Rules of Indefinite Article
Article in English Grammar is the words used to indicate a specific or non-specific person, object, animal, place, concept etc. is called Article. Article usually comes before Noun.
Article is of two types:
- Indefinite Article
- Definite Article
Indefinite Article: Used to refer to a person, object, animal, place, idea etc. indefinitely. Indefinite Article is of two types: eg – A,An.
Definite Article: Used to refer specifically to a person, object, animal, place, idea etc. Such as -The.
Basic Principle: It is assumed that A, An is used based on sound. If the word has a Consonant Sound at the beginning, A is placed and An is placed at the beginning of a Vowel Sound. But if the pronunciation of Vowel is like you or wa, A and if the pronunciation of Consonant is like Vowel, then An sits. So it can be said that Article is used based or depending on Pronunciation and not Sound One (One), Uniform (Uniform) has a vowel sound, so An is supposed to sit before them, but based on the pronunciation, A sits before them.
Rule 01: If a word has a consonant at the beginning, A is placed. Example: a word, a quarter, a B.A but if there is Consonant first, if the pronunciation is like Vowel, then An sits. At the beginning of the pronunciation of the first letter of the Abbreviation, the Vowel Vowel Sound will actually be preceded by An. Example: an L.L.B. Since L (El) is pronounced at the beginning of A (a), it is preceded by An. So all Abbreviations starting with A, E, F, H, I, L, M, N, O, R, S, X, will be preceded by An.
Example:
An honest boy , An heir , An hour , An M.Ed. , An S.D.O. , An O.C.
- He is an M.B.B.S.
- My elder brother/He is an M.A. in English.
Rule 02: If any word has Vowel (a, e, i, o, u) at the beginning, then An sits. Example: An apple, An ass, An ugly (Ugly) but if there is a Vowel at the beginning, if the pronunciation is like You, a sits.
Example:
| Eulogy | Euphemism | European |
| Union | University | Uniform |
Rule 03: If h at the beginning of the word is pronounced as ‘H’ then A sits. But if there is an h at the beginning of the word, if it is not pronounced, then an is placed.
Example:
| half | horse | heroic |
| hero | heir | honours |
Rule 04: All words beginning with O are preceded by An. A sits just before One.
- Here lies an oasis.
- I spotted a man with only one eye.
Rule 05: Usually when a/an is used before a Singular Common Noun, it means any one of that class and usually describes the characteristic which is the common characteristic of that Noun. For example: An orange is round. That is, an orange is round means that all oranges in the world are generally round.
- A mirror serves as a reflection of an individual’s own self. In this context, “a mirror” refers to any single mirror.
- A child requires the presence of love.
Rule 06: When referring to a common singular countable noun for the first time or referring to any one of many, it is preceded by a/an.
- I have received a gold medal.
- The time is a quarter to six.
- The English are a nation.
Rule 07: A/an sits before Mr/Mrs/Miss or any Noun to denote a stranger or respected person. Again a or an is used before Proper Noun to mean someone like that. In this case Proper Noun becomes Common Noun.
Example:
- Not every year sees the birth of a Newton.
- I conversed with a Dalai Lama.
- A Mr. Karim has been apprehended.
Rule 08: When the superlative ‘most’ is used in the sense of ‘very’ without comparison, ‘most’ is preceded by a instead of the.
Example:
- He leads a most unfortunate life.
- He saw a most marvelous sight.
Rule 09: Sometimes a is used in the meaning of Preposition, then that a is called Disguised Preposition.
- The king went on a hunting expedition.
Rule 10: A before few, little, lot of, good deal, good many, great many etc. A few is preceded by Countable Noun in the sense of a small number. If you understand the whole, the will sit.
- He made a few mistakes.
- A large number of students attended the test.
Rule 11: Many is followed by a/an. That is, a/an sits between many and singular common noun.
- Many a man attended.
Rule 12: Some phrases have a/an. For example: In a body, in a hurry, in a nutshell, in a fix, in a temper, to take an interest.
- He is in a temper at the moment.
- He is in a hurry.
Omission of Article A/An.
A/an does not sit before Meals. But in meals (meals) if the adjective is placed before a/an. For example: Breakfast, dinner, lunch etc.
- I consumed my morning meal at 8 a.m.
- We enjoyed a satisfying breakfast yesterday.
Uncountable nouns are not preceded by a/an. For example: news, information, advice, money, time etc.
- He shares positive information with me.
A/an does not sit before Material noun. For example:
- I require some water.
- He consumes milk.
But if there is a measuring word, a/an sits before it. For example:
- I consume a glass of water.
Abstract noun is not preceded by a/an. For example:
- Truthfulness proves to be the most effective approach.
But to be specific, The sits before Abstract noun.
For Example: “The kindness of Omar remains the teacher for all.”
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