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Tips And Tricks And Shortcuts For Articles

December 24, 2020

Tips And Tricks For- Articles

It is very important to have an understanding and knowledge about articles in the English language. Articles can be tough to solve for the people who do not have knowledge about them.

In order to understand how articles are brought into use, it is important to know that nouns can be distinguished into two main parts –

  • Countable Nouns (those that can be counted in quantity)
  • Uncountable Nouns (those that are indefinite. In short, cannot be counted.). 

In addition to this, you should know that noun can either Singular or Plural.

NOTE – Uncountable Nouns are always Singular.

Tips for articles
How To Solve Articles Questions

Tips to Solve 'Articles' related Questions

Statement 1 – If a word is beginning with a constant sound then usually “a” article is used.

Example –

    • Can you give me a map for my hike.
    • I have a chair in my attic
    • My friends went to a party last night
    • My friend gifted me a laptop

       

Statement 2 – When a sentence includes a common noun, “a” is a suitable article.

Example

    • A bag full of balls
    • Get me a coffee from the shop
    • Let’s go on a trip together
    • She is a teacher at my school

Statement 3 – There are words which starts a vowel such as a University, European, etc. but the starting sound is of constant that is “yu” where “an” is not an appropriate choice. “A” or “the” can be used for the same.

Example:

    • I have been to the University of Calcutta
    • This is a European company that deals in leather
    • I am a part of a Union in my college
    • This is a euphoric moment

Statement 4 – Words beginning with a vowel sound such as a, e, i, o, u will mostly take “an” with them.

Example:

    • She was an only child to the Harrington family.
    • He swam to an island in just 20 minutes
    • The movie finally came to an end
    • She bought an umbrella with her because of the bad weather
    • Flying in an aeroplane is horrifying.

Statement 5 – Words beginning with “h” and the pronunciation is silent, then it will take “an” with them.

Example:

    • I will be late by an hour for the meeting
    • He is an honest man, says the family.
    • His son will be an heir to the throne after his father

       

Check out some examples that will help you get insights about the types of questions related to articles:

Example Questions to Apply The Tips for Articles

Question 1.

Complete the sentence with a suitable article:

He is __ only man here that speaks French.

A.  A
B.  An
C.  The
D.  No article

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The sentence refers to a particular person who speaks French among others, which is why “the” is used instead of “a”, as “a” is used for a random person.

Question 2.

Choose the correct article for the underlined word:

He bought a new car.

A.  A
B.  An
C.  The
D.  No article

Correct Option: A
Explanation: “Car” is a common noun and they are always singular, therefore, the article “a” is the most suitable.

Question 3.

Identify errors in the below sentence:

He is a American.

A.  A American
B.  He is
C.  No change

Correct Option: A
Explanation: “American” starts with a vowel sound, therefore, the right article should be “an.”