Use of Articles: A/An/The

1. ARTICLES 

Where to use 'a' or 'an'? 

The choice between 'a' or 'an' is determined by sound. 

a. The article 'a' is used before a countable noun that begins with a consonant sound. 

Examples: 

a donkey, a monkey, a ruler, a woman, a yard, a hole, a university, a union, a European, a ewe, a useful person, a unicorn, a B.A. etc. 

😀Because the words such as university, union, European, ewe, useful, unicorn, etc. 

begin with a consonant sound, i.e. /j/ 'o', we use the article 'a' before all these words. 

😀Likewise, we say: a one-rupee note, a one-eyed person, a one-man show, etc.

Note: You can notice that in the above phrases 'one' begins with a consonant sound, i.e. /w/. Therefore, we should always use the article 'a' before one. 

b. The article 'an' is used before a 

countable noun that starts with a vowel sound. For example, an orange, an apple, an ink-pot, an ass, an enemy, an umbrella, an hour, an honest man, an heir, an M.A. etc. 

Note: You can easily notice that the words 'hour', 'honest' and 'heir' begin with a vowel sound, as the initial letter 'h' is silent. 

Where to use the definite article 'the'? 

 The definite article 'the' is normally used: 

• When we speak of a particular person or thing, or one already referred to.

 For examples: 

 The book on the table is mine. 

 The girl with a long nose is my sister. 

 I helped the man who came to me. 

• When a singular noun is meant to represent a whole class.

• The cow is a useful animal. 

 The rose is the sweetest of all flowers. 

• With Superlatives. 

 Prerana is the best student in her class. 

 Prashant is the tallest boy in his group. 

 This is the best book I have ever read. 

 Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world. 

• With names of gulfs, rivers, seas, oceans, groups of islands, and mountain 

ranges. 

 The Persian Gulf The Himalayas, etc. 

 The Ganges is a sacred river. The Red Sea 

 The Indian Ocean The Alps 

 London is situated on the river Thames.

• With ordinals

Pritija was the first girl to arrive at the party. 

 The fifth chapter of this novel is very boring. 

• Before the names of certain books 

 The Ramayan The Mahabharat 

 The Geeta The Bible 

 The Kuran The Vedas, etc. 

• Before the unique nouns

The earth The sky The universe 

 The sun The moon, etc. 

• Before the musical instruments 

 The madal The piano The guitar The flute, etc. 

• Before the names of newspapers 

 The Kathmandu Post The Rising Nepal The Himalayan Times, etc. 

• Before plural nouns of countries 

 The USA The UK The Netherlands, etc. 

• Before the names of ships 

 The Titanic The Mary Celeste, etc. 

• Before the parts of day

in the morning, in the evening, in the afternoon 

• When something is mentioned second time, 

 He bought a bicycle. The bicycle was made in China. 

• Before the names of direction and poles, 

 the west, thee east, the North pole, the south pole 

• Before names of the periods of history,

 the Victorian age, The Renaissance, the modern age 

• Before names of nationalities / religious/ races/ positions or posts 

the Nepalese, the Hindus, the Black, the Prime minister, the President 

• Before the names of scientific innovations 

 the computer, the telephone

• Before proper and abstract nouns to make them common 

 Bal Krishna Sum is the Shakespeare of Nepal. 

 She is the beauty of the town.

No Article: 

* If plural nouns, uncountable nouns are definite, we use the article 'the', if they are not definite, we use no article. (For example) 

Milk is white. The milk in this glass is hot. 

 Horses are animals. The horses in that stable run fast. 

* We use no article with proper nouns. If they are compared, we use the article 'the'. For 

example: 

 Shakespeare is a great English poet. Balkrishna Sama is 'the' Shakespeare of Nepal. 

* We use no article with abstract nouns if it is not specified in the context. e.g. Honesty 

is the best policy. 

* We generally use no article with the names of languages, subjects, games, days, 

months, diseases. 

* We use no article with these expressions: 

 by bus, by air, by mistake, at first sight, on foot, on duty, at once, in time etc. 

* Before the names of the metals, e.g. 

 Gold is a very expensive metal. 

* Before names of seasons 

* Before names of relation : father, mother , brother 

* Before school, college, university, temple, mosque, church, hospital, when these 

places are visited for their primary purpose : 

He goes to college every day. 

She goes to temple every morning. 

* If these places are visited for other purposes, the definite article 'the' is used before them as: 

He goes to the college to meet is father.