A | AN | THE |
‘A’ can be used before consonants and before ‘u’ (yu) and ‘o’ (wo) | ‘AN’ can be used before five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and consonant sound like (f, h, l, m, n, r, s& x) | ‘THE’ can be used before individual nouns or already known nouns. |
Usage of article ‘A’
THE PLACE OF USAGE | THE USAGE OF ‘A’ |
A Consonant sound | He is a student. |
Singular nouns | He is a teacher |
Numbers | I have a car. |
Type of noun is or to be | She wants to become a doctor. |
Vowels with consonant sound | It is a (not AN) useful thing. |
A noun of particular type | Each one should have adictionary. |
One of several | He is a member of the committee. |
Quantity | I have a lot of money. |
A proper noun(when compared) | He is a Tendulkar in our team. |
Some drinks | Can you give me a cup of coffee? |
Cost , frequency, speed | It is a costly bangle. |
Substances, products | Good day is a tasty biscuit. |
Noun formed from a verb | shall we have a race this evening? |
Feeling | It is a relief to know that Ramesh is alive. |
Particular day, season | They came here on a Sunday evening. |
They first of the two nouns | We purchased a cup and saucer. |
Vague sense | A Ravi phoned you yesterday. |
An individual representing | A cow is a useful animal. |
Usage of article ‘AN’
‘AN’ is used before vowels . ( a , e, i, o, u)
EXAMPLES
- One day an artificial old statue came to my village.
- I am readingan interesting story.
- Whatan ugly face that cat has.
- He isan engineer.
- I boughtan orange.
‘AN ’ IS USED BEFORE A NOUN BEGINNING WITH A MUTE ‘H’.
- He is an honestman.
- I waited foran hour.
‘AN‘ IS USED BEFORE CONSONANT SOUNDS SUCH AS “F, H, L, M, N, R, S, AND X”
F –I have an F.D.account at SBI.
H – It is an H.M.T watch.
L –I am an L.I.Cagent.
M –He is an M.B.A gratuate
N –You get an N.O.C certificate.
R –He is an RSS activist.
S –You sent an SMS.
X –He took an x-ray.
Usage of article “THE”
Place of usage | Usage of ‘the’ |
A particular noun | You meet the man. |
A noun already mentioned | The boy you sent is smart. |
Well known books | He bought the Bhagavad Geetha |
Unique nouns | The sun sets in the west. |
Newspaper and magazines | Do you read the Hindu. |
Musical instruments | He knows to play the violin. |
Superlatives | I saw the darkest cloud yesterday. |
The ordinals ( first, second,…) | He was the first man to arrive. |
Proper nouns | The john that I know he is a doctor. |
Natural resources, rivers,seas,bays,etc.., | The Cauvery is the water source of Tamilnadu. |
Common nouns in the sense of abstract nouns. | He played the fool. |
As an adverb | The more the merrier. |
Some countries, provinces | The Irish republic. |
Peoples, families | The Indians, the Sharmas. |
Singular as a representative of class | The rose is a beautiful flower. |
Adjectives used as nouns | Hercules the novels of H.G. Walls. |
Famous public buildings | The red fort is in Delhi. |
A noun to give the force of a superlative | Today is he hottest day of the month. |
OMISSION OF ARTICLES
- Not used before school, college, church, hospital etc..,
Eg: Nancy goes to church every Sunday.
- Not used before predicative nouns denoting a unique position.
Eg: He was elected Chairman of the Board.
- In certain phrases consisting of transitive verb followed by its object.
Eg: He wants to work hard.
- In certain phrases consisting of prepositions followed by its object.
Eg: She is at home.
- Names of people.
Eg: This is Neena. ( not , This is a/an/the neena)
- Names of states/ cities/ towns.
Eg: I live in Tamilnadu. (not , This is a/an/the Tamilnadu)
- Names of days / months/ festivals.
Eg: She comes on Sunday. (not , This is a/an/the Sunday)
- Names of continents/ countries.
Eg: He lives in America. (not , This is a/an/the America)
- Names of languages.
Eg: We are learning English. (not , This is a/an/the English).
- Names of the subject of study.
Eg: He is a student of law. (not , This is a/an/the law).