Articles- A Quick Recap of Basic English Grammar

There hasn’t been a grade throughout school when we did not go through the topic of Articles. It is one of those concepts of English Grammar without which it is not possible to make a meaningful sentence. Most of us are versed in the use of articles, but let us take a quick recap of this basic English grammar.

Two concepts that one must know clearly to understand this grammar include vowels & consonants and phonics.

Indefinite Articles

The indefinite articles are ‘a’ and ‘an’. They usually modify a noun and add more emphasis to it. Often, all articles are adjectives. One must place Articles ‘a’ before words that begin with the consonant sounds.

You do remember the vowels, right? The vowels in the English language comprise the letters a, e, i, o, and u. Thereby, all other alphabets qualify as consonants. Let us understand this with an example.

Hey, Robin! We have a surprise for you.

As you see, the article ‘a’ stands before the word surprise. Consequently, it is because the word ‘surprise’ begins with the consonant sound ‘ss’.

On the other hand, you should prefix the article ‘an’ before all words that start with a vowel sound. The use of ‘an’ usually is perplexing for English learners, because many times, words begin with a vowel letter, but have a consonant sound instead. Let’s take a look at two examples.

Always carry an umbrella with you when in Singapore; it experiences rainfall throughout the year.

I study at a university which does not have as many facilities as you mentioned.

In the first example, we placed ‘an’ before the word ‘umbrella’ because it starts with the vowel sound ‘uh’. Although, we used the article ‘a’ before university since the ‘u’ in this word uses a consonant sound- ‘y’. We do not say ‘uhniversity’ but rather pronounce the word as ‘yuniversity’.

Therefore, focus on the sound of the letters after identifying if it is a consonant or a vowel.

Definite Article

The definite article in the English language is ‘the’. One can use this article when he/she wants to identify a noun in particular. Basically, we use it when we want to be specific about the object/person in question. It doesn’t matter if the noun is uncountable, singular, or plural. Here is an example:

Please bring me the blue file lying on the reception.

In the above sentence, the speaker is mainly speaking only of the ‘blue file’, and therefore used the article ‘the’.

Zero Article

In cases when the noun is abstract, you need to omit the use of an article in that sentence. Such nouns do not require modification by any articles. Some such nouns include dinner, baseball, French, etc.

Do you want to have a dinner with me tonight?

As you can identify, the use of the article ‘a’ before the word ‘dinner’ is very off. The articles in this scenario are suggested but are not actually present, and therefore, it is called Zero Article. Here’s another example of expressing the same:

I am not good at the Math; can you help me?

This sentence should rather be- I am not good at Math; can you help me?

Can we use an article before an adjective?

The answer to the above question is yes; we can use articles before adjectives, but only sometimes. It may so happen that a noun may need enhancement by an adjective; how then can one place an article to modify it further? The solution is simple- place the article before the adjective (article- adjective- noun). Let us understand better with this sentence.

I’m so sorry that I couldn’t get you even a small gift for your birthday.

In the above sentence, the noun is the word ‘gift’. Adjective ‘small’ modifies the noun ‘gift’, and therefore, we need to place the article ‘a’ before the adjective. Of course, there is an option to remove the adjective small altogether, but it might have an impact on the speaker’s intention. The speaker here is apologetic about the fact that he/she couldn’t get even a small gift, and not just that he/she couldn’t get a gift at all.

How to use an Article before Uncountable Nouns?

It is easier to pick an article when the noun is countable, for example, an apple or a swing, etc. Many find it tricky to choose the correct article before an uncountable noun because we cannot always identify it’s quantity. It could also be a noun that defines something substantial, meaning something we cannot touch or see, but exists, like ‘information’.

Get me a milk on the way from work.

The above sentence is incorrect; milk cannot be counted like you count a box. Therefore, you need to either change the sentence to Get me some milk on the way from work or Get me a carton of milk on the way from work.

Sometimes, the noun can be perplexing to decide if it is countable or uncountable. For example:

We heard some noise in the next room, and We heard a noise in the next room.

In such cases, you will have to base your judgment on the context. With regular practice, acing this would be like a cakewalk.

Articles and Pronouns are not friends

Yes, you read correctly. Pronouns, especially possessive pronouns, and articles can never co-exist. These include my, hers, his, theirs, ours, and its. Using the two together makes the sentence a weird one, which mostly will not make sense.

Will you be there at their the house by 08.00 p.m.?

You see the problem, don’t you? The sentence doesn’t seem to make absolute sense. The words ‘their’ and ‘the’ do not fit together. One can rather say, Will you be there at their house by 08.00 p.m.?

We are beyond sure that this article is not just something that will jog your fundamentals, but also something that will add something to your existing knowledge. Let us leave you with some practice questions. Why don’t you leave us the answers in the comment section below?

Articles Grammar Exercise

1. I first met him _____ few years ago.
2. He looks as stupid as _____ owl.
3. Who is ____ girl sitting there.
4. Aladdin had ____ wonderful lamp.
5. The guide knows _____ way.
6. Harry likes to play ____ baseball.
7. Yesterday, _____ European guy visited my cafe.
8. _____ reindeer is ____ native of Norway.
9. Sri Lanka is _____ island.
10. He is ____ honor to this profession.
11. The brace soldier lost ____ arm in the battle.
12. Have you told him about _____ accident?
13. You must take ____ care.
14. Get ____ pound of sugar from the nearest grocer.
15. The world is _____ happy place.
16. If you see him, give him _____ message.
17. French is ____ easy language.
18. Which is ____ longest river in the world?
19. What _____ beautiful scene this is!
20. May we have _____ pleasure of your company?

20 Most Commonly Misspelled Words- Correct Spellings