ARTICLES (EXPERT)
Definition:
Articles are determiners that specify whether a noun is definite or indefinite.
Classification
1. Indefinite Articles
A, An
Use "A"
• Before words beginning with a consonant sound.
Examples:
A boy
A teacher
A one-rupee coin
A European country
A university
Use "An"
• Before words beginning with a vowel sound.
Examples:
An apple
An umbrella
An engineer
An honest man
An hour
2. Definite Article
The
Use "The"
• Before unique objects.
The Sun
The Moon
The Earth
• Before rivers, oceans, seas, deserts, mountain ranges.
The Ganga
The Pacific Ocean
The Sahara Desert
The Himalayas
• Before superlative adjectives.
The best
The tallest
The most beautiful
• Before ordinal numbers.
The first
The second
The last
• Before musical instruments.
The guitar
The piano
• Before newspapers and famous monuments.
The Times of India
The Taj Mahal
No Article (Zero Article)
Do not use an article before:
• Proper names (Rahul, India)
• Most languages (English, Hindi)
• School subjects (Mathematics, Science)
• Meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
• Most countries and cities
Examples:
Rahul speaks English.
She studies Mathematics.
We had breakfast at 8 a.m.
Practice
Fill in the blanks.
1. He is ___ honest officer.
2. She bought ___ umbrella.
3. We visited ___ Red Fort.
4. I want to become ___ engineer.
5. Mount Everest is ___ highest mountain in the world.
Remember:
Always choose A or An according to the pronunciation (sound), not simply the first letter. Correct use of articles makes your English clear, natural, and grammatically accurate.