Article: articles have some special significance as determiners. Articles determine the standard of nouns.
Types of Articles:
-
- Definite article
- Indefinite article
Definite article: “The” The makes the noun something particular and definite.
Example:
-
- Give me the book.
- Get out of the class.
Indefinite article: “A & an” – make the noun something general and indefinite.
Example:
-
- Give me an apple.
- give a pen.
Rules for using articles in English grammar
Rules for using Definite article:
Rule 1: ‘The’ is used to indicate a particular person(s) or thing(s) in the case of common nouns. Proper nouns generally do not take an article.
Example:
-
- The girl is running. (A particular girl)
- I saw the man stealing.
- Where is the book I gave you last year?
Rule 2: Sometimes ‘the’ is used to generalize a group/whole class.
Example:
-
- The cat is a cute animal. (Refers to the whole species of cute.)
- The English are industrious. (Refers to the people of England as a nation)
Rule 3: To particularise a non-count noun ‘the’ is required before it.
Example:
- return the money to him.
- the air is polluted.
Rule 4:
‘The’ is mandatory before a thing which is only one of a kind in the universe.
Example:
- The sun is ball of heat.
- The earth is moving around the sun.
Rule 5:
Using ‘the’ with geographical nouns generally depends on the size and plurality of the things those nouns refer to. ‘The’ is generally used everywhere except in some cases. So, it’s better to know those exceptions first.
‘The’ must not precede:
- Names of continents: Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, North America, Antarctica.
- Names of countries: Australia, Bolivia, England, France, Spain, etc.
- Names of states, cities, or towns: Los Angeles, Alaska, Sydney, London,
- Names of streets: George street, Albion Street, New town street,
- Names of singular lakes and bays: Lake Carey, Lake Eyre, Lake Hillier, Shark Bay,
- Names of single mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Solitary, Mount Bindo, Mount Fuji, etc.
- Names of single islands: Easter Island, Bare Island, Bird Island, Fatima Island,
- Names of languages: Spanish, Russian, English, (When ‘the’ precedes these nouns, they refer to the population of those languages.)
- Names of sports: cricket, football, basketball,
- Names of discipline/subject of studies: biology, history, computer science, mathematics,
‘The’ must precede:
- Names of oceans, gulfs, seas, and rivers: the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Coral Sea, the Timor Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Nile, the Murray River, the Darling River, etc.
- Names of countries with united states or islands: the United States of America (the USA), the UK, the UAE, the Philippines, etc.
- Names of great lakes: the Great Lakes, the African Great Lakes
- Names of mountain ranges: the Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes, etc.
- Names of a group of Islands: the West Indies, the Andamans, etc.