In this section we’ll learn about definite and indefinite article rules to show you how and when to use articles a, an and the with the help of examples.
A and an are called indefinite Articles because we do not define the person or thing spoken of, while The is called the Definite Article, because it points out some particular person or thing.
Let’s understand this with the help of an example:
Example I need a cup of green tea.
In the above example by using the article a, we’ve created a general statement, implying any cup of green tea.
Example I want to see an elephant.
In the above example by using the article an, we’ve created a general statement, implying any elephant, and we are not being specific about the elephant.
Note : The First 11 rules are for article ‘a’, Rule 12 to 14 for ‘An’ and Rule 15 to Rule 29 for ‘The’.
Let’s start discussing all the rules one by one.
Rule 1. If consonant is the first letter of a countable singular common noun, we use ‘A’ before it.
Let us understand rule 1 with examples,
Wrong Ekta has book.
Correct Ekta has a book.
Wrong I met girl there.
Correct I met a girl there.
Rule 2. ‘A’ is used before some indefinite numbers.
Let us see following examples :
- a lot of
- a number of
- a great deal of
- a half of
- a large number of
- a quarter of
One example of the above type i – Charlie has a lot of friends in Texas. Similarly we can use others as well.
Rule 3. ‘A’ can be used before some indefinite collective
Let us see following examples :
- a team of
- a gang of
- a flock of
- a herd of
- a swarm of
- a panel of
- a bunch of
One example of the above type i – They are a team of ten. Similarly we can use other indefinite collectives as well.
Rule 4. If an adjective is followed by a singular noun, we use ‘A’ before that adjective.
Let us see some examples :
Wrong Ekta is beautiful girl
Correct Ekta is a beautiful girl.
In the above example beautiful is adjective and girl is singular noun.
Wrong Gaurav has a good health.
Correct Gaurav has good health.
For example, whenever a noun is not used after Adjective we do not use article before it.
Rule 5. ‘A’ is used at the place of ‘per’.
For Example :
Without ‘a’ – Oranges are sold at Rs. twenty-five per kilogram.
With ‘a’ – Oranges are sold at Rs. twenty-five a kilogram.
Rule 6. To show the whole class of common noun we can use ‘A’ before a common noun.
Example A lion has four legs.
i.e All lions have four legs.
Example A bird has two legs.
i.e All birds have two legs.
But, common noun like Man and Woman do not follow the above rule.
Wrong: A man is moral.
Correct: Man is moral.
Rule 7. Sometimes at the place of ‘on’ we can use article ‘A’
For example,
Using ‘on’ : Robert went on fishing.
Using ‘a’ : Robert went a fishing.
Rule 8. If we put article ‘A’ before plural number the forthcoming noun becomes singular.
For example,
Using ‘a’ : A seven day event.
A twelve mile run.
A ten man team.
Without ‘a’ :
Seven days event.
Twelve miles run.
Ten men team.
Rule 9 : ‘A‘ is used before words having the sound of consonant in their first letters.
For example,
A university. A union.
A unique film A European.
A one-rupee note. A one-sided match.
Rule 10. If noun is placed after such, quite, rather, how etc., we use ‘A’ before that noun.
Wrong I have never seen such place in my life.
Correct I have never seen such a place in my life.
Wrong Robert is quite small boy.
Correct Robert is quite a small boy.
Rule 11. If words like Noise, Lie, Hole, Headache etc. are used in singular, we use ‘A’ before them.
For example
Wrong: He is having headache.
Correct: He is having a headache.
Wrong: Chris always tells lie.
Correct: Chris always tells a lie.
Now let’s discuss the 3 Simple Rules for using Article An.
Rule 12. Words or nouns starting with vowels take ‘An’ before them.
For example,
Wrong Radha is intelligent girl.
Correct Radha is an intelligent girl.
Wrong The Minister made appeal for the people.
Correct The Minister made an appeal for the people.
Rule 13. An is used before words starting with H, in which H remains silent.
For example,
An honest man,
An hour, An honorable person etc.
Rule 14. Abbreviations starting with letters H, L, M, N, F, R, S, X, use An before them.
For example,
- An M.B.A
- An L.I.C
- An N.C.C. team
- An E.B website
So next time when you are hung up on whether you should use ‘a’ or ‘an’, just refer to the above mentioned points.
In next section we’ll discuss about definite articles and 15 rules on how and when to use ‘the’ in English.
Rule 15. Definite article ‘The’ is used before a noun if it is used before relative pronoun stressly.
For example,
Wrong : She is a girl who plays cricket.
Correct : She is the girl who plays cricket.
Wrong : This is a monkey which can run.
Correct : This is the monkey which can run.
Rule 16. ‘The’ is placed after one of, each of, neither of, either of, none of, everyone of etc.
For example,
Wrong : One of girls is intelligent.
Correct : One of the girls is intelligent.
Wrong : Neither of boys is fast.
Correct : Neither of the boys is fast.
Wrong : Either of black women was absent.
Correct : Either of the black women was absent.
Rule 17. If Adjective is followed by proper Noun use ‘The’ before that adjective.
For example,
Wrong : We love intelligent Gandhi.
Correct : We love the intelligent Gandhi.
Rule 18. Whenever common Noun is used as adjective it is preceded by definite article ‘The’.
For example,
When Ritesh found a boy the father came in him.
?
the love of father
When Meeta saw a girl the mother came in her.
?
the love of mother
Rule 19. ‘The’ is used before the names of : Rivers, Seas, Gulfs, Deserts, Canals
For example,
The Indian Ocean, The Arabian Gulf, The Sahara Desert, The Panama Canal, The Thar desert, The pacific ocean, The Red Sea, The Caspian Sea etc.
- The Panama canal connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.
- The Indian Ocean is the third largest world’s third largest ocean.
- The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world.
Rule 20. We place definite article ‘The’ before the names of : Group of Islands Series of Mountain Religious books/Holy Scriptures / Community
For example,
The West Indies, The Rocky, The Mahabharata, The Gita, The Hindu, The Kuran etc.
- The Gita is one of the holy books of Hinduism.
- The Mahabharata is one of the major Sanskrit epics of ancient India.
Rule 21. Definite article is used before the names of : Planes, Ships, Stars, Newspapers, Musical instruments
For example,
The Pawan Hans, The Titanic, The Sun, The Times of India, The Guitar, The Prince of Wales
Sentence Example :
The Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912.
Rule 22. We use ‘The’ before Comparative Degree if it is used for two, or, it is used in parallel.
For example,
1.Which is the more beautiful the Himalayas or the Alps.
2. The more you labour the more you gain.
3. Ramu is the better of the two.
4. The higher you go, the lower is the wind.
Rule 23. If two proper nouns are compared, we use definite article before the last proper noun.
For example,
1. Sachin is the Lara of India.
2. Kalidas is the Shakespeare of India.
Rule 24. The is used before ordinals.
For example, The former, The latter, The first, The second, The last etc.
But, It is considered wrong to write like The Ist division, The IInd division, The IIIrd division etc.
Rule 25. The issued before the names of some countries and organizations.
For example, The United States, The United Kingdom, The Yemen, The United Nations Organization etc.
- The United states is a federal constitutional republic made of fifty states and a federal district.
Rule 26. The is used before the name of grand buildings and movements.
For example, The Taj Mahal, The Qutub Minar, The Charminar, The Jama Masjid, The Lotus Temple etc.
- The Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world.
- The Jama Masjid is one of the largest mosques in India which was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.
Rule 27. Definite article ‘The’ is used before the name of historical caste.
For example, The Brahmin, The Sudras, The Aryanas, The Alpine etc.
- The Brahmins are the caste from which Hindu priests are drawn, and are responsible for teaching and maintaining sacred knowledge.
Rule 28. The must be used before Superlative degree.
For example,
Rohit is the tallest boy of his school.
But,
Wrong : Rohit is the tallest and the best boy of his school.
Correct : Rohit is the tallest and best boy of his school.
Again,
Wrong : Our the best desire is to go there.
Correct : Our best desire is to go there.
Rule 29. The must be used before the name of titles and posts.
For example,
The Iron Man, The Chief Minister, The President, The Principal, The Father of the Nation, The Rai Bahadur etc.
But, It is wrong to write like The Queen Victoria, The queen Elizabeth,The King Birendra, The General Dyer etc.
At last we’re done with this long list. I know remembering all these rules would be quite a task that’s why, What I would suggest is to bookmark these rules and refer them whenever you get confused with usage of ‘the’.
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