Learning About A, AN, and THE!

Hello little grammar stars! Today, we're going to learn about three super tiny but super important words: 'A', 'AN', and 'THE'. These are called articles! Think of them like little helpers that tell us more about nouns (names of people, places, animals, or things). Knowing when to use 'A', 'AN', or 'THE' makes our sentences sound just right. It's like picking the perfect accessory for an outfit! The main trick is to listen to the sound a word starts with, not just the letter. Let's dive in and become A/AN/THE experts!

A or AN?

Use A before a consonant sound.
Use AN before a vowel sound.

So:

a banana

an orange

a university (vowel letter 'u' but a consonant sound like 'yoo' - /j/)

an MTR train (consonant letter 'M' but a vowel sound like 'em' - /em/)

an hour (consonant letter 'h' but it's silent, so it starts with a vowel sound 'ow')

Use of A/AN

You use these words with a singular, countable noun:

When something is mentioned for the first time.
E.g., There is a gorilla in the general office.
When you mention one of a group of objects but do not make it clear which of them you mean.
E.g., Go to the cupboard and bring me a plate.
(The listener already knows about the plates in the cupboard, but it does not matter which of the plates he brings)

You ALWAYS need to use A or AN with a singular countable noun unless it already has a word like the, my, this, etc., showing which person or thing is being referred to:

So: I saw a dog / the dog / your dog / this dog. ✔ (Correct)

BUT: I saw dog. ✘ (Incorrect)

Using THE

Use THE when the listener or reader already knows which person or thing you are referring to:

Something which has already been mentioned before.
E.g., The gorilla switched on the air-conditioner. (You know about the gorilla because I mentioned it before as an example for A/AN)
There is only one of something.
E.g., The earth goes round the sun.
You are pointing to a person or thing.
E.g., Look at the car! It’s coming towards us!
There is a phrase after the noun telling us which person or thing is being referred to.
E.g., The student standing by the door is Lee Mo Yung.
The girl in the green dress is going to sing a song.
The king of Spain is very popular.
The man who came to dinner will not see us again.

EXERCISE EXAMPLE

My school is very big. It has three special rooms. It has a multi-media room, a music room and an art room. The multi-media room and the music room are on the first floor and the art room is on the second floor. My school also has a playground and a basketball court.

All the students in my school are very active. Most of them take part in a different extra-curricular activity every day. My school also organizes an inter-form competition every month. Sometimes we ask the principal and our form teachers to join us.

PRACTICAL EXERCISE

I realized that ________ smallest change I had was ________ ten dollar note.
Ans. I realized that the smallest change I had was a ten dollar note.
I was rubbing myself with ________ towel when I heard ________ steps.
Ans. I was rubbing myself with a towel when I heard the steps.
________ heavy policeman bounded up ________ steps.
Ans. A heavy policeman bounded up the steps.
In ________ small silence, we all heard ________ creaking in ________ attic.
Ans. In the small silence, we all heard a creaking in the attic.
We saw small bits of grass peeping through ________ small cracks in ________ concrete pavement.
Ans. We saw small bits of grass peeping through the small cracks in a concrete pavement.
Finding ________ plants and trees took another year and ________ half.
Ans. Finding the plants and trees took another year and a half.
________ other idea is ________ eco-park for children.
Ans. The other idea is an eco-park for children.
It is ________ part of ________ series of adventures across various locations in India.
Ans. It is a part of a series of adventures across various locations in India.
Although winning is ________ goal, he learned ________ value of finishing what he started.
Ans. Although winning is a goal, he learned the value of finishing what he started.
In ________ sport like badminton, her performances are all ________ more creditable.
Ans. In a sport like badminton, her performances are all the more creditable.
________ energy sector has not been able to keep pace with ________ rate of economic development.
Ans. The energy sector has not been able to keep pace with the rate of economic development.
PV modules exposed to ________ sun can produce enough power to run ________ basic appliances in ________ home.
Ans. PV modules exposed to the sun can produce enough power to run the basic appliances in a home.
________ grid solar power plants are ________ very new phenomenon in India.
Ans. The grid solar power plants are a very new phenomenon in India.
Two meals ________ day was ________ tough challenge.
Ans. Two meals a day was a tough challenge.
He is approaching ________ age of 75 now and he still works 25 hours ________ day.
Ans. He is approaching the age of 75 now and he still works 25 hours a day.
If ________ large number of cases are examined, ________ hollowness of such beliefs becomes apparent.
Ans. If a large number of cases are examined, the hollowness of such beliefs becomes apparent.
Performing ________ act of kindness produces ________ positive attitude.
Ans. Performing an act of kindness produces a positive attitude.
________ high temperature changes ________ taste to ________ more pleasant impression.
Ans. The high temperature changes the taste to a more pleasant impression.
I am ________ very visual person and I am ________ only child.
Ans. I am a very visual person and I am the only child.
Henna is ________ popular cosmetic used to beautify ________ hands and other parts of ________ body.
Ans. Henna is a popular cosmetic used to beautify the hands and other parts of the body.
In ________ way, one of ________ greatest gifts any teacher can give ________ student is to inculcate ________ curiosity to learn.
Ans. In a way, one of the greatest gifts any teacher can give a student is to inculcate a curiosity to learn.
I had ________ uneasy night with all ________ weird traffic sounds.
Ans. I had an uneasy night with all the weird traffic sounds.
I would waste hundreds of paper at ________ drop of ________ hat.
Ans. I would waste hundreds of paper at the drop of a hat.
________ natural choice for ________ diploma engineer is to go for ________ B.Tech.
Ans. The natural choice for a diploma engineer is to go for a B.Tech.
Part of ________ answer lies in setting up ________ right systems.
Ans. Part of the answer lies in setting up the right systems.

Difficult Words & Easy Meanings

Articles: Special little words (A, AN, THE) used before nouns.
Noun: A word for a person, place, animal, or thing (like 'teacher', 'school', 'cat', 'book').
Consonant sound: Sounds made by letters like B, C, D, G, K, P, T, etc. (e.g., 'b' in 'ball', 'c' in 'cat').
Vowel sound: Sounds made by letters A, E, I, O, U (e.g., 'a' in 'apple', 'e' in 'egg').
Singular: Meaning only one of something (e.g., 'a cat' means one cat).
Countable noun: A noun that you can count (e.g., one apple, two apples, three apples).
Mentioned: Talked about or written about.
Referred to: Pointed out or talked about specifically.
Phrase: A small group of words that go together.
Multi-media room: A room with different types of equipment like computers, projectors for sound and pictures.
Extra-curricular activity: Fun activities done at school that are not regular lessons, like sports or clubs.
Principal: The head teacher of a school.
Realized: Understood something clearly.
Bounded: Jumped or moved quickly with big steps.
Attic: A room or space at the very top of a house, under the roof.
Phenomenon: Something interesting that happens or exists, especially something new or unusual.
Creditable: Deserving praise or respect.
Apparent: Easy to see or understand; obvious.
Inculcate: To fix an idea or habit in someone's mind by repeating it often.
Curiosity: A strong wish to learn or know about something.

Identify more articles in sentences here!

OMTEX AD 2

USE OF ARTICLES (a, an, the)