Article

What is article?
The adjectives a or an and the are usually called article. They are really demonstratives adjectives. There are two articles, a (or an) and the.

Ø     A or an is called the indefinite article because it usually leaves indefinite the person or thing spoken of; as, a doctor (that is, any doctor).

Ø     The is called the definite article, because it normally points out some particular person or thing; as, he saw the doctor (meaning some particular doctor)

þ Where articles usually used:

Read the following sentences-

Inc: I have cat. Cor: I have a cat.

Inc: The iron is very useful. Cor: Iron is very useful.

Inc: A Sajib is my brother. Cor: Sajib is my brother.

Inc: The honesty is the best policy. Cor: Honesty is the best policy.

Here,

Cat-common noun, Iron-material noun, Sajib-proper noun, Honesty-abstract noun

So, it is clear that, articles precede only common noun.

þ Uses of indefinite articles þ

A or an can precede only singular count nouns; they mean one. They can be used in general statement or to introduce a subject which has not been previously mentioned. As-

A baseball is round (general-means all baseballs)

I saw a boy in the street (we don’t know which boy)

The choice between ‘a’ or ‘an’ is determined by sound.

Ø     ‘An’ is used before words that begin with a vowel sound. As- an apple.

Ø     ‘A’ is used before words that begin with a consonant sound. As- a book.

Some words can be confusing because the spelling does not indicate the pronunciation.

A house (begins with a consonant sound)

An hour (begins with a vowel sound)

A university (begins with a consonant sound)

An umbrella (begins with a vowel sound)

Ø     The following words begin with a consonant sound and thus must always be preceded by ‘a’-

European	Eulogy	Euphemism	Eucalyptus
House	Home	Heavy	Half
Uniform	University	Universal	Union

Ø     The following words begin with a vowel sound and thus must always be preceded by ‘an’-

Hour	Heir	Herbal	Honor
Uncle	Umbrella	Unnatural	Understanding

Ø     A one-eyed man (because one begins with the consonant sound of w)

As: a one-taka, a one-legged boy

Ø     She is an M.A (because vowel sound A comes first)

As: Mr. Asad is an M.P, my uncle is an M.B.B.S, she opened an S.B account, she is a Bsc (consonant sound B comes first)

Ø     A/An is used before singular countable noun which is generally counted as one. As- Inc: He lives in flat. Cor: He lives in a flat.

Inc: She is actress. Cor: She is an actress.

NOTE: Don’t use a/an with some singular countable noun which is only one. As- Sun, Moon (saying a sun or a moon is incorrect).

Ø     Sometimes a/an means all

As- Inc: The man must be educated. Cor: A man (all men) must be educated.

Inc: Child needs milk. Cor: A child needs milk. (All children need milk).

NOTE: Two nouns man and women can be used in a general sense without either article. As- Man is only animal that uses fire, woman is man’s mate.

But in present day English a man or a woman are more usual.

Ø     A is used before half (half of whole number)

Inc: We need one and half kilo. Cor: We need one and a half kilo.

Inc: We want half holiday. Cor: We want a half holiday.

Ø     A is used to indicate quantity. As- a lot of, a great many, a great deal of.

Ø     A/an is used to indicate price/ratio/speed. As- Rice sells thirty five taka a seer (a=per). The car runs eighty kilometers an hour. Give the patient this medicine three times a day.

Ø     A is used before singular countable noun in exclamatory sentence. As- What a fool you are! Such a fine picture! How beautiful a bird!

NOTE: Don’t use this formation with plural noun. As- Such fine pictures! What fools!

Ø     A + Mr/Mrs/Miss + surname (in the vague sense):

A Mr. Zaman came here. There I met a Miss Shyla. A Kishore kumar is suspected by police.

Ø     In its original numerical sense of one: Twelve inches make a foot. Not a word was said.

þ Uses of definite article þ

The definite article the is used-

Ø     When we talk about a particular person or thing or one already referred to (that is, when it is clear from the context which one we mean) As- The book you want is out of print (which book? The one you want). Let’s go to the park (the park is in the town). The girl cried (the girl= who is already talked about).

Ø     When a singular noun is meant to represent a whole class. As- The cow is a useful animal (cows are useful animal). The cat likes comfort. The rose is the sweetest of all flowers. The banana is a kind of fig tree.

Ø     Before some proper names-

i.                   Ocean and seas: The Pacific, the black sea.

ii.                 Rivers: The Padma, the karnafuli.

iii.              Canals: The Suez Canal.

iv.               Deserts: The Sahara.

v.                 Groups of islands: The West Indies.

vi.               Mountain-ranges: The Himalayas, the Alps.

vii.            A very few names of countries (except Great Britain): The United States, the United Kingdom, the central African Republic

Ø     Before the name of certain books: The Quran, the Ramayana, the Tripitak.

Ø     Before the name of things unique of their kind: The sun, the moon, the earth, the Uranus, the Jupiter etc. 

Ø     Sometimes ‘the’ is placed before a common noun to give it the meaning of an abstract noun. As- At last the warrior (the warlike or martial spirit) in him was thoroughly aroused.

Ø     Before a proper noun when it is qualified by an adjective or defining adjective clause. As- The Sonar Tori of Rabindranath Tagore (Thakur). The great Caesar. The immortal Shakespeare. The Mr Robi whom you met last night is my uncle.

Ø     With superlatives: The darkest cloud has a silver lining. This is the best book of applied accounting which is written by Professor Rajib Kumar Chowdhury.

Ø     With ordinal numbers: The First World War, the third chapter.

Ø     With name of wars: The liberation war, the Korean War.

Ø     With ethnic groups: The Indians, the Africans, the English are brave.

Ø     The + School/College/University+ of + (proper noun): The school of business. The University of Chittagong. The College of Chartered Accountants.

Ø     With musical instruments: He can play the flute. Can you play the drums?

Ø     Before an adjective when the noun is understood: The public are always with us. The rich are not always happy.

Ø     The noun + of + noun: The Bay of Bengal. The Gulf of Mexico. The United States of America. The Cape of Good Hope.

Ø     The + Adjective + noun: The Arabian ocean. The Caribbean Sea.

Ø     As an adverb with comparatives: The more man gets, the more he wants. The sooner, the better.

Ø     Material/abstract noun + of + noun: The water of this pond is turbid. The honesty of Professor Rajib Kumar Chowdhury is known to all.

þ Omission of indefinite article þ

Ø     Don’t use a/an before plural noun: As- a dogs, an apples (wrong)

Ø     Don’t use a/an before uncountable noun: As- a love, a water, a salt, a courage (wrong) NOTE: It is possible, however to count some non count nouns if the substance is placed in a countable container. As- a glass of water, a spoonful of salt, a pot of milk.

Ø     Don’t use a/an before meal: We eat dinner together (not a dinner), we have breakfast at eight. (not a breakfast). NOTE: But a/an can be used before adjective. As- She gave them a good breakfast. We were invited to a dinner at her marriage ceremony.

þ Omission of definite article þ

Ø     Don’t use ‘the’ with parts of body or clothing: Don’t move your hand (not the hand). She has washed your shirt. (not the shirt).

Ø     Don’t use ‘the’ before home, mosque, church, school, hospital, prison, sea, town, work. As- Inc: He is at the home. Cor: He is at home.

Inc: I am going to the home. Cor: I am going home. NOTE: The can be use with modifier + home: I am going to the teacher’s home.

Inc: I am going to school. Cor: I am going school. NOTE: The visitor said, “I am going to the school.” (he is going for visit).

Inc: He is in the hospital. Cor: He is in hospital. Inc: I am going to the market for shopping. Cor: I am going to market for shopping. Inc: we went to the mosque to say our prayers. Cor: we went to mosque to say our prayers.

Inc: The ancient mariners went to the sea on a long voyage. Cor: The ancient mariners went to sea on a long voyage. NOTE: we are going to the sea. (Seashore) Inc: He has not come back from the work (Workplace). Cor: He has not come back from work. NOTE: She is in the office (Workplace). He is above seventy but still he holds office (responsibility).

Ø     Don’t use ‘the’ before the name of roads and parks: Inc: We went to the Ramna Park. Cor: We went to Ramna Park. Inc: Go along the Sharaipara Street. Cor: Go along Sharaipara Street.

Ø     Don’t use ‘the’ before common noun of vocative case:  Inc: The boys, don’t run in the sun. Cor: Boys, don’t run in the sun.

Ø     Don’t use ‘the’ as the complement of these verbs: select, elect, appoint, make, nominate, crown. As- Inc: we elected him the chairman. Cor: we elected him chairman. Inc: They selected me the captain. Cor: They selected me captain. NOTE: It is correct to say, me made him the chairman of the committee.

Ø     Don’t use ‘the’ with apposition of proper noun: Inc: Mr. Rajib, the chairman of this company, is a multitalented man. Cor: Mr. Rajib, chairman of this company, is a multitalented man.

þ Repetition of article þ

Ø     If I say, I have a black and white dog. I mean I have a dog that is partly black and partly white.

Ø     But if I say, I have a black and a white dog. I mean two dogs, one is black and the other is white.

This is notable for the agreement of subject and verb.