Indefinite article– ‘a’ or ‘an’ is called the indefinite article.
The choice of ‘a’ or ‘an’ is determined by sound.
Use of “a”
- If the word is beginning from a consonant sound.
For ex- a boy, a cat, a horse, a girl
- The words which begin with a consonant sound, that of “yu”.
For ex- a university, a European, a unicorn
- The words which begin with a consonant sound, that of “w”.
For ex- a one-rupee note
Although these words begin with a vowel but they sound like consonant that’s why a is used before them.
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Use of “an”
- If the word is beginning with a vowel sound.For ex- an apple, an orange, an ice-cream, an umbrella
- The words in which initial consonant is not pronounced.For ex- an hour, an honest
In these words, initial consonant “h” is not pronounced, so these words sound like beginning from vowel sound. That’s why an is used before them.
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Definite article– the is called the definite article. It denotes some particular person or thing.
- It is used when we talk about some particular person or thing.
For ex- The book you want is kept in bookshelf.
The girl is sleeping.
- When a singular noun is meant to represent a whole class.
For ex- The cow is a useful animal.
The cat loves comfort.
The rose is the most beautiful flower.
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- “The” is used in the following categories of proper nouns:
Seas and oceans: The Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean
Rivers: The Mississippi, The Nile
Deserts: The Sahara Desert, the Sonora Desert
Periods and events in history: The Dark Ages, the Civil War
Bridges: The London Bridge, the Mackinac Bridge
Parts of a country: The South, the Upper Midwest
- Before the names of certain books
For ex- the Ramayana, the Puranas
- Names of something which is unique.
For ex- the sun, the earth
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- Before superlatives
For ex- She is the most beautiful girl in our class.
Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system.
- With ordinals
For ex- This is the third time that I am repeating this question.
Let us play the sixteenth track on the list.
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