English Articles

Find below ten examples of articles:

1. I saw a cat in the balcony.
2. She wants to buy a house.
3. Can I have a bottle of juice, please?
4. He is an engineering at some big tech firm.
5. We had an antique vase in our living room.
6. I had an icecream for dinner.
7. The sun rises in the east.
8. She went to the store by the ocean.
9. The weather is gloomy today.
10. She was a quiet girl, sitting under an umbrella by the beach.

In English grammar, articles are words to come before a noun and indicate whether the noun is specific or general. The definite article (the) is used while talking about a specific noun. Whereas, indefinite articles (a, an) are used for general nouns or a noun whose indentity remains unknown.

There are certain cases in which articles are generally omitted. In total, there are about ten such scenarios where we do not use any article in front of certain words. Some of these exceptions are as follows:

• When talking about abstract nouns (uncountable nouns) used in a generic sense
• Before plural nouns used in a general sense
• In front of most of the proper nouns, such as names, places, countries, continents, etc.
• Before the name of meals.

In a very basic sense, 'a' is used as a prefix to words that start with a consonant, while 'an' is used for vowels.

• Example: He lives only a mile away from the office.
• Example: An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.

This rule also applies when a word starts with a consonant/ vowel sound, such as an hour, a university, etc. This stands true to acronyms as well, for example, a UFO, an HR department, etc.

In English grammar, articles are words ("a," "an," and "the") that are prefixes to nouns and are used to indicate whether the noun is specific or general. As these are used before speaking about the noun, articles can also be considered as adjectives to a certain degree. There are two types of articles; Definite and Indefinite.

In English grammar, there are two types of articles; Definite and Indefinite. The two types include three articles i.e., A/ AN and The. While 'the' is termed a definite article, 'a' and 'an' are called indefinite articles. Some examples for both cases can be seen below:

• He is such a sweet baby.
• She has the voice of an angel when she sings.
• The moon looks especially beautiful today.

Students can refer to following books to study Definite Article in English Grammar:

The definite article follows the below mentioned structure:

Students should keep in mind the below mentioned rules, while using the definite article in English sentences:

When the noun is previously mentioned

When a noun has already been introduced in the conversation or text, use 'the' for subsequent references to that noun. For example: I saw a car. The car was red.

When the noun is unique or known

When there is only one of something in a particular context, or when the listener knows what is being referred to, "the" is used. For example: The sun is shining.

To define or identify the noun

"The" can be used to point out a specific instance of a noun. For example: The book on the table is mine.