ARTICLES WHAT ARE ARTICLES? USES OF ARTICLES
Articles are used to differentiate between things and ideas usually expressed by nouns. Please hand me the book that’s on the table. He is an honest man. Articles should be placed just in front of the noun they are modifying. Please fetch me a sweater. She is a beautiful girl. He is an intelligent boy.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF ARTICLES DEFINITE ARTICLE THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE A AN
Definite article ‘THE’ The refers to a specific thing or quantity. It can be used with both countable or uncountable nouns. For example: Please give me the hammer. Please give the nail Yesterday I met a man, the man was wearing black shirt.
We use the to talk about rivers, oceans, and seas. The Nile, the Pacific, the English channel. We use the when we have already mentioned the thing we are talking about. She’s got two children, a girl and a boy. The girl is eight and the boy is fourteen.
We use the before certain nouns when we know there is only one of a particular thing The rain, the sun, the wind, the world, the earth, the white house. We use the to talk about geographical points on the globe. The North pole, the Equator
INDEFINITE ARTICLES – ‘A’ AND ‘AN’ A or AN are used before nouns that introduced something or someone you have not mentioned before. I saw an elephant yesterday morning. I ate a banana today morning. A or AN are used when you are talking about professions. I am an English teacher. I am a builder.
We use a when the noun we are referring to begins with a consonant (sound). a city, a country, a factory, a hotel, a boy We use an when the noun we are referring to begins with a vowel(sound). An apple, an ant.
We use A or An before a singular noun,we can not use A or An before a plural noun. Correct : A car Incorrect : A cars Correct : An orange Incorrect : An oranges
EXAMPLES OF ‘A’, ‘AN’, or ‘THE’ This is a house. This is the house where I live. This is a bed.
This is a dress. This is the dress that I bought. This is an umbrella. This is an ice cream.
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