अंग्रेजी व्याकरण: आर्टिकल्स

Articles

Articles, in English grammar, are words that modify nouns to indicate the type of reference the noun is making. There are three articles: the definite article, "the"; the indefinite articles, "a" or "an". They are a type of adjective that comes before a noun or noun equivalent.

Article Placement

Articles are placed before singular or plural nouns to indicate the specific identity of the noun. The definite article "the" is used before a singular or plural noun when the identity of the noun is known. The indefinite articles "a" and "an" are used before a singular count noun whose specific identity is not known.

Article Usage Rules

Rule #1: Specific Identity Not Known

Use the indefinite article "a" or "an" before a singular count noun whose specific identity is not known. This applies when the noun begins with a consonant sound, and "a" is used, or it begins with a vowel sound, and "an" is used.

Rule #2: Specific Identity Known

Use the definite article "the" before any noun (whether singular or plural, count or noncount) when the specific identity of the noun is known. This includes when the noun has already been mentioned in the conversation, or when an adjective, phrase, or clause describes the noun.

Rule #3: All Things or Things in General

Use no article with plural count nouns or any noncount nouns used to mean all or in general.

Article Exceptions

There are certain situations where a noun takes no article. For example, with country names that are not made up of different parts or if they are not taken from common nouns, no article is used. With breakfast, lunch, dinner, and certain names of oceans, seas, rivers, canals, and countries, the definite article "the" is used. With uncountable nouns and unique objects, the definite article "the" is used.

Definite Articles

The definite article "the" is used for very specific nouns, not just any pencil, but the yellow pencil. It can be used with singular objects (The purple scarf) or plural (the dogs).

Indefinite Articles

The indefinite articles "a" and "an" are used for more general, vague nouns: "Hand me a pencil" (any pencil). They are used only with singular objects and can be replaced with "one". They are also used when first mentioning something.

When We Do Not Use Articles

We don't use indefinite articles in front of non-countable nouns, such as abstract concepts or liquids or large amounts of small solids. We don't use articles with nouns that are described in quantities or with names, pronouns, and proper nouns.