic.
The Zero Article (Leaving Articles Out)
It is very important to know when
to use an article or when not to use them. The following are some of the
situations where the Zero Article is used:
A. Generalizations to plural and uncountable nouns are present here.
When you are discussing things in
general, do not use “the”
I love dogs. (All dogs,
generally).
Water is essential for life.
Gold is expensive.
B. Names of People and Titles
I spoke to Mr. Smith. (Not: The
Mr. Smith).
President Kagame, Queen
Elizabeth.
C. Do not use articles on names of languages.
Eg: English, France, etc…
Thank you for your time and interest
for studying English, I would like to let you know that we are dedicated to
give you awesome and good posts which will boost your English level! Stay with
Us and Stay Learning. Visit our HomePage for feeds.
Post a Comment