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Articles & Determiners

English Language · Grammar

Useful for: SSC CGL, IBPS Banking, CTET, KVS, NVS, OTET, OSSTET, EMRS

and 19 more exams

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Overview

Articles (a, an, the) and determiners (some, any, much, many, few, little) are chosen by sound, specificity and countability.

Key points

"A" before a consonant sound, "an" before a vowel sound: a university, an hour, an MLA.
"The" for something specific, already mentioned, or unique (the Sun).
"The" with superlatives and ordinal numbers: the best, the first.
No article with general plural or uncountable nouns: "Books are useful."
Many/few with countable nouns; much/little with uncountable nouns.

Explanation

"A few" = some (positive); "few" = hardly any (negative); same for "a little" and "little".
Use "the" with rivers, oceans, mountain ranges and newspapers; not with single mountains or most countries.
Names of meals, games and languages normally take no article.
Some is used in positive statements and offers; any in questions and negatives.

Step by step

Read the whole sentence and find its subject, verb and tense.
Apply the specific rule (agreement, article, preposition, tense).
Re-read the corrected sentence for meaning and style.

Examples

"He is an honest man" (silent h, vowel sound).
"She is a European" (sound "you").
"I have a few friends here" (some friends) vs "I have few friends here" (almost none).

Traps and advanced points

Trap: Choosing by spelling instead of sound.
Trap: Using "the" with general plural nouns.
Trap: Using "much" with countable nouns.

Quick revision

Sound decides a/an.
The for specific/unique.
Few/many count; little/much measure.

Practice MCQs

Arjun is editing a notice in Nagpur. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ European visitor”.
1. the European visitor (when introduced only as any one member)
2. European visitor (no article)
3. an European visitor
4. a European visitor
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Answer: (d) a European visitor. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Asha is editing a notice in Patna. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ hour-long session”.
1. an hour-long session
2. hour-long session (no article)
3. a hour-long session
4. the hour-long session (when introduced only as any one member)
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Answer: (a) an hour-long session. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Dev is editing a notice in Pune. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ useful guide”.
1. an useful guide
2. the useful guide (when introduced only as any one member)
3. a useful guide
4. useful guide (no article)
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Answer: (c) a useful guide. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Ishaan is editing a notice in Surat. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ honest officer”.
1. honest officer (no article)
2. an honest officer
3. a honest officer
4. the honest officer (when introduced only as any one member)
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Answer: (b) an honest officer. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Meera is editing a notice in Bhopal. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ heir to the estate”.
1. the heir to the estate (when introduced only as any one member)
2. a heir to the estate
3. an heir to the estate
4. heir to the estate (no article)
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Answer: (c) an heir to the estate. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Choose the correct article: "___ apple a day keeps the doctor away."
1. A
2. An
3. The
4. No article
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Answer: (b) An. "Apple" begins with a vowel sound, so "an".
Ravi is editing a notice in Jaipur. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ MBA graduate”.
1. the MBA graduate (when introduced only as any one member)
2. MBA graduate (no article)
3. a MBA graduate
4. an MBA graduate
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Answer: (d) an MBA graduate. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Meera is editing a notice in Jaipur. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ heir to the estate”.
1. the heir to the estate (when introduced only as any one member)
2. a heir to the estate
3. heir to the estate (no article)
4. an heir to the estate
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Answer: (d) an heir to the estate. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Arjun is editing a notice in Jaipur. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ European visitor”.
1. a European visitor
2. an European visitor
3. the European visitor (when introduced only as any one member)
4. European visitor (no article)
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Answer: (a) a European visitor. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Asha is editing a notice in Jaipur. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ hour-long session”.
1. hour-long session (no article)
2. a hour-long session
3. an hour-long session
4. the hour-long session (when introduced only as any one member)
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Answer: (c) an hour-long session. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Kabir is editing a notice in Jaipur. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ FIR copy”.
1. FIR copy (no article)
2. a FIR copy
3. an FIR copy
4. the FIR copy (when introduced only as any one member)
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Answer: (c) an FIR copy. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Nisha is editing a notice in Jaipur. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ university student”.
1. the university student (when introduced only as any one member)
2. university student (no article)
3. a university student
4. an university student
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Answer: (c) a university student. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Tara is editing a notice in Jaipur. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ one-time payment”.
1. an one-time payment
2. one-time payment (no article)
3. the one-time payment (when introduced only as any one member)
4. a one-time payment
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Answer: (d) a one-time payment. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Dev is editing a notice in Jaipur. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ useful guide”.
1. useful guide (no article)
2. an useful guide
3. a useful guide
4. the useful guide (when introduced only as any one member)
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Answer: (c) a useful guide. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.
Pooja is editing a notice in Jaipur. Choose the correct article for the non-specific phrase: “____ union member”.
1. an union member
2. a union member
3. union member (no article)
4. the union member (when introduced only as any one member)
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Answer: (b) a union member. Article choice follows the opening sound, not merely the first letter.