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Definite and Indefinite Articles: Rules and Examples

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Boost your grammar skills - understand articles through this 
flowchart:

Exceptional cases in English Articles:

Generally, we do common error while using articles in a sentence:

   The maidservant is a honest lady. (wrong) 

The maidservant is an honest lady.  (correct)

"An" is used before words starting with a vowel sound. In this word,

"honest' 'h ' is silent. So, we use an honest lady.

   The money does not give inner contentment. (wrong)

    Money does not give inner contentment. (correct)

When talking about money in a general sense, it is uncountable

 noun, so "the money" is incorrect.

     She has the milk to make tea. (correct)

It means she possesses the specific milk required to prepare tea.

Though "milk" is an uncountable noun so, no article is used but

 here it is referring to a specific carton, that is why, we use here 'the'.

Understand English articles at a glance with visual chart:

Let's clarify through the table (Rules & Examples)

Practice Set with Answers:

Error Detection: Articles 

Master The Challenge: Basic English Grammar - Articles | MCQ Questions with Answers for Practice | English Articles (A, An, The) for Competitive Exams

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Tips for SSC Success

3 Second Golden Memory Trick:

Sound decides the articles:

Consonant Sound: 

We use ' A' before a consonant - She is writing with a pen; He sang a melodious song.

' An ' is used before a consonant starts with a vowel sound - He is an excellent orator.

We should always listen to the sound: use 'a' for consonant sounds and 'an' for vowel sounds,because the sound of the word matters more than how it is spelled.

For instance:

• an heir (silent h)

The word heir is pronounced similarly to 'air' so we use here 'an' though the first letter 'H' is consonant.

an M.A (silent m)

Here M.A is pronounced as 'em-a' which starts with a vowel sound, so we use 'an'.

an X-Ray (silent x):

In this example also, X-Ray is pronounced as ex-ray that is why we use 'an' instead of 'a'.

When we talk of a person or a thing that is indefinite or that same person or thing is

 mentioned for the first time, we use 'indefinite article', but when we talk about the person or thing already referred to, we use ' definite article'.

Once upon a time, there lived an old man. The old man was very kind. One day, he met a little boy. The little boy was very poor.  

Here I have used 'an old man' because 'old' begins with a vowel sound.

'The old man': 'The' is used because the man has already been introduced by me in the previous sentence.so I have used here definite article.

'a little boy': 'a' is used by me as here I have introduced a new character for the first time.

'The little boy': 'The' is used here because the boy has already been introduced in the previous sentence,

Indefinite Articles are not used before the names of meals, sports, subjects and language.

• He is interested in playing a volleyball. (Incorrect)
• He is interested in playing volleyball. (Correct)

• She usually skips a breakfast. (Incorrect)
• She usually skips breakfast. (Correct)

Here "breakfast' is used as an uncountable noun. 

Definite Article "the" is used before a noun if it is followed by a relative pronoun

• She is the candidate who has won the election.
• He is the boy who has won the lucky draw.

Apart from it, definite article is used before the names of rivers, oceans, seas, canals, etc.

• Names of the rivers: The Sutlej, The Ganga
• Names of the seas: The Caspian Sea, The Arabian Sea

' The' is also used before superlative degree.

• She is the most talkative girl of our class.

Definite article "The" is used before some proper nouns, the names of sacred books, 

newspapers, trains, well-known buildings and before unique, singular celestial bodies - the earth, the sun etc.

• The bible is a holy book.
• My father prefers to read "The Hindu" newspaper.
• I want to book an online ticket for the Vande Bharat Express.
• The moon is a natural satellite.

20 SSC PYQ Questions with Answers on Articles: