Article in English Grammar! An Article is the most important concept of English grammar. Article in English Grammar adds to the beauty of text. In English, there are three articles: a, an, and the. Articles are used before nouns or noun equivalents and are a type of adjective.
Article Definition
An article is a word used to modify a noun, which is a person, place, object, or idea. Technically, an article is an adjective, which is any word that modifies a noun.
Types of Article
There are two types of Article:
- Definite Article
- Indefinite Article
Indefinite Article (a and an)
Countable nouns i.e. the thing we can count take “a” or “an” in the singular form. ‘A’ and ‘an’ are called the indefinite article.
“a” is used before
- A consonant; as “a child”
- u and e (pronounced as use); as “a university”, “a European”
- O (pronounced as well) as “a one-sided game.”
Uncountable nouns i.e. the things we cannot count may not take the indefinite article.
That is why such nouns do not have any plural form:
- Coffee, ink, paper.
The indefinite article has two kinds of plurals:
- The general plural. No word is used to denote this kind of plural.
Example:
- A cow-cows are animals.
2. Plural used for small numbers or quantities. The word is “some” which changes to “any” in the negative sentence and something in the interrogation sentence also.
“some” is also used before uncountable nouns to convey the idea of a small number or indefinite quantity:
- The child wants some bread to eat.
Definite Article (the)
How to Use Definite Article – Video Lesson
The definite article the is used before:
- A noun that has already been mentioned or that is already known to us;
- A noun we think the speaker has in mind;
- Noun representing a whole class;
- Name of ranges of mountains, rivers, gulfs, seas, and oceans.
- Did you see the review?
- Could you please meet me at the airport?
- The lion is the king of animals.
- The Himalayas, the Ravi, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Atlantic Ocean.
- He is the most intelligent person I have come across.
