RULES OF ARTICLES
1. Articles are determiners used before nouns.
Example:a cat, an apple, the sun
2. There are two types: Definite (the) and Indefinite (a, an).
Example:the moon, a boy
3. Use "a" before consonant sounds.
Example:a car, a teacher
4. Use "an" before vowel sounds.
Example:an apple, an hour
5. Choice of "a" or "an" depends on sound, not spelling.
Example:a university (yoo sound), an honest man (silent h)
6. Use "the" for something specific or known.
Example:the book on the table
7. Use "the" when there is only one of something.
Example:the sun, the earth
8. Use "a/an" when mentioning something for the first time.
Example:I saw a dog in the park.
9. Use "the" when referring to it the second time.
Example:The dog was barking loudly.
10. Use "the" with superlatives.
Example:the best player, the tallest building
11. Use "the" with ordinal numbers.
Example:the first prize, the second chapter
12. Use "the" with famous landmarks.
Example:the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower
13. Use "the" with oceans, rivers, seas, gulfs. the Pacific Ocean, the Nile
14. Use "the" with mountain ranges.
Example:the Himalayas, the Alps
15. Use "the" with deserts.
Example:the Sahara, the Thar
16. Use "the" with holy/religious books.
Example:the Gita, the Quran, the Bible
17. Use "the" with musical instruments (general sense).
Example:She plays the piano.
18. Use "the" with inventions/discoveries.
Example:the telephone, the internet
19. Use "the" with unique titles.
Example:the Prime Minister, the President
20. Use "the" with proper adjectives for nationalities.
Example:the French, the Indians
21. Use "the" with directions when referring to regions.
Example:the East, the West
22. Don't use articles before names of languages.
Example:She speaks Hindi and English.
23. Don't use articles before academic subjects.
Example:Mathematics is difficult.
24. Don't use articles before proper nouns (names).
Example:Ravi is my friend.
25. Don't use articles before meals (general).
Example:We had breakfast at 9 a.m.
26. Use "the" when meals are specific.
Example:The breakfast we had today was delicious.
27. Don't use articles before sports.
Example:He plays football.
28. Don't use articles before diseases.
Example:Cancer is a deadly disease.
29. But use "a/an" with some diseases.
Example:a fever, a cold, a headache
30. Don't use articles before seasons (general).
Example:Winter is cold here.
31. Use "the" when a season is specified.
Example:The winter of 2020 was severe.
32. Don't use articles before plural proper nouns.
Example:Mount Everest is high. (not The Mount Everest)
33. Use "the" before plural names of families.
Example:the Smiths, the Guptas
34. Don't use articles before names of countries (usually).
Example:India, Japan, Brazil
35. Use "the" with countries having "Republic, Kingdom, States."
Example:the United States, the United Kingdom
36. Use "the" with countries in plural form.
Example:the Netherlands, the Philippines
37. Don't use "the" before streets, parks, or squares.
Example:Oxford Street, Central Park
38. Use "the" before famous hotels, theatres, museums.
Example:the Ritz Hotel, the British Museum
39. Don't use articles before names of airports/stations.
Example:Heathrow Airport, New Delhi Station
40. Use "the" before decades or centuries.
Example:the 1990s, the 21st century
41. Use "the" before historical periods.
Example:the Renaissance, the Middle Ages
42. Use "the" with ordinal adjectives.
Example:the last train, the next chapter
43. Don't use "the" before "next/last" when referring to time.
Example:I will see you next week.
44. Use "the" before a singular noun representing a whole group.
Example:The cow is a useful animal.
45. Use "the" before adjectives to represent classes.
Example:The rich should help the poor.
46. "A few" and "a little" mean some; "few" and "little" mean almost none.
Example:I have a few friends (some). / I have few friends (hardly any).
47. Articles are not used before uncountable nouns (general sense).
Example:Milk is good for health.
48. Use "the" with uncountable nouns when specific.
Example:The milk in this glass is warm.
49. Do not use "a/an" with plural nouns.
Example:X a apples apples
50. Mastering articles ensures accuracy and fluency.
Example:A correct article changes the meaning completely.