{"id":408,"date":"2021-12-22T19:01:07","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T19:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdr.foobrdigital.com\/?p=408"},"modified":"2021-12-22T19:01:07","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T19:01:07","slug":"rules-of-using-articles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/22\/rules-of-using-articles\/","title":{"rendered":"Rules of Using Articles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"useindefarticle\">Using Indefinite Article:&nbsp;<em>a &amp; an<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 1:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.learngrammar.net\/english-grammar\/noun#common\">common noun<\/a>&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<strong>singular<\/strong>&nbsp;number always requires an article before it. But a plural common noun does not require an article always. A plural common noun can have the article \u2018the\u2019 if we want to particularise that noun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>I saw&nbsp;a&nbsp;snake. (Refers to a random snake)<\/li><li>I saw snakes in a zoo. (No article is required)<\/li><li>I have seen the snake again. (Refers to the snake I have already seen earlier)<\/li><li>I have seen the snakes again before leaving the zoo. (Refers to the particular snakes of the zoo which I saw earlier.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 2:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The choice between the two indefinite articles \u2013&nbsp;<em>a &amp; an<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 is determined by sound. Words beginning with consonant sounds precede \u2018<em>a\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;and words beginning with vowel sounds precede \u2018<em>an\u2019<\/em>. There are some special cases also. For instance,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>a university, a union, a useful book, etc.<\/li><li>a one-dollar note, a one-man army, etc.<\/li><li>an MA, a BA, an LLB, a BSC, etc.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 3:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A or an &#8211;&nbsp;<\/em>sometimes makes a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.learngrammar.net\/english-grammar\/noun#proper\">Proper Noun<\/a>&nbsp;a Common Noun. Proper nouns generally do not take any articles, but when a proper noun needs to be used as a common noun, you must bring&nbsp;<em>a or an &#8211;&nbsp;<\/em>for it. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>He thinks he is a Shakespeare. (Here, \u2018Shakespeare\u2019 does not refer to the actual person but someone like him.)<\/li><li>He seems to be an Australian. (\u2018Australia\u2019 is a proper noun but \u2018Australian\u2019 is a common noun because there is only one Australia but a million of Australians.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 4:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes indefinite articles are used to refer the number \u2018one\u2019\/\u2019each\u2019\/\u2019per\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>I earned a thousand dollar in that job. (One thousand dollar)<\/li><li>I have a car. (One car)<\/li><li>It goes 50 miles an hour. (Per Hour)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 5:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indefinite articles often precede descriptive&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.learngrammar.net\/english-grammar\/adjective\">adjectives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>He is a good boy.<\/li><li>What a nice car!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 6:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u2018A\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;sometimes comes before&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.learngrammar.net\/english-grammar\/determiners\">determiners<\/a>, for example, &nbsp;a&nbsp;<em>few, a little, a lot of, a most, etc.&nbsp;<\/em>but in the case of&nbsp;<em>many, a or an &#8211;&nbsp;<\/em>comes after<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>I have a few friends coming over.<\/li><li>There is a little milk in the jar.<\/li><li>Many a fan welcomed<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"usedefarticle\">Using Definite Article:&nbsp;<em>the<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 1:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u2018The\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The man is running. (A particular man)<\/li><li>I saw the boy stealing.<\/li><li>Where is the pen I gave you last year?<\/li><li>I gave him a ball, but he lost the ball. (\u2018a ball\u2019 became \u2018the ball\u2019 in the second clause because that ball was not a random ball anymore.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 2:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes \u2018<em>the\u2019&nbsp;<\/em>is used to generalize a group\/whole class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The dog is a faithful animal. (Refers to the whole species of dog.)<\/li><li>The English are industrious. (Refers to the people of England as a nation)<\/li><li>The honest are respected. (The+adjectives = plural noun)<\/li><li>The poor are not always dishonest. (The+adjectives = plural noun)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 3:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To particularise a non-count noun \u2018the\u2019 is required before it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The water of the Arctic ocean is freezing.<\/li><li>Please return the money I lent you last year.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 4:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018The\u2019 is mandatory before a thing which is only one of a kind in the universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The moon is shining tonight.<\/li><li>The earth is moving around the sun.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Use of&nbsp;\u2018<em>the\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;before geographical places :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rule 5:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using&nbsp;\u2018<em>the\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;with geographical nouns generally depends on the size and plurality of the things those nouns refer to.&nbsp;<em>\u2018The\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;is generally used everywhere except some cases. So, it\u2019s better to know those exceptions first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u2018The\u2019<\/em><\/strong><strong>&nbsp;must not precede:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Names of continents:&nbsp;<em>Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, North America, Antarctica.<\/em><\/li><li>Names of countries:&nbsp;<em>Australia, Bolivia, England, France, Spain<\/em>, etc.<\/li><li>Names of states, cities, or towns:&nbsp;<em>Los Angeles, Alaska, Sydney, London,<\/em><\/li><li>Names of streets:&nbsp;<em>George street, Albion Street, New town street,<\/em><\/li><li>Names of&nbsp;<strong>singular<\/strong>&nbsp;lakes and bays:&nbsp;<em>Lake Carey, Lake Eyre, Lake Hillier, Shark Bay,<\/em><\/li><li>Names of&nbsp;<strong>single<\/strong>&nbsp;mountains:&nbsp;<em>Mount Everest, Mount Solitary, Mount Bindo, Mount Fuji<\/em>, etc.<\/li><li>Names of&nbsp;<strong>single<\/strong>&nbsp;islands:&nbsp;<em>Easter Island, Bare Island, Bird Island, Fatima Island,<\/em><\/li><li>Names of languages:<em>&nbsp;Spanish, Russian, English,&nbsp;<\/em>&nbsp;(When&nbsp;<em>\u2018the\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;precedes these nouns, they refer to the population of those languages.)<\/li><li>Names of sports:&nbsp;<em>cricket, football, basketball,<\/em><\/li><li>Names of discipline\/subject of studies:<em>&nbsp;biology, history, computer science,<\/em><em>mathematics,&nbsp;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u2018The\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;is a widely used article in English. Except for the list mentioned above and proper nouns,&nbsp;<em>\u2018the\u2019<\/em>&nbsp;is used before almost all the nouns which mean something definite\/particular. The above list has some opposite factors also. Those factors are explained in the following list:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u2018<strong>The\u2019<\/strong><\/em><strong>&nbsp;must precede:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Names of oceans, gulfs, seas, and rivers:&nbsp;<em>the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Coral Sea, the Timor Sea, the Persian Gulf,<\/em><em>the&nbsp;Nile, the Murray River, the Darling River, etc.<\/em><\/li><li>Names of countries with united states or islands:&nbsp;<em>the United States of America (the USA), the UK, the UAE, the Philippines, etc.<\/em><\/li><li>Names of great lakes:&nbsp;<em>the Great Lakes, the African Great Lakes<\/em><\/li><li>Names of mountain&nbsp;<strong>ranges<\/strong>:&nbsp;<em>the Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes, etc.<\/em><\/li><li>Names of a group of Islands:&nbsp;<em>the West Indies, the Andamans, etc.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using Indefinite Article:&nbsp;a &amp; an Rule 1: A&nbsp;common noun&nbsp;in the&nbsp;singular&nbsp;number always requires an article before it. But a plural common noun does not require an article always. A plural common noun can have the article \u2018the\u2019 if we want to particularise that noun. Example: I saw&nbsp;a&nbsp;snake. (Refers to a random snake) I saw snakes in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[589],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mudassirbackup.infinitycodestudio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}