1-    What are Articles

Articles (a, an, the) are used to indicate whether a noun is specific or non-specific.

TYPES OF ARTICLES

1.1-    Definite Article

‘The’ is a definite article which refers to some specific noun (the speaker is already familiar with).

(1)            This is the book I was seeking.

(2)           The pen has lost I used to sign with.

1.2-    Indefinite Articles

‘A’ and ‘An’ are the indefinite articles which refer to some general thing or non-specific nouns (the speaker has first experience with).

(1)           A dog is a loyal animal.

(2)           I want to eat an apple.

1.3-    Zero Article

Zero article refers to the use of no article at all. These are specifically used with general plural nouns and non-count nouns.

(1)             Humans are the crown of creation.

(2)             Milk is vital for health.

USE OF DEFINITE ARTICLE ‘The’

1-     ‘The’ is used before such nouns which bear the stamp of individuality.

(1)           The sun

(2)           The sky

2-     ‘The’ is used before the names of seas, rivers, mountains, gulfs and islands.

(1)           The Arabian Sea

(2)           The Ganga

(3)           The Percian gulf

3-     ‘The’ is used before the names of holy books.

(1)           The Holy Quran

(2)           The Bible

4-     ‘The’ is used before superlative degrees of adjectives.

(1)           The biggest

(2)           The most beautiful

5-     ‘The’ is used before a comparative adverb in the specific structure of parallel comparison.

(1)           The higher you go, the cooler it gets.

(2)           The more we get, the more we want.

6-     ‘The’ is used before a superlative adverb.

(1)           John ran the fastest of all in the race.

(2)           Of all the students, she arrived the earliest.

USE OF INDEFINITE ARTICLES ‘A’ & ‘An’

1-     ‘A’ is used with the nouns which start with a consonant sound.

(1)           There was a witch in the darkness.

(2)           Mobile phone is a useful device.

2-     ‘An’ is used with the nouns which start with a vowel sound.

(1)           An old man was singing through flute.

(2)           An honest woodcutter was rewarded by an angel.

3-     Both ‘A’ and ‘An’ are used to show the meaning of one.

(1)           I have a chair and an umbrella.

4-     Both ‘A’ and ‘An’ are used to show speed or price.

(1)           Rs.250 a liter

(2)           60km an hour

5-     Both ‘A’ and ‘An’ are used to represent a group, the members of which share general characteristics, via singular noun.

(1)           A flower looks beautiful.

(2)           An elephant is a very large mammal.

OMISSION OF ARTICLE

1-     No article is used before proper nouns.

(1)           Shamsa lives in America.

2-     No article is used before abstract noun.

(1)           Honesty is the best policy.

3-     No article is used before a material noun.

(1)           Gold is a precious metal.

4-     No article is used before languages and study subjects.

(1)           English is the lingua franca.

(2)           History is an interesting subject.

5-     No article is used when referring to a place for its main purpose. However, article is used when the place is mentioned as a building rather than for its main purpose.

(1)           She is in hospital.

(2)           They go to school daily.

(3)           He went to the hospital to see his doctor.

(4)           He went to the school to plant a tree.

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