Unit- 4 : Articles
Structure
4.0
Objectives
4.1
Introduction
4.2
Definition
4.3
Kinds of Articles
4.4
Articles and Number System
4.5
Articles and Gender System
4.6
Indefinite Articles
4.6.1 Position of the
indefinite article
4.62 Usage on the basis of sound
4.7. Definite Article: Usage
4.8
Omission of Articles
4.8.1
Proper nouns
4.8.2 Uncountable nouns
4.8.2 Plural indefinite nouns
4.9
Conclusion
4.10
Unit end Questions
14.11 References
4.0
Objective
In this unit we shall discuss a very important grammatical concept of
Articles in English.
4.1
Introduction
Hindi has no equivalents of Articles so their usage
poses a great problem to the
Indian
speakers.
4.2 Definition
An article (a/an/the) is a determiner. As a determiner it signals the
coming of a noun after it.
Look
at these sentences:
1.
This is a book (not, This is book.)
2.
This is milk (not, This is a milk.)
3.
That is an egg (not, That is a egg.)
Articles are used with nouns but not all nouns are used with articles,
so it is necessary to know a)
which noun requires an article and which doesn't and b) which article to use when one is equired.
4.3 Kinds of Articles
There are two kinds of articles:
i) Indefinite a/an
ii) Definite the
Note: quantitative articles-some/any
Indefinite uncountable nouns
and plural indefinite countable nouns usually
do not take an article:
1.
She bought milk. (not a/the milk)
2.
He bought her toys.
But nouns like these usually take a determiner some/any to indicate a
certain quantity or number:
1.
She bought some milk.
She didn't buy any milk.
2.
He bought some toys. He didn't
buy any toys.
Since some and any (determiners) are used as substitutes for
articles they may
be called quantitative articles.
4.4 Articles and Number System
The use of articles is linked to the number
system of nouns.
Nan is never
used with a plural noun:
1.
This is a pen. (not, a pens)
2.
That is an apple.
(not, an apples)
But the is not governed
by the number
system, 50 it can be used with
singular nouns and plural
nouns as well:
Look
at the bird/s in the tree.
4.5 Articles and Gender System
In a few languages the forms of articles and
adjectives are determined by the gender of the noun
but in English
this is not 50. The same form is used
for all genders:
He is an actor. She is an actress.
Please lend me an umbrella.
4.6 Indefinite Articles
4.6.1
Position of the indefinite article
i)
a/an is an article
and therefore belongs
to the class of determiners. Being a determiner, its position is before the adjective.
a good book
an intelligent girl
ii)
a/an is placed after
predeterminers like many/much/rather/quitelwhat
1.
What a man he is! (not, a what man)
2.
Many a man was injured. (not,
a many man)
3.
He gave such a talk that everybody fell asleep. (not,
a such talk)
4.
She is quite a beauty. (not,
a quite beauty)
iii)
a/an is placed after
adjectives when they are premodified by as/so/too/how/ quite:
1.
How fine a place
it is !
2.
It is too absurd an answer.
4.6.2 Usage on the basis of sound
The choice between a or an is determined by the
initial sound of the word following it; if the word begins with a consonant sound, use a; if the word begins with a vowel sound, use an.
Note:
that consonant and vowel refer
to sound not
to be the letter of the alphabet. A e I o u are letters
of the alphabet, not sounds.
i)
a + consonant sound
a is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound: a book, a cat, a dog, a fan
a university, a
European
Note: a) Words beginning with u/eu have an initial
y sound, so they take
a: a unit, a utensil, a union, a utopia
a eunuch, a ewe,
a eulogy, a euphemism
a)
o pronounced like w is a consonant sound, so such
words take a: a one-eyed
man, a one-dayer
a one-rupee note, a one-act play
ii)
an + vowel sound
an is used
before a word
beginning with a vowel sound: an apple, an egg, an inkpot
an hour, an honour, an heir
Note: a) an + a mute h (Silent h) /
Words beginning with
a mute h take an, not a: heir, honest, honour,
hour
honorary, honorarium
1.
He is an honest man.
2.
We had an hour's rest.
3.
It is an honour
to me.
4.
This is an honorary post.
b)
hotel, historical, habitual, humble
1.
That is a hotel.
2.
This is a historical novel.
3.
He is a habitual drunkard.
4.
This is a humble
beginning.
an is not acceptable here
because in current
English the h in these words is pronounced.
c)
an + acronyms/abbreviations
an is used
before acronyms/abbreviations beginning with f, h, I, m, n, r, s, x because
each of these consonants has an initial
vowel sound e/a:
f (ef) h
(eich) l (el) m (em)
n (en) r
(aar) s (es) x (eks)
1.
He is an FBI agent.
2.
This is an HMT watch.
3.
He is an LLB.
4.
He is an MP.
5.
He is an NCC officer.
6.
He has sent an 50S.
7.
This is an X-ray telescope.
d)
an + number
an is used before a number beginning with a vowel sound: This is an 18- player team.
He is an 80- year old man. but:
This is a 5-year old child.
e)
MS is an abbreviation for manuscript. The abbreviated form is usually pronounced manuscript, not 'em- es',
so it takes a. But MS pronounced like 'em- es' has to take an:
This is an M5 (em- es) of my new book.
This is a M5 (manuscript) of my new book. (not an)
f)
Xmas is an abbreviation for Christmas but
it is usually pronounced as 'Christmas', not
'Ex-mas', so it takes a. If pronounced 'ex-mas',
the article should be an:
a Xmas (Christmas) card. (not, an) This is an Xmas (Ex-mas) card.
g)
a/an + adverb/adjective + noun
The choice of alan does not always
depend on the initial sound
of the head noun. It depends
on the initial sound of what follows
it immediately. It can
be
an adjective or adverb placed
before the noun:
an honest man,
an extremely difficult problem a great
artist, a very amusing story
4.7. Definite
Article: Usage
i)
a/an is used before
an indefinite noun, so a singular countable noun mentioned for the first time takes a/an:
This is a pen. That is a pencil.
This is an apple. That is an orange.
The is used before a definite noun. When a noun is mentioned again,
i.e. when it refers
back to a noun mentioned already it takes
the. This is called
an anaphoric function of the:
This is an old palace. People believe that the
palace was built 500 years ago.
ii)
The, like alan is used before
a singular countable
noun mentioned for the
first time when it represents a class, i.e.
when the means
'all/every'. This is called a generic or classifying function of the:
The camel is the ship
of the desert. The lion is a wild animal.
Note: Man/mankind
meaning 'all men/women' does not take alan/the: Man is mortal. (not althe man)
Mankind is
searching for meaning.
iii)
the is used before
adjectives or participles to represent a class of people:
the rich, the poor, the dead
the dying, the injured/wounded The rich are not necessarily happy. The blind deserve our sympathy.
iv)
the is used before
an adjective to denote a quality:
the white/yellow of an egg
the evil, the good, the beautiful
v)
The is used before
a noun considered unique or extraordinary, i.e., a noun treated as equivalent to a
superlative adjective. In this construction the means 'the best, the
only, or precisely', so it has a heightening effect on the noun it modifies:
She is the bride for him.
This
is the place
for our picnic. He is the authority on the subject.
vi)
The is used before
a noun whose identity is common knowledge or can be easily inferred. In this construction
the denotes a person's title, rank, or profession etc.:
the president the Prime Minister
the principal the king/queen
the prophet the bench/bar
the postman the press/media
vii)
The is used before a
singular common noun (place/person) that can be easily inferred
from the situation:
the police station the post office
the station the radio
1.
Would you close the gate, please?
2.
She is listening to the radio.
3. He will be on the air tonight.
4.Turn on/off the tap, please.
Note:
a) radio always
takes the: She is listening to the radio. What's on the radio now?
b) The use of the before
television is optional: What's on the television now?
What's on television now?
But the is not used
in the expression 'watch TV': They are watching TV. (not, the TV)
viii)
The is used before
common nouns denoting
musical instruments: She is playing the violin/piano/sitar.
He is playing the drum/tabla.
He is accompanied on the violin by an Englishman.
(not, She is playing harmonium.)
ix)
The is used before
a noun denoting a unit of measure
to mean 'every': We buy petrol by the gallon/litre.
They
sell bananas by the dozen.
They are paid wages by the hour/week.
x)
the is used before both
countable and uncountable nouns (singular or
plural) that are made definite
by:
a)
preposition/prepositional phrase the boy with long
hair
the woman in black the milk in the bottle
the boys/girls/teachers of this
school
b)
a relative clause
the booklpen/milklsugar/she bought yesterday the water/tea/coffee he drinks every day
the birds/animals that live in a
forest
xi)
The is used before
a noun placed
by the side
of a noun clause (that-clause):
1.
The news that the PM has resigned, is not true.
2 The fact that Columbus discovered America is known to all.
xii)
The is used before
a singular countable noun to denote
an attribute/a quality The monkey
in man still survives.
The
dancer in her is dead.
xiii)
The is used before
adjectives in the superlative degree: the best book the most beautiful flower
one of the wisest men one of the most useful animals
Note: a) the is not used in the
construction like best/like most
Which do you like best/most? (not, the best/the most)
b)
the is not used
before most/least when it is used in the sense
of 'very': It is a most interesting story.
xiv)
The is
used before adjectives in the comparative degree (of the two): She is the taller
of the two girls.
He is the wiser of the two boys.
Note: a) the ... the
In this construction expressing parallel
increase/decrease the is used twice: The
older you grow the wiser you become.
The more you have the more you want.
xv)
The is
used before ordinal numbers and 'only':
the first prize
the only hope
the only son the second son
xvi)
The is used before
few/little + relative
clause: I have read
the few books/I
have.
She has spent the little money/she
had .
. (In this
construction a is not possible)
viz., He has broken a few toys he bought yesterday.
xvii)
The is used before
the names of ranges of mountains and hills:
the Himalayas the Alps
the Khasi
hills the Vindhyas
Note: the is not used before the following peaks
or mountains: Everest Kailas Kanchenjunga
Mont Blanc Olympus Snowdon
Mount Abu Parasnath
viii) The is used before
names of groups
of islands:
the Andamans the West Indies
the Hebrides the Maldives Note: the is not
used before individual islands:
Crete Malta Bermuda
Ireland Sicily Sri Lanka
The is used
before names of gulfs, canals,
seas, and oceans: the Atlantic (ocean) the Pacific (ocean)
the Indian ocean the Mediterranean
sea
the Persian gulf the
gulf of Mexico
the Panama canal the Suez canal
xx)
The is used before
names of rivers/channels: the Ganga the Thames
the Rhine the Avon
the Danube the Euphrates
the Indus the Amazon
the Brahmaputra the English Channel
the Tyne the Mississipi
the Nile the Sutlej/Beas
xxi)
The is used before
names of these
countries/states: the Netherlands the Sudan
the Transval the Congo
the UK the USA
the Punjab the GDR
.xxii) The is used
before the names
of holy/great books: the Bible the Gita
the Koran the Ramayan
the Mahabharat the Iliad
Note: The is not used before
the name of a book when it appears before
the name of the author
in the possessive case i.e.,
before name + 's:
I have read Tulsi Dasa's Ramayan. (not, the Tulsi
Dasa's Ramayan)
xxiii) The is used before names of newspapers:
the Hindustan Times the Times of India the New York Times the Pakistan Times the Times the Guardian
the Statesman the Economist
the Washington Post the Dawn
Note: a) The is not used
after noun +'s:
I haven't yet read today's Statesman.
(not, the today's Statesman)
b)
There is an increasing tendency to drop the before
the names of newspapers.
c)
Names of
magazines/periodicals are now usually used without the: Punch Outlook Time
Sunday Today Vogue
xxv) The is used
before specifying any of the cardinal directions: the east/west the north/south
xxv)
The is used before
names of inventions:
the telephone the microscope
the wheel the steam engine Who invented the telephone? (not, telephone)
xxvi)
The is used before
a common noun considered unique: the sun/moon the sky/earth
the world/universe the sea/air
xxvii) The is used before these nouns:
cathedral, cinema, pictures, theatre, office, station,
museum, zoo I am going to the pictures.
She is going to the cinema/theatre.
They
are going to the zoo.
He is in the office now.
(not, She is going to station/museum.)
viii) The is used
before the parts
of one's body
and articles of clothing:
The
stone hit him on the shoulder,
The trouser you bought fits you well. I held him by the tielcollar.
4.8 Omission of Articles
4.8.1
Proper nouns
N0 article is used before proper nouns. So no article is used before:
i) names of people
ii) names of continents/countries
iii)
names of states/cities/towns
iv) names of days/monthslfestivals
v) names of languages
vi)
names of subjects of study
E.g.: 1. This is Seema/Nigel.
2.
We live in Nagpur/lndia.
3.
We are learning English.
4. He is a student of law/science. Note: a) family relations
These are not normally treated like proper nouns, so no article is used before-father, daddy, dad, mother, mum, mummy,
uncle, aunt.
Father/Daddy is at home. (not,
the father/daddy)
Mother/Mummy is out.
(not, the mother/mummy)
b)
names of seasons
Though names of seasons can be used with or without the,
it is more common to drop the article:
spring the spring
winter the winter
Spring is in the air.
c)
names of countries
The is used before the
name of a country which
contains a word
like kingdom, republic, union, or states:
the United Kingdom the United States the Indian Union
the German Democratic Republic
4.8.2
Uncountable nouns
No article is used before uncountable
nouns (material and abstract nouns): He
sells milk.
She lacks confidence.
4.8.2 Plural indefinite nouns
No article is used before
plural nouns that
are indefinite; Bees gather honey.
Dogs
bark at night.
I love birds and animals.
Note: The is used before
a plural noun only when
it is made definite by a
preposition or a relative clause:
The apples that are on the tree are ripe.
The soldiers of this battalion are well-trained. But:
Apples are costly. (not, the apples)
4.9
Conclusion
The Unit has given you a fairly detailed idea of the term Articles
4.10 Unit end Questions
1. Name the kind of Articles with
examples.
2 Give examples of situations when articles are generally omitted.
