Articles: Part of Speech

 

                           Articles

In this lesson, we will explore three very small but important words in the English language: the articles a, an and the. These are words that you use in almost every sentence that you speak or write. Learn about the significance of articles, when to use them and some examples.

v  Definition of Articles

An article is a word used to modify a noun, which is a person, place, object, or idea. Technically, an article is an adjective, which is any word that modifies a noun. Usually adjectives modify nouns through description, but articles are used instead to point out or refer to nouns. There are two different types of articles that we use in writing and conversation to point out or refer to a noun or group of nouns: definite and indefinite articles.

v  Definite Article

Let's begin by looking at the definite article. This article is the word 'the,' and it refers directly to a specific noun or groups of nouns. For example:

1.       the freckles on my face

2.       the alligator in the pond

3.       the breakfast burrito on my plate

Each noun or group of nouns being referred to - in these cases freckles, alligator, and breakfast burrito - is direct and specific.

v  Indefinite Articles

Indefinite articles are the words 'a' and 'an.' Each of these articles is used to refer to a noun, but the noun being referred to is not a specific person, place, object, or idea. It can be any noun from a group of nouns. For example:

1.       a Mercedes from the car lot

2.       an event in history

In each case, the noun is not specific. The Mercedes could be any Mercedes car available for purchase, and the event could be any event in the history of the world.

The correct use of articles is one of the most difficult points in English Grammar. Fortunately, most mistakes in the use of articles don’t matter too much. Even if you write your sentences with no articles at all, it is usually possible to understand their meaning.

A singular common noun is almost always used with an article. For example, we say the dog, but not usually dog. When we are talking about people or things in general we do not usually use the with uncountable or plural nouns.

1.       Spiders have eight legs. (NOT The spiders have eight legs.)

2.       Life is complicated. (NOT The life is complicated.)

3.       We do not use articles with proper nouns.

4.       Paris is the capital of France. (NOT The Paris is the capital of the France.)

Let’s start it in detail:

Definition of article

The article are the words which generalize or specialize a noun.

The article properly speaking is not a distinct part of speech. It is merely an adjective. However, the demonstrative adjective “A, An, the” are usually called article.

Example

1.       A cat is running in the street.

2.       The cat which you saw, belongs to Saleem.

3.       Ali wants to eat a piece of an apple.

Kinds of articles

There are two kinds of articles

1.       Indefinite article

2.       Definite articles

 

v  Indefinite articles

A and An are called indefinite articles. They do not point to any particular person.

A doctor; that is, any doctor.

v  Definite Articles

They refer to a particular person or thing and hence are called definite articles. The is used for definite articles.

He saw the doctor; meaning some particular doctor.

 

v  The use of Indefinite Articles (a, an)

Usage of “An”

A vowel is one of the two principal classes of speech sound, the other being a consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (length). They are usually voiced, and are closely involved in prosodic variation such as tone, intonation and stress. 

Vowel definition: A vowel is a sound produced with a comparatively open configuration of the vocal tract. In everyday language, a vowel is a letter (sound) of the English alphabet that is not a consonant.

What are the vowels?

 There are five English vowels, “A, E, I, O, U.”

The choice between an and a is determined by sound. Before a word beginning with a vowel sound an is used; as an enemy, an inkpad, an orange, an umbrella, an hour, an honest man, an heir.

--- hour, honest, heir begin with a vowel sound, as the initial heir begin with a vowel sound, as the initial consonant H is not pronounced.

v  Examples:

1.       Never go to bed on an argument. 

2.       A good head and an industrious hand are worth gold in any land. 

3.       An enemy’s mouth seldom speaks well. 

4.       He who purposes to be an author, should first be a student. 

5.       An honest look covers the many faults. 

6.       An ounce of luck is better than a pound of wisdom. 

7.       An ass endures his burden, but not more than his burden. 

8.       Learning is an ornament in prosperity, a refuge in adversity, and a provision in old age

 

v  Usage of A

A is used before a consonant sound. Consonant is one of the speech sounds or letters of the alphabet that is not a vowel. Consonants are pronounced by stopping the air from easily through the mouth, especially by closing the lips or touching theteeth with the tongue. Before the beginning a word that has a consonant sound a is used ‘as, A boy, A woman, a hole, A horse.

v  What Letters Are Consonants?

English consonant letters: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y (sometimes), Z

v  Consonant Examples in Words:

Car :          “c” and “r” are consonants in this word

Storm:      “s” “t” “r” “m” are consonants in this word

Day:         “d” is a consonant in this word

v  Examples:

1.       A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse. 

2.       A fool always comes short of his reckoning. 

3.       From a little spark may burst a mighty flame. 

4.       When a man is wrapped up in himself he makes a pretty little package22

5.       A body without knowledge is like a house without a foundation. 

6.       A house is not a home.

 

v  When u is pronounced “You” sound:

1.       A university

2.       A European

3.       A union

 

v  When O is pronounced as “Wu” sound:

1.       A once common practice

2.       A one eyed man

3.       A one-rupee note

 

v  Note: The choice between an and a depends on pronunciation not on spellings.

Test

Check out these words and write a or an before them

Hour, honorable, university, one, orphan, user, elephant, car, ball, form, alarm, baby, woman, laptop, emerging, flower.

v The use of “The”

1.       Unique things:

The is used before objects, or group of objects which are unique or considered unique.  For example, The earth, the moon, the sun, the sky, the north pole, the weather.

Example:

1.       Where the sun entered, the doctor does not. 

2.       Never let the sun go down on your anger

3.       All the treasures of the earth would not bring back one lost moment.

4.       There's going to be a change in the weather.

 

2.       Noun mentioned second time

We use definite article before a noun which becomes definite as a result of being mentioned second time.

Examples:

1.       I saw a policeman; the policeman was very disturbed.

2.       It is a beautiful house. The house has two portions.

3.       This is a puzzle. The pieces are inside the puzzle.

 

3.       Before singular nouns used to represent a class of objects.

We use definite article before the singular noun used to represent a whole class of something. In these examples the nouns lamp, bookcase, chair, and desk etc are all singular. 

1.       The dog is a faithful animal.

2.       The lion is a noble beast.

3.       The lamp swung in the breeze.

But the humankind is exceptional in this list.

1.       Man is mortal.

2.       Man is social animal.

 

4.       Before adjectives:

Before an adjective used to represent a class of persons. The poor, the dead, the old, the handsome, the rich, brave etc.

Examples:

1.       The old goose plays not with foxes.

2.       Never speak ill of the dead. 

3.       Carrion crows bewail the dead sheep and then eat them

4.       The handsome young man excited affection in a girl.

5.       He's the most handsome man I've ever met.

6.       We need charity from the rich and the poor as well.

 

5.       Superlative degree:

Superlatives are used when a speaker or writer is attempting to compare a group of three or more things. The superlative is used to note which of the things is of the highest quality or degree. “The” is used before the superlative degree

He is the fastest boy of the class.

Ali is the best student of his college

Examples of Superlative:

1.       Marcus is the tallest boy in the class.

2.       This book is the longest one that I have ever read!

3.       Joseph seems to be the most excited child at the party.

4.       This is the best cake I have ever had!

5.       The person with the shortest stick has to go first.

6.       Do you think Lauren will be the fastest runner in the race?

7.       Science is the most boring class that I take at school.

8.       This is the worst day of my life!

 

6.       Before comparative degree:

When an adjective is used to compare two objects, you use the comparative form of the adjective. The comparative form is usually formed by adding an "er" to the adjective. Sometimes the is used before the comparative degree of adjective. Examples are Tall = taller, Fast = faster, Big = bigger, Delicious = more delicious, Excellent = more excellent, Good = better

Examples:

1.       The more, the merrier

2.       The higher you do, the cooler it is

 

7.       Before the name of seas, rivers

Before the name of the rivers, we use the definite article “The”. For example, the Nile, the Jhelum, the Indus, the Arabian sea.

1.       The Arabian sea was calm.

2.       We swam in the sea. 

3.       Fish live in the sea.

4.       She faced the Indian ocean, the moon dangling low and large in the sky before her.

5.       The sight, sound and scent of the Pacific Ocean helped her relax.

6.       We were standing on the shore of Indus river.

7.       The Jhelum rivers starts from the Kashmir valley.

 

8.       ISLANDS, MOUNTAIN, and regions

Before the name of chain of mountain’s, names of group of islands, we can use the definite article.

“The Himalayas, the Khyber Pass, the Sahara, the Gobi Desert, the Punjab” are some examples

Examples:

1.       The city lies on the west side of the low island of Manzanillo.

2.       Grateful to him, she was likewise anxious to leave the island.

3.       I grew up in the mountains. 

4.       Fahad climbed the mountain.

5.       He's the company sales manager for the entire Southwest region. 

 

9.       Religious and classical books:

All the religious books and classical books use definite article. For example, The Quran, the Bible, the Gita. And in classics, we have, The Merchant of Venice, The Poetics by Aristotle etc.

Examples:

1.       I recite the Holy Quran every day.

2.       In Christianity, The Bible is the most sacred divine book.

3.       The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is my favorite book.

4.       I wish, if I were a character of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

 

10.   Musical instrument:

Musical instruments also use definite article like The flute, the piano, the violin, the trumpet, the cellos etc.

1.       She plays the flute in the school orchestra.

2.       He produces a good clean sound on his flute.

3.       He keyed the piano up to a concert pitch.

4.       The money I get from teaching the piano is a useful supplement to my ordinary income.

5.       The trumpet and trombone are brass instruments.

 

11.   Newspaper

A newspaper has a wide range of definitions, but to avoid ambiguity we say that a newspaper is a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements. For example, The Dawn, The express tribune.

Examples:

1.       To pass the CSS, you must have The DAWN.

2.       I use to read The Express Tribune to increase my English vocabulary.

3.       The newspaper editorial defamed the politician.

4.       An article in the newspaper caught my attention.

5.       The newspaper reporters interviewed the minister.

 

12.   Names of nations

When we talk about the whole group of people or nation or people have same faith, there we use definite article like The Muslims, The Hindus, the Jews.

1.       The Quran is the sacred book of the Muslims.

2.       The Muslims of the university are planning to go on / make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

3.       Mohammed is the prophet of the Muslims.

4.       The Jews cast him out of the temple.

5.       The early Christian church was prejudiced against the Jews.

 

13.   Trains, planes, ships

When we about the various trains, names of planes and ships, they also take definite articles. For example, The Khyber mail, the Tezzgam, the Titanic etc.

Examples:

1.       Ten people were killed in the train crash.

2.       The “Khyber mail” train lurched forward and some of the people standing fell over.

3.       The Tezzgam eventually trundled in at 7.54.

4.       The train operates the 2,400-mile round trip once a week.

5.       Keep trying! Don't give up the Titanic (the ship).

6.       The ship was identified, and its name and position were reported to the coastguard.

 

14.   Before historical event

We use definite article before the historical events because they refer to a specific event that took place in a particular time in history. For example, The WWI, The French revolutions, the war of independence 1857.

Examples:

1.       The second world war kindled his enthusiasm for politics.

2.       After the First World War Germany conceded a lot of land to her neighbors.

3.       After the Second World War the franchise was extended to all adults over eighteen.

4.       During the French Revolution, thousands of people were guillotined.

5.       The French Revolution changed France from a monarchy to a republic.

 

15.   Before the directions:

Everybody know that we have four directions namely The south, the east, the west, the north.

So directions also take definite articles with them.

Examples:

1.       The south side of town is pretty run down.

2.       The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.

3.       The wind shifted to the north.

4.       The cliffs fall away to the north.

5.       The building points to the east.

 

Further Exercise:

Insert articles wherever appropriate.

Hints

A singular countable noun always takes an article or another determiner with it. Plural nouns can be used with or without an article.

Use a/an when you are talking about a person or thing for the first time. Use the in subsequent references to that person or thing.

1. Sun rises in east.

2. Brave soldier lost arm in battle.

3. She acquired her knowledge of medicine from aged native doctor.

4. Doctor says it is hopeless case.

5. Have you never seen elephant?

6. Teacher asked boy to draw map of Australia.

7. I have not seen him since he was child.

8. John Bright once said that safest place in England was first class carriage.

9. February is second month of year.

10. May we have pleasure of your company?

11. There was iron bridge across river.

12. Umbrella is of no use against thunderstorm.

Answers:

1. The sun rises in the east.

2. The brave soldier lost an arm in the battle.

3. She acquired her knowledge of medicine from an aged native doctor.

4. The doctor says it is a hopeless case.

5. Have you never seen an elephant?

6. The teacher asked the boy to draw a map of Australia.

7. I have not seen him since he was a child.

8. John Bright once said that the safest place in England was the first class carriage.

9. February is the second month of the year.

10. May we have the pleasure of your company?

11. There was an iron bridge across the river.

12. An umbrella is of no use against a thunderstorm.