Articles in English: A, An, The — Rules and Usage: 25 flashcards
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1. What are the three articles in English?
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**a**, **an**, and **the**.
2. What type of word is an article?
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A **determiner** — it comes before a noun and signals definiteness.
3. What do **a** and **an** signal?
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One **non-specific** singular countable noun — 'one of many'.
4. What does **the** signal?
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A **specific** noun that both speaker and listener can identify.
5. Is **a** or **an** used before a consonant sound?
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**a** — e.g. *a book*, *a university*.
6. Is **a** or **an** used before a vowel sound?
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**an** — e.g. *an hour*, *an apple*.
7. Why is it *an hour* and not *a hour*?
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The *h* in *hour* is **silent**, so the word begins with a vowel sound.
8. Why is it *a university* and not *an university*?
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*University* begins with a **y sound** (*yoo*), which is a consonant sound.
9. Can **a/an** be used with plural nouns?
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**No** — *a books* is wrong. Use zero article or **the**.
10. Can **a/an** be used with uncountable nouns?
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**No** — *a water* is wrong. Use zero article or a partitive (*a glass of water*).
11. Which article works with singular, plural, and uncountable nouns?
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**The** — *the book*, *the books*, *the water*.
12. First mention vs later mention: which article for each?
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First mention → **a/an**; later mention → **the**.
13. Which article is used with unique objects like the sun and the moon?
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**The** — they are one of a kind.
14. Which article is required with superlatives and ordinals?
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**The** — *the best*, *the first*.
15. Which article is used with rivers, oceans, mountain ranges, and newspapers?
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**The** — *the Ganga*, *the Pacific*, *the Himalayas*, *the Times*.
16. What is the zero article, and when is it used?
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No article at all — used with **general plurals**, **general uncountables**, and **most proper nouns**.
17. What is the first question in the three-question article checklist?
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**Is the noun countable and singular?** If no, *a/an* is impossible.
18. What is the second question in the three-question article checklist?
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**Is it specific and identifiable to the listener?** If yes, use **the**.
19. What is the third question in the three-question article checklist?
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**Is it general (plural or uncountable)?** If yes, use **zero article**.
20. What article does *at night* take, and what does *in the morning* take?
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*at night* takes **zero article**; *in the morning* takes **the**.
21. What is the difference between *go to school* and *go to the school*?
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*go to school* = as a student (purpose); *go to the school* = the building itself.
22. Why is *an MBA* correct?
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*M* is pronounced *em*, which starts with a **vowel sound**.
23. Why is *a European* correct?
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*Eu* is pronounced *yoo*, a **consonant sound**.
24. What is wrong with *The dogs are loyal* when you mean dogs in general?
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**The** makes it sound like specific dogs; general plurals take **zero article** — *Dogs are loyal*.
25. What is wrong with *a water*?
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*Water* is **uncountable**, so *a/an* is impossible. Say *water* or *a glass of water*.
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