Grammar Class 11&12 Topic-Syntax-1 Article PDF

# GENERAL ENGLISH ## Class XII **Based on NCERT** **According to the Latest Syllabus of U.P. Board** ## 4. SYNTAX **Definition:** The correct arrangement of words in a sentence is called syntax. **J.S. Armour** ## (1) Rules of Article * **Indefinite Article:** 'A' and 'An' are called indefin...

# GENERAL ENGLISH ## Class XII **Based on NCERT** **According to the Latest Syllabus of U.P. Board** ## 4. SYNTAX **Definition:** The correct arrangement of words in a sentence is called syntax. **J.S. Armour** ## (1) Rules of Article * **Indefinite Article:** 'A' and 'An' are called indefinite articles because they refer to any unspecified noun. * "A" Is used for singular countable nouns that begin with a consonant sound. * Examples: **a** dog, **a** woman, **a** horse, **a** boy, **a** table * "An" is used for singular countable nouns that begin with a vowel sound. * Examples: **an** owl, **an** umbrella, **an** hour, **an** honest man * "An" is also used for singular countable nouns that begin with a silent "h" or a consonant followed by a vowel sound. * Examples: **an** heir, **an** hour, **an** honor * "A" is used for a singular countable noun when “one” is implied. * Examples: - He has **a** book in his hand (one book) * - He has **a** bad cold (one bad cold) * "A" is often used before a proper noun when it is used as a common noun. * Example: He is **a** Shylock (a cruel money lender) * "A" is used to indicate a rate or frequency. * Examples: - He earns Rs. 3000/- **a** month. * - She walks **a** mile every day. * "A" is used in a variety of idiomatic phrases. * Examples: - all of **a** sudden, on **a** large scale, to be in **a** hurry, to be in **a** rage. * **Definite Article:** "The" is definite, as it refers to a specific noun. * Examples: The teacher, The teacher of our class, The book you want. ## 'The' का प्रयोग * **Rule (a):** 'The' is used when referring to a specific person, object, or concept that has already been introduced, or to objects that are unique. * **Rule (b):** 'The' is used before the names of: * Mountain ranges: the Himalayas * Rivers: the Ganga * Canals: the Suez Canal * Seas: the Red Sea * Oceans: the Indian Ocean * Gulfs: the Persian Gulf * Deserts: the Sahara Desert * Islands: the West Indies * Famous Landmark: the Taj Mahal * **Rule (c):** 'The' is used when a singular common noun refers to an entire class or species. * Examples: - The cow is a useful animal. * - The dog is a faithful animal. * **Rule (d):** 'The' is used before the names of religious books. * Examples: - The Ramayan, The Gita, The Koran, The Bible * **Rule (e):** 'The' is used before directional words when they are preceded by a preposition. * Examples: - He is coming from the south. * - My house faces east. * **Rule (f):** 'The' is used before superlative adjectives and ordinal numbers. * Examples: - He is the best player of the team. * - See it on the first page of the book. * **Rule (g):** 'The' is used before common nouns to show that they are representing a class or type. * Examples: - Kalidas is the Shakespeare of India. * - Kashmir is the Switzerland of India. * **Rule (h):** 'The' is used before the names of nations to indicate the people of that nation, and before the names of languages to indicate the language itself. * Examples: - The English were the first to colonize America. * - The French Revolution was quite a remarkable event. * **Rule (i):** 'The' is used before words like all, both, and sometimes after certain prepositions such as after and during. * Examples: - All the men came. * - Both the friends were there. * - The French Revolution, the Second World War, the Independence Day. * **Rule (j):** 'The' is used before surnames to refer to a family. * Example: - The Sharmas (the members of the Sharma family) ## The omission of the article * **Rule (a):** Articles are usually not used before proper nouns. * Examples: - He is going to Kolkata. * - The Taj Mahal is a beautiful building. * **Rule (b):** Articles are usually not used before material nouns, abstract nouns, or common nouns used in a general sense. * Examples: - Gold is a precious metal. * - Honesty is the best policy. * **Rule (c):** Articles are usually not used before words denoting institutions, buildings, or places when they are used for the purpose for which they are intended. * Examples: - He goes to school. * - She goes to temple at 10 o’clock. * **Rule (d):** Articles are not used after certain prepositions, such as "kind of" and "sort of." * Examples: - What kind of man is he? * - I do not like this sort of man. * **Rule (e):** Articles are usually not used before the names of diseases, meals, and the names of things that are unique. * Examples: - Fever, Malaria, Dysentery, Plague, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, God, The Devil, Heaven, Hell. * **Rule (f):** Articles are not used used before words that follow certain verbs like "appoint," "elect," "make," and "crown." * Examples: - They made him king. * - He was crowned emperor. * **Rule (g):** Articles are not used before words like "hockey", "football", and other names of sports. * Examples: - I play hockey. * - He does not play football. ## Repetition of the Article * **Rule (a):** If two or more adjectives are joined by “and” and they modify the same noun, “the article” is used only before the first adjective. * Examples: - The red and white flower * - I saw a black and white cow. * **Rule (b):** If two or more adjectives modify different nouns, “the article” is used before each adjective * Example: The red and the white flower. * **Rule (c):** If two or more nouns are joined by “and” and they refer to the same person or thing, "the article" is used only before the first noun. * Examples: - The Secretary and the Manager has come. * **Rule (d):** If two or more nouns are joined by “and” and they refer to different persons or things, "the article" is used before each noun. * Examples: - The Secretary and the Manager have come. * **Rule (e)** “A”or “an” is always used after the word “half” * Examples: - Half an hour, half a year. * **Rule (f)** “A”or “an” is always used after the word “such”. * Examples: - I have never seen such an accident in my life. * - She is interested in such a thing. * **Rule (g)** “A”or “an” is always used between “so” and the adjective that precedes a noun. * Examples: - Halku had no sleep in so cold a night. * - Brutus faced so furious an army. ## EXERCISE 1 Correct the following sentences: 1. The virtue **is** its own reward. 2. Honesty **of Ram** cannot be doubted. 3. **The** Taj is **a** unique building in the world. 4. Don’t try to make **a** fool of me. 5. He **is** an European. 6. **The** rich should help **the** poor. 7. Nitin **is a** university student. 8. Sun **rises** in **the** east and sets in **the** west. 9. This **is a** useful book. 10. **The** love **is** its own reward. 11. I do not pay **any** heed to his nonsensical talks. 12. It **is a** world where **the** rich hate **the** poor. 13. My friend **is in** a great trouble. 14. **The** game has come to **an** end. 15. **The** more you get, **the** more you want. 16. He will take **an** hour to finish this work. 17. His father **is a** M.P. 18. He **is a** one-eyed man. 19. **The** French defeated **the** Germans. 20. Mahatma Gandhi **was** the greatest man of his time. 21. It **is the** best book. 22. ** The** gold **is a** costly metal. 23. **The** Indus **is a** long river in ** the** Punjab. 24. Mumbai **is the** Manchester of India. 25. He **is an** honorable man. 26. The U.S.A. **is the** richest country in the world. 27. **The** Ganga **is a** mighty river. 28. **The** rich prosper and **the** poor suffer. 29. He **is a** member of **an** union. 30. Mr. Tiwari **is a** M.L.A. 31. He **is making** noise. 32. **Honesty** is the best policy. ## EXERCISE 2 (A) Correct each of the following sentences, if necessary: 1. **The** moon did not appear in **the** sky for several days in **the** rainy season. 2. Can you draw **a** map of India? 3. **The** peacock is **the** national bird of our country. 4. Only **the** best quality goods **are** sold at this shop. 5. **The** English is not **an** easy language. 6. Mount Everest is **the** highest peak in **the** Himalayas. 7. It was such **bad** weather at Mussoorie that we had to stay at home. 8. He took to **the** habit of smoking at **an** early age. 9. **Last** summer, frequent breakdowns of electricity made our lives miserable. 10. Dr. Radhakrishnan was **a** great philosopher and **a** scholar. 11. He always gives me **the** right advice. 12. My father became **a** Member of Parliament in 2006. ## EXERCISE 2 (B) Fill in each blank with a suitable Article **a**, **an**, or **the** if necessary. Put a cross (x) in the blank if no article is required. 1. Don’t make **a** noise, please. 2. **Virtue** is its own reward. 3. U.P. is **the** most densely populated state in India. 4. **London** stands on **the** Thames. 5. I want **a** cup of **coffee**. 6. He has not given **an** answer to my question. 7. **The** more they get, **the** more they want. 8. She was in **the** wrong. 9. **A** one-eyed deer was shot by **a** hunter. 10. Is he **a** M.A. or **a** B.A? 11. He will never tell **a** lie. 12. What kind of **dress** are you looking for? 13. He needs **an** hour and **a** half to complete his work. 14. He is in **a** hurry. 15. Mohan and Sohan went down **the** hill to fetch **water**. 16. There is **a** pencil and **writing-paper** on the table. 17. **The** inner and outer walls were both strongly defended. 18. **A** bird in hand is worth two in **the** bush. 19. What is **the** use and **the** object of this plan? 20. It was **a** historical event of great importance. 21. **Newton** was a great scientist. 22. **The** Ganga is the holy river of India. 23. Sri Lanka is **to the** south of India. 24. He set **an** example before others. ## EXERCISE 2 (MCQ) Pick up the right choice to fill up the blank spaces in the following sentences: 1. He came here on **the** third day. (a) a (b) the (c) x (d) his 2. His behaviour is **an** example of a good civilian. (a) a (b) the (c) x (d) an 3. He can finish this work in **an** hour and **a** half. (a) a, a (b) an, an (c) an, a (d) a, an 4. **A** university degree is no surety for **a** job. (a) a, a (b) a, the (c) an, a (d) the, a 5. I shall go there in **a** train. (a) a (b) an (c) the (d) x 6. He was appointed ..... principal. (a) a (b) x (c) the (d) my 7. Either side of ....... road is covered with trees. (a) the (b) a (c) an (d) x 8. All ....... boys took part in games. But only ....... few parents came to see the games. (a) a, a (b) the, the (c) the, a (d) a, a 9. I have never tasted such ........ sweet guava as this. (a) x (b) the (c) an (d) a 10. After taking ........ food I shall go to ....... school for study. (a) the, the (b) the, x (c) x, the (d) x, x ## (2) Rules of Noun ### (i) Number **Rule 1:** Some nouns have the same singular and plural forms, for example: sheep, deer, swine. Their number is indicated by the verb used with them. * Examples: - The sheep is grazing. (one sheep) * - Many sheep are grazing in the field. (many sheep) * - The deer was running in the forest. (one deer) * - The deer are sitting in the field. (many deer) **Rule 2:** If words such as "score," "hundred," "thousand," and "dozen" are preceded by a number, the plural "s" is not added. If the words are not preceded by a number, the plural "s" is added, and they are followed by the word "of". * Examples: - I bought three dozen mangoes. * - My father gave me five hundred rupees. * - Hundreds of rupees were spent. * - Thousands of persons gathered there. * - Dozens of seats are vacant. **Rule 3:** Some nouns appear to be singular but have a plural meaning. Therefore, they always take a plural verb. * Examples: people, cattle, poultry, vermin, gentry, police, military, public * Examples: - Cattles are grazing in the field. (Cattle are grazing in the field). * - The gentry of this town is not invited. (The gentry of this town are not invited). * - The police has arrested the thief. (The police have arrested the thief). * - The people of America is rich. (The people of America are rich). **Rule 4:** Some nouns do not have plural forms and are only used in the singular. * Examples: scenery, furniture, hair, bread, advice, information, luggage, mischief, poetry, machinery, alphabet, offspring, news. * Examples: - The sceneries of Kashmir are beautiful. (The scenery of Kashmir is beautiful) * - Shelley's poetries are very charming. (Shelly's poetry is very charming)