Articles and determiners

English (Précis and Composition) · Grammar · Nouns, pronouns and determiners. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

For articles, ask two questions. Is the noun countable and singular? Then it needs an article or another determiner. Is the listener able to tell which one is meant? If yes, use the; if it is just one of many, use a or an.

The choice between a and an depends on the first sound of the next word, not its first letter. Many nouns take no article at all when they are used in a general sense.

For quantifiers, first decide whether the noun is countable or uncountable. That one fact settles many/much, few/little and fewer/less.

Rules to remember

a before a consonant sound, an before a vowel sound: a university, a European, a one-rupee note; an hour, an honest man, an MA.
the for something particular or already mentioned, for unique things and with superlatives: the sun, the best answer.
the with rivers, seas, mountain ranges and names containing 'of': the Indus, the Arabian Sea, the Himalayas, the University of Karachi.
No article with games, meals, languages, most cities and countries, and abstract or uncountable nouns in a general sense: play hockey; Patience is a virtue.
many, few, a few, fewer + countable plurals; much, little, a little, less + uncountable nouns.
few / little = almost none (negative sense); a few / a little = some (positive sense).
some in positive sentences; any in negatives and most questions; each of + plural noun takes a singular verb (never 'every of').

Common mistake

Choosing a or an by spelling instead of sound, as in 'an university' or 'a hour'. Say the word aloud: 'university' begins with a 'y' sound and 'hour' with a vowel sound.

Worked example

Fill both gaps: She is MA student who wants to see Nile.

'MA' is said 'em-ay', so it begins with a vowel sound and takes 'an'.
The Nile is a river, and names of rivers take 'the'.
Check the whole sentence: 'She is an MA student who wants to see the Nile.'

Answer: an; the

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