Government High School, Dhadesugur.

Tq: Sindhanoor, Dt: Raichur

CLASS: 8, 9, 10 English II Lang ARTICLES English Grammar


Instructor: VEERESH SAVADI English for Class 10 1
ARTICLES
Objective: To enable the learners to identify some of the common errors pertaining to the use of the articles in
sentences.
A, An and The are articles. Articles A and An are considered to be indefinite articles as they do not imply
anything in particular. Definite article The always refer to specific and definite things.

The Use of A and An:
"A" and "an" mean singular or only one in general.
1. There is a boy on the road. (I do not know who the boy is)
2. I want to buy an apple. (one apple which is not specific/any apple in a group)
An historical event is worth recording.
Sometimes adjectives modify nouns. In such cases, the use of A or AN depends on the intial sound of the
word. If a word begins with a vowel sound, article AN will be used. If it begins with a consonant sound, the
article a will be used.
a one-eyed man
an unexpected situation
a University

The Use of Definite Article:
Definite article THE implies something definite and specific objects or a persons. It is used both for singular
and plural nouns.
1. The boy who sang yesterday was my nephew. (Here it is a specific boy.)
2. The rose which she plucked in my garden was beautiful (Here it is not a general rose but a definite one)
The use of Countable and Uncountable Nouns:
1. They used to play on the sand in their childhood.
2. They are fond of sand in the beach near their house.
3. The oil that Mary uses to cook food is very less.
4. Mary uses more oil than necessary.
The use of A and AN with count nouns:
1. I had a mug of beer.
2. She wants an iron sheet.
3. They play a wonderful match.
4. I had a glass of mango juice.

Other Common Uses of the Definite Article:
Use of THE:
1. The should be used before the names of the mountain ranges and chains of Islands. For instance:
1. The Himalayas. 2. The Canary Islands.
2. Before names of the musical instruments:
1. The flute. 2. The piano.
3. Before the names of lakes, oceans and seas
Government High School, Dhadesugur. Tq: Sindhanoor, Dt: Raichur

CLASS: 8, 9, 10 English II Lang ARTICLES English Grammar


Instructor: VEERESH SAVADI English for Class 10 2
1. The Ganges. 2.the Pacific 3. The Red sea
4. Before names of the deserts and directions of the globe
1. the sahara desert 2. the north pole 3. The equator
5. Before geographical areas
1. The north 2. The Middle East

Do not use THE Before:
1. before proper names specific names of the people places and streets. (John, America, Wall street)
2. Before names of sports (Basket ball, Chess)
3. Before the names of academic subjects (Phonetics, Economics)
4. Before names of the languages and nationalities. (English, Chinese)

Exercises on Articles for Practice
Exercise - I
Use either definite article THE. If THE is not required keep X mark.
1) My mother likes ________sweets very much.
2) John eats _______fruits in your garden.
3) Meet you on _______Sunday.
4) I always listen to ______radio in the morning.
5) Peter sings songs when he travels by _______bus.
6) Don't be late for _______school.
7) Listen! David is playing _______flute
8) They often see their cousin over _______Easter.
9) The family has never been to ______Alps before.
10) What about going to Australia in ______February?

Answers
1) My mother likes x flowers very much.
2) John eats the fruits in your garden.
3) Meet you on x Sunday.
4) I always listen to the radio in the morning.
5) Peter sings songs when he travels by x bus.
6) Don't be late for x school.
7) Listen! David is playing the flute.
8) We often see our cousins over x Easter.
9) The family has never been to the Alps before.
10) What about going to Australia in x February


Government High School, Dhadesugur. Tq: Sindhanoor, Dt: Raichur

CLASS: 8, 9, 10 English II Lang ARTICLES English Grammar


Instructor: VEERESH SAVADI English for Class 10 3
Exercise II
Use either definite article THE. If THE is not required keep X mark.
1) They visited _____St. Paul's Cathedral and _____Tower last week.
2) _____Mount Abu is one of _____highest mountain on earth.
3) ______Loch Ness is _____most famous lake in Scotland.
4) ______most girls are fond of _____ice creams.
5) ______summer of 1996 was hot and dry.
6) ______Queensland Hotel is on the corner of ______29th Street and _____6th Avenue.
7) My sister often stays at _____Uncle Tim's in Detroit.
8) Our friends _____Millers moved to London last August.
9) _____pollution is a problem in _____metropolitans.
10) Our brother goes to _____school by _____bus
Answer - II
1) They visited x St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower last week.
2) x Mount Abu is one of the highest mountain on earth.
3) x Loch Ness is the most famous lake in Scotland.
4) x most girls are fond of x ice creams.
5) The summer of 1996 was hot and dry.
6) The Queensland Hotel is on the corner of x 29th Street and x 6th Avenue.
7) My sister often stays at x Uncle Tim's in Detroit.
8) Our friends the Millers moved to London last August.
9) x pollution is a problem in x metropolitans.
10) Our children go to x school by x bus.

Exercise III (Use A, AN Or Nothing)
1. There were many flowers in the park. One flower was ___ Rose.
i. a ii. An iii. Nothing
2. Cows and ___ Buffaloes were both herbivorous.
i. a ii. An iii. Nothing
3. They purchase___ dark black Scorpio car next week.
i. a ii. An iii. Nothing
4. Hawaii is ___ island in the Pacific Ocean.
i. a ii. An iii. Nothing
5. Good Friday comes once ___ year.
i. a ii. An iii. Nothing
6. ___ eagle is __ bird.
i. a ii. An iii. Nothing
7. The Amazon is ___ river.
i. a ii. An iii. Nothing
8. I entered into a milk booth to buy___ milk.
i. a ii. An iii. Nothing
Government High School, Dhadesugur. Tq: Sindhanoor, Dt: Raichur

CLASS: 8, 9, 10 English II Lang ARTICLES English Grammar


Instructor: VEERESH SAVADI English for Class 10 4
9. He has lost ___ a gold ring while he was playing.
i. a ii. An iii. Nothing
10. You have to have ___ umbrella if it rains.
i. a ii. An iii. Nothing
Answers- III: 1. a 2. Nothing 3. a 4.an 5. a 6. an, an 7. a 8. Nothing 9.a 10.an
Exercise IV (Use A, An, The or No Article)
1. Is she purchasing it for ___ fitness club to join so she becomes lean?
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
2. Buy cleverly or you could end up choosing ___ wrong club and losing more money than pounds.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
3. You may find out too late that ___ fitness clubs aren't for you.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
4. __ Ostrich is a native of South Africa.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
5. I __ Ostrich in my garden.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
6. I saw __ orange for my breakfast.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
7. I have recently bought _ flat.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
8. You may be in ___ market for a full-service health club; then, make sure it offers lots of activities.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
9. __ Ganges is considered to be a holy river for Indians.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
10. They should be educated in physical education or certified by ___ organization such as the
American Council on exercise.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
11. I have some milk and __ slice of cake for you.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
12. There is __ ghost again which we saw yesterday. Can you see it?
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
13. Try to talk to other members of the club. Find out what they believe are ___ advantages and
disadvantages there.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
14. I saw __ one eyed man when I was walking on the road.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
15. There is no sight of _ University near by.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
16. __ Planets revolve round their suns.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article is needed
Answers- IV: 1. a 2.c 3.d 4c 5.b 6.b 7.a 8.c 9.c 10.b 11.a 12.c 13.c 14.a 15. a 16.d