Module 5. Structural and functional grammar

Lesson 26

CORRECT USAGE OF ARTICLES

26.1  Introduction

The Adjectives a or an and the are usually called Articles.

A or an is called the Indefinite Article, because it leaves indefinite the person or thing spoken of , as,

A  teacher: i.e. any teacher.

The is called the Definite Article, because it points out some particular person or thing spoken of; as,

He met the teacher; meaning the particular teacher.

26.2  The Indefinite Article ‘a/an’

a)  The form a is used before a word beginning with a consonant, or a vowel with a consonant sound:

a man           a European           a university

a hat             a one-way street   a hole

b) The form an is used before words beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or words beginning with a mute h, or before individual letters spoken with a vowel sound:

an apple       an island               an M.P.

an egg          an hour                 an orange

an MBA

26.3  Use of ‘a/an’

a)    a/an is used before a singular noun which is countable, when it is mentioned for the first time and represents no particular person or thing:

I need a pen.         They live in a bungalow.

b)    a/an is used before a singular countable noun which is used as an example of a class of things:

A child needs love. (all children, any child).

A car must be maintained. (all cars, any car).

c)     a/an is used in certain expressions of quantity with certain numbers and in expressions of price:

a lot of                  a couple                Rs. 10 a kilo

a great many          a dozen                 a great deal of

a hundred             three  times a day

a thousand           90 kms an hour

d)    In exclamations before singular, countable nouns:

Such a long rope!

What a pretty doll!

e)     a can be placed before Mr/Mrs./Miss:

A Mr. Sareen means a man called Sareen and implies he is stranger to the speaker.

Mr. Sareen, would mean that the speaker knows him.

f)      a/an are used in following cases:

in a group of 20 people           show an interest in         to give an assurance

in a majority of cases              a breach of peace           lack of a quorum

accepting a bribe                     run a temperature          on a charge of murder.

26.4       Omission of ‘a/an’

a) a/an is omitted before plural nouns and before uncountable nouns.

b) a/an is omitted before names of meals (except when these are preceded by an adjective)

We have dinner at eight in the night.

          We have a special dinner every Sunday.

The article a is also used when it is a special meal given to celebrate something:

I was invited to lunch (at his house in the ordinary way)

I was invited to a lunch to celebrate his promotion.

26.5  The Definite Article-The

a)    The definite article is used, when the object or group objects is unique or considered to be unique:

the earth     the equator           the moon              the sun                 the stars

b)    The definite article is used to talk about people and things we have already mentioned:

She has two children – a girl and a boy. The boy is fourteen, the girl is eight.

c)     The definite article is used before a noun made definite by the addition of a phrase or a clause:

the girl in blue.                         the place where I met her

the man with the stick.            the bag that he is carrying.

d)    The definite article is used before a noun which by reason of locality can represent only one particular thing.

My wife was in the living room. (the living room  of this home)

Please bind the report. (the particular report with him)

e)     The definite article is used before superlatives and first, second etc. used as adjectives or pronouns and before only:

the first week        the only way        the best plan

f)      The definite article is used as an adverb with a comparative:

the sooner the better

g)    the + singular noun can represent a class of animals or things:

The elephant is in danger of becoming extinct.

The computer has made life easier for students.

But man used to represent the human race has no article:

Man is mortal.

h)    the + adjective represents a class of persons.

the old (old people in general)\

the rich

the poor

i)       the is used before certain proper names of seas, rivers, groups of islands, chains of mountains, plural names of countries, deserts, regions, famous buildings, classics, newspapers and abbreviations:

the Atlantic	the Ganges	the Himalayas
the Persian Gulf	The Times of India	the Bible
the North Pole	the South Pole	the UNO
the USA	the USSR	the Taj Mahal
the Netherlands

j)      the is used before other proper names consisting of adjective + noun or noun + of + noun

the Indian Dairy Association            the Gateway of India

k)    the is also used in the following cases:

give someone the benefit of doubt              go on the rampage

go to the cinema, the theatre                       at the national level

at the point of the knife                              give the slip

in accordance with the law                         put to the vote

in the public interest

26.6  Omission of ‘The’

a)    The definite article is not used before names of places or before names of people.

b)    the is not used before abstract nouns except when they are used in a particular sense:

Men fear death.

The death of his only child made him desolate.

c)     the is not used before parts of the body and articles of clothing.

Raise your right hand.                      He took off his coat.

But notice the sentences of the type:

She seized the child’s collar.           I patted his shoulder.               He  hit his leg.

Could be expressed –

She seized the child by the collar.    I patted him on the shoulder.  He hit him on the leg.

d)    Nature: Where it means the spirit creating and motivating the world of plants and animals etc. is used without the.

If you interfere with nature you will suffer for it.

e)     The omission of the before home, church, hospital, prison, school and before work, sea:

When home is used alone i. e. not preceded or followed by a descriptive word or a phrase, ‘the’ is omitted.

He is at home.

But for home preceded or followed by a descriptive word or a phrase, the is used:

We arrived at the bride’s home.

A mud hut was the only home he had ever known.

Bed, church, court, hospital, prison, school, college, university.

The is not used before the nouns listed above when these places are visited or used for their primary purpose – thus; we go

to bed to sleep              to hospital as patients.

to church to pray           to prison as prisoners.

to court as litigants       to school/college/university to study.

When these places are visited or used for other reasons, the is necessary:

He went to the church to meet the priest.

He goes to the prison sometimes to give lectures.

Sea: We go to sea as sailors. To be at sea is to be on a voyage. But we can also live by/near the sea.

Work and office:

Work : [place of work], is used without the

He is on his way to work.      He isn’t back from work yet.

Office: Place of work needs the –

He is in/at the office.

To be in office (without the) is to hold an official position (opposite of out of office)

f)      The is not used in following cases:

Gold is a precious metal. (Material nouns)

Fever, typhoid etc. (before names of diseases unless these names are in plural form e. g. the measles, the mumps etc.)

Hell, Heaven, God, Parliament (the Pope, the Devil are exceptions)

Red, blue, green (before colours)

Queen Elizabeth, President Lincoln (before certain titles, followed by names)

26.7  Expressions That Do Not Take Any Article

at night/noon; by car/bus/bicycle/plane/train/boat; on foot;