TOPPERS LAW COLLEGE

L L.B. 5 YEARS PART 1

SUBJECT: ENGLISH

LECTURER: MARYUM KHAN

USE OF ARTICLES

What is an article? Basically, an article is an adjective. Like adjectives, articles modify nouns.

English has two articles: the and a/an. The is used to refer to specific or particular
nouns; a/an is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns. We
call the the definite article and a/an the indefinite article.

the = definite article

a/an = indefinite article

For example, if I say, "Let's read the book," I mean a specific book. If I say, "Let's read a book," I
mean any book rather than a specific book.

Here's another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member of a
group. For example, "I just saw the most popular movie of the year." There are many movies,
but only one particular movie is the most popular. Therefore, we use the.

"A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group. For example, "I
would like to go see a movie." Here, we're not talking about a specific movie. We're talking
about any movie. There are many movies, and I want to see any movie. I don't have a specific
one in mind.

Let's look at each kind of article a little more closely.

INDEFINITE ARTICLES: A AND AN

"A" and "an" signal that the noun modified is indefinite, referring to any member of a group.
For example:

 "My daughter really wants a dog for Christmas." This refers to any dog. We don't know
which dog because we haven't found the dog yet.
  "Somebody call a policeman!" This refers to any policeman. We don't need a specific
policeman; we need any policeman who is available.

 "When I was at the zoo, I saw an elephant!" Here, we're talking about a single, non-
specific thing, in this case an elephant. There are probably several elephants at the zoo,
but there's only one we're talking about here.

REMEMBER, USING A OR AN DEPENDS ON THE SOUND THAT BEGINS THE NEXT WORD. SO...

 a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy; a car; a bike; a zoo; a dog

 an + singular noun beginning with a

vowel: an elephant; an egg; an apple; an idiot; an orphan

 a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e.
begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used); a university; a unicycle

 an + nouns starting with silent "h": an hour

 a + nouns starting with a pronounced "h": a horse

o In some cases where "h" is pronounced, such as "historical," you can use an.
However, a is more commonly used and preferred.

“A historical event is worth recording”.

If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between a and an depends on the initial
sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article:

 a broken egg

 an unusual problem

 a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound)

Remember, too, that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a
group:

 I am a teacher. (I am a member of a large group known as teachers.)

 Brian is an Irishman. (Brian is a member of the people known as Irish.)

 Seiko is a practicing Buddhist. (Seiko is a member of the group of people known as

Buddhists.)
DEFINITE ARTICLE: THE

The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or
particular. The signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group.
For example:

"The dog that bit me ran away." Here, we're talking about a specific dog, the dog that bit me.

"I was happy to see the policeman who saved my cat!" Here, we're talking about
a particular policeman. Even if we don't know the policeman's name, it's still a particular
policeman because it is the one who saved the cat.

"I saw the elephant at the zoo." Here, we're talking about a specific noun. Probably there is only
one elephant at the zoo.

COUNT AND NONCOUNT NOUNS

The can be used with noncount nouns, or the article can be omitted entirely.

 "I love to sail over the water" (some specific body of water) or "I love to sail over water"
(any water).

 "He spilled the milk all over the floor" (some specific milk, perhaps the milk you bought
earlier that day) or "He spilled milk all over the floor" (any milk).

"A/an" can be used only with count nouns.

 "I need a bottle of water."

 "I need a new glass of milk."

Most of the time, you can't say, "She wants a water," unless you're implying, say, a bottle of
water.

GEOGRAPHICAL USE OF THE

There are some specific rules for using the with geographical nouns.

Do not use the before:

 names of most countries/territories: Italy, Mexico, Bolivia;

however, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States

 names of cities, towns, or states: Seoul, Manitoba, Miami

  names of streets: Washington Blvd., Main St.

 names of lakes and bays: Lake Titicaca, Lake Erie except with a group of lakes like the
Great Lakes

 names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains
like the Andes or the Rockies or unusual names like the Matterhorn

 names of continents (Asia, Europe)

 names of islands (Easter Island, Maui, Key West) except with island chains
like the Aleutians, the Hebrides, or the Canary Islands

Do use the before:

 names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific

 points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole

 geographical areas: the Middle East, the West

 deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Black
Forest, the Iberian Peninsula

OMISSION OF ARTICLES

Some common types of nouns that don't take an article are:

 Names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian (unless you are
referring to the population of the nation: "The Spanish are known for their warm
hospitality.")

 Names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball

 Names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science