Tuesday, January 14, 2025 5:58 PM

Article Lecture#13
ARTICLES

Rule: “A” and “an” mean the same thing: one.

Rule: An is used before words that begin with vowel sounds.
Rule: The letter “h” is silent in some words.
Rule: The name of the letters e,f,h,I,m,n,r,s,and x begin with vowel sounds.
An orange An Indian An angry mother
An umbrella An egg An excellent paper
An idea An hour An honest person
An “f” An “o” An “m”

Rule: A is used before words that begin with consonant sounds.

The Eu and u in some words sound like the consonant sound /yu/.
One sound is like wun.
Rule: The name of the letters b,c,d,g,j,k,p,q,t,u,v,w,y,and z begin with consonant
sounds.
A jet A car A delicious hamburger
A house A doll A yellow submarine
A university A unicorn A European man
A “b” A “t” A one way street

Rule: There are two different way sto pronounce the in careful speech. Before
consonant sounds, it is pronounced [Dq].
The man The Chinese puzzle The green grass
The balloon The red house The long road
The bicycle The tall woman The difficult lesson
The union The whole pie The European man

article Page 1
 Rule: Before vowel sound, it is pronounced [Di]
The answer The ugly mask The oldest fairy
The orange The ice-cream cone The end of the story
The air The indian The eight floor
The angry girl The open umbrella The umpire
The “s” The hour before dawn The honest truth

Rule: Use a or an before nouns that are singular, countable, and indefinite.
Single= one
Countable= can be counted
Indefinite= not definite, not specific, not previously spoken about or pointed out.
e.g.
 Would you like a cookie?
 I ate an egg for breakfast.

Rule: Never use a or an with a plural noun or non-count nouns. The word some may
be used for plural indefinite or non-count nouns.
A. I ate eggs for breakfast. I ate some eggs for breakfast.
B. I had soup for lunch. I had some soup for lunch.

Rule: Countable nouns are names of things that can be counted. Most (but not all)
countable nouns have a definite size and shape.
 One chair, two chairs, three chairs…
 One idea, two ideas..
 One people, two people
 One deer, two deer
 One tooth, thirty-two teeth.

Rule: Use an(a) when you mean one, but you are not calling attention to the
number.
e.g.
 Which would you like: a cookie, an apple, or a piece of cake?
 I’ll have an apple, please.
article Page 2
 Which would you like: a cookie, an apple, or a piece of cake?
 I’ll have an apple, please.

Rule: Use one when you mean only one or wish to call attention to the number or
contrast it with another number.
a. Would you like one apple or two?
b. One apple is enough, thank you.

Rule: In order to show quantities of non-count nouns, countries or units of measure

must be used.
A bottle of ketchup A slice of bread A pint of jam
A cup of coffee A nickel A spoonful of applesauce
A dish of ice cream A pound of butter A grain of salt
A jar of mustard A quarter of the milk A dollar
A loaf of bread A gallon of water A bar of chocolate

Rule: Some words can be either countable or non-countabel, depending on their

meaning in a sentence. When the word is countable, use a (an); when it is non-
count, no article is used.
e.g.
 I ate an egg for breakfast. (a whole egg)
 I got egg on my shirt. (an indefinite amount of egg)
 His hair is black. (all of it)
 There is a hair in the soup. (a single strand of hair)
 Do you want a chicken? (a whole bird)
 Do you want chicken? (a meat of a chicken)
 Mary had a little lamb. (a baby sheep, a pet)
 Sarah ate a lamb for dinner. (meat from a lamb)
 A fish= the whole fish
 Fish= the meat from a fish
 Candy= a kind of food.
 A candy= one piece of candy

Rule: Use a or an when you are telling that someone has a job or occupation.
article Page 3
 Rule: Use a or an when you are telling that someone has a job or occupation.
e.g.
 My uncle is a teacher.
 He is a truck driver.
 Can he be a singer with such an awful voice?
 Alina is studying to be an engineer.
 Carmen is a very good cook.

Rule: Use an or a in expression of time or measurement.

e.g.
 We have gym three times a week.
 She goes to Lahore twice a year.
 I visit my grandmother once a month.
 Joe earns two dollars an hour.
 Those shoes cost thirty dollars a pair.
 Butter is a dollar seventy a pound now.
 The car was speeding at seventy miles an hour.

Rule: Use a or an in these common expressions.

1. I saw him a couple of months ago.
2. All of a sudden, the engine began to shake and rattle.
3. It has been a long time since I saw you.
4. Did you have a good time?
5. I am in a hurry to get to my class.
6. As a matter of fact, we agree with you completely.
7. It is a shame it rained during your whole vacation.
8. What a pity that she lost her job, her husband, and her best friend.
9. Charlie is always in a good mood after he has a good dinner.
10. New Yorkers always seem to be in a rush.

Rule: Do not use a or an in expression with “kind of”, “type of” or “sort of”.
1. Florida is the kind of place I like to visit.
2. Mary is the sort of daughter who makes parents happy to have children.
3. Henry is the type of person you trust immediately.
article Page 4
3. Henry is the type of person you trust immediately.

Rule: Few/ a few and little/ a little

Here are the cases where the word “a” completely changes the meaning of a
sentence.
e.g.
 Jack has few friends. He is often lonely. (few= not many, almost none)
 John has a few friends in New York. He visits them whenever he goes there. (a
few= several)
 Joe has quite a few friends. There were fifty people at his birthday party. (quite a
few= many, an impressive number)
 Nancy has little money. She cannot afford a vacation this year.

Rule: (a little= not much, a very small quantity)

 Nicky has very little money. He had to borrow two hundred dollars from his father
to help pay the rent. (very little= almost none)
 Maria has a little money. She is going to Florida for a vacation.

Rule: (a little= some, enough)

Other expressions with “a”:
1. A great many people marched in the parade.
2. A good many of my ideas come to me in my dreams.
3. A good number of students attend regularly.
4. Alina sends a great deal of his money to his parents back in Taiwan.
5. Many a foreign student has been confused by English grammar.
6. Many foreign students have been confused by English grammar.

Rule: The word “the” points out a definite person, place or thing or idea, or one that
has been mentioned before, (mention= talk about)

Rule: “The” may be used with either singular or plural nouns.

Rule: Use “the” when the listener or reader already knows which things you mean,
or when there is only one possible item you are speaking about.
article Page 5
 or when there is only one possible item you are speaking about.

Rule: Use “the” with things that are the only ones of their kind.
(There may be others in the same class of things, but we don’t usually think about
them)
e.g.
1. The sun rose at six a.m. this morning. (the sun in our solar system)
2. The moon and the stars shone last night. ( our moon and stars we ordinarily see at
night)
3. Have you read the Quran/ Bible?
4. The sky is blue.
5. The weather is great. (our present weather)
6. The world is full of opportunities. (our world)
7. Forget about the past. (the time before today)
8. Don’t worry about the future. (the time after today)
9. There is no time like the present. (now)
10. I spoke to him on the telephone yesterday.
11. I heard about it on the radio.
12. In just two minutes we will be on the air. (broadcasting over the radio)
13. In just two minutes we will be in the air. (flying in the earth’s atmosphere)
14. I saw it on television last night.

Rule: When something is outstanding, or excellent in comparison with others of its

kind, we stress the word “the” before it. In writing, we usually underline it or write
it in italic letters. In speaking, it is often pronounced [Di].
e.g.
a= sherry gave the party of the year.
B= I met the man last night.

Rule: Always use the with superlative degrees.

e.g.
1. She is the best cook I have ever known.
2. That’s the best picture in the whole museum.
3. He bought the most expensive watch in the store.
4. I buy nothing but the best for my family.

article Page 6
2. That’s the best picture in the whole museum.
3. He bought the most expensive watch in the store.
4. I buy nothing but the best for my family.

Rule: Use the definite article “the” when you want to point out something out and
make it definite.

Rule: Use the indefinite article a(an), with singular nouns that are not definite. The
plural form for the indefinite article (an,a) is no article.
e.g.
 Definite: the boys in Asad’s class are smart. (those boys)
 Indefinite: boys grow up to be men. (any boys, all boys)
 Definite: the teacher at this school are kind.
 Indefinite: teachers need special training

Rule: Do not use “the” with months, days of the week, or holidays.
e.g.
 I will see you in April.
 Wednesday comes before Thursday.
 Asad’s birthday is August 17.
 There are only 10 days till Eid.
 My family always enjoys Thanksgiving.
 New Year’s Day falls on (a) Monday this year.

Rule: Exception: use “the” in expressions such as “the fourth of July”.

e.g.
 My birthday is the twelfth of January.

Rule: When days of the week are modified by the following phrases, use “the”.
e.g.
 We can leave work a half hour early the Friday before vacation.

Rule: Do not use “the” before personal names.

e.g.
article Page 7
 e.g.
 Saif-Ullah is my friend.
 Mrs. Imtiaz is a principal.
 I saw Senator Ali.
 King George signed the treaty.

Exception: when there is more than one person by the same name, use ”the” to
make it clear which one you mean.
e.g.
 The John Brown from Los Angeles is the one I was talking about, not the John
Brown from san Francisco.

Rule: When you refer to all the people in a family, use “the” and the plural form of
the family name.
e.g.
 The Jadoons live in Abbottabad.
 All the Katos had the flu last winter.
 Have you seen the Awans lately?

Rule: Another way to refer to the entire family is to use “the” plus the family name,
plus the word family.
e.g.
 There have been many famous people in the Qureshi family.

Rule: “The” is used with some proper names followed by an adjective or noun.
e.g.
Alexander the Great jimmy the Greek Richard the Lionhearted
William the Conqueror Louis XIV (fourteen) Leif the Lucky
Elizabeth II (the second) Eric the Red Badeel the Professor

Rule: When talking about clothing or parts of the body, a personal adjective
pronoun (my, your, his, our etc.) is often used, not a definite article as in some other
languages.
article Page 8
 languages.
e.g.
 My stomach aches.
 She cuts her finger.
 Fix your tie.
 There is a hole in your shirt.
 We worked until our arms ached.
 The dog used his nose to find the robber.
 The cat knocked over the glass with its tail.

Exceptions: I have a headache, a toothache, a stomachache, a backache.

Rule: Use “the” with parts of the body after myself, himself, yourself, etc.
In phrases after on, in, over, by showing the location of an action received by the
owner of the body part, either “the” or a personal adjective pronoun may be used.
e.g.
1. Alina bumped herself on the bed.
2. He cut himself on the thumb.
3. The victim was shot in the chest. (or. In his/ in her chest)
4. The teacher pulled the boy by the ear. (or his ear)
5. The stone hit her in the shoulder. (or, in her shoulder)
6. The soldier was wounded in the leg. (or, in his leg)
7. The baby pulled the cat by the tail. (or, by its tail)
8. Compare: the ball went over his head. / he was hit over the head.

Article Lecture#14

Rule: Use the with mass noun and abstract nouns. Mass noun or non-countable
nouns that do not have definite size or shape.
Air dirt rice sugar Weather
Cloth Dust Soap Chalk Sunshine
Garbage Food Soup Oatmeal Moonlight
Paper Furniture Metal Pork Mayonnaise
article Page 9
 Garbage Food Soup Oatmeal Moonlight
Paper Furniture Metal Pork Mayonnaise
Land grass iron tea Gold

Rule: Do not use any article when talking about the entire category of a mass noun.
Even if these is an adjective before the noun.
e.g.
1. Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen.
2. Butter is fattening.
3. We need air to breathe.
4. Paper is made from wood pulp.
5. I like chocolate milk.
6. Colombian coffee is expensive.
Rule: Use “the” when you are talking about a specific example or portion of the
mass.
e.g.
1. The water from this fountain is cold.
2. The love of a dog is reliable.
3. The butter in this dish is melting.
4. The air in this room is hard to breathe.

Rule: An abstract noun is a word that names a non-tangible thing or idea, such as
emotions, qualities or actions.
(Non-tangible does not have a physical body; cannot be touched.)
These are examples of abstract nouns:
Beauty Education Literature English Anger
Truth Fear Disease Space Courage
Love Slavery Small pox War
Marriage History Religion Work
Murder Hunger Science Music
Friendship Art Health Time
Poetry peace mathematics photography

Rule: Use “the” when the noun “belongs” to a particular person, group or place.
article Page 10
 Rule: Use “the” when the noun “belongs” to a particular person, group or place.
e.g.
1. Mr. and Mrs. James were happy about the marriage of their son.
2. The War Between the States was fought between 1861 to 1865.
3. Amy is studying the history of Pakistan.

Rule: Do not use “the” when the abstract noun includes the entire category it refers
to.
e.g.
1. Mrs. Smith does not believe in marriage. (any marriage, or all marriage)
2. War is horrible. (any war)
3. History is a fascinating subject. (any or all history)

Rule: The name of a language, a school subject, or field of study usually does not
use the word “the” unless it is restricted or belongs to a particular person or place.
e.g.
1. He speaks French.
2. The French spoken in Quebec is different from the French spoken in Paris.
3. We studied literature last year.
4. Professor Nazeer teaches a course on the literature of the middle ages.

Rule: Generally, no “the “ is used with words for diseases.

arthritis AIDS Scarlet fever

Cancer Tuberculosis Diphtheria
High blood pressure Polio Appendicitis
rheumatism Sinus trouble Heart disease
Leukemia

e.g.
 He suffered from arthritis, heart diseases, and diabetes for most of his later life.
 Children must be protected against diphtheria and whooping cough.

article Page 11
 He suffered from arthritis, heart diseases, and diabetes for most of his later life.
 Children must be protected against diphtheria and whooping cough.
Exceptions:
An allergy A bad heart A backache The mumps
A tumor A broken leg (any part) A stomachache The “willies”
A cold A headache The measles
A fever A toothache The chicken pox
e.g.
1. Paul had the measles when he was six and the mumps when he was seven.
2. I have an allergy to tomatoes.
3. Loud noise gives me a headache.
4. The doctor removed a tumor from his stomach.
5. I get “the willies” when I walk past a dark cemetery at night.

Rule: Use “the” after study, practice and play for musical instruments.
e.g.
1. Joe is studying the violin.
2. Can you play the piano?
3. She had to practice the trumpet two hours a day.

Rule: Do not use “the” before school subjects, sports or games.

1. We played baseball all afternoon.
2. Jack studied mathematics for years.
3. She beat me at checkers.

Rule: Object activity words: object activity words are words that can have two
related, but different meanings.
One meaning of the word is an object (or building).
The other meaning is the activity that is connected with that object or building.
Bed school collage Class Masjid/Church
Jail prison court Town vacation

Rule: Use “the” when only the subject and building is meant.

article Page 12
 Rule: Don’t use ‘the’ when you include the activity that goes on in the object at the
building.
e.g.
 The bed in my room is comfortable. (The is used because only the physical bed is
meant)
 I go to bed at ten o clock. (The is not used because bed here means both an object
and the activity that takes place in the object: resting or sleeping)
 The English class I go to is for international students.
 We are studying about articles in English class.
 The school I go to is in the city.
 School begins at 9’o clock.

Rule: Use no article for names of countries, continents, cities, states, counties,
mountains, lakes, islands, beaches, streets, avenues, parks, heaven, hell and
paradise.
e.g.
1. Asia and Africa are continent.
2. Karachi is in Pakistan.
3. Bergen country is in New Jersey.
4. Mount Everest is in Asia.
5. Puerto Rico and Hispaniola are islands.
6. We walked from Washington Square up Fifth Avenue to Central Park.
7. Lake Erie is between New York state and Canada.
8. Insa dreamed she went in Paradise.

Rule: Use “the” with the groups of island or lakes and mountain ranges, or names
with plural forms.
e.g.
 The Philippines were names after Philip II of Spain.
 Cuba is known as the “the pearl of eth Antilles”.
 The Great Lakes are far from the Rocky Mountains.
 Another name for Holland is the Netherlands.
 The Andes Mountains are higher the Alps.]
 The Azores are near the Canary Islands.
 Many alligators live in The Everglades.
article Page 13
 The Andes Mountains are higher the Alps.]
 The Azores are near the Canary Islands.
 Many alligators live in The Everglades.

Rule: Use the with the names containing union, united, kingdom, republic, empire
or dynasty.
 The Soviet Union
 The Kingdom of Sweden
 The USSR
 The United States
 The People's Republic of Chine
 The Han Dynasty
 The United Arab Republic

Rule: Certain city names contain “the”

 The Hague
 The Bronx

Rule: Some nicknames of cities contain “the”

 "The Big Apple"
 “The City of Brotherly Love"

Rule: Names of streets, when followed by a phrase with “of” use the
e.g. The Avenue of the Americas

Rule: Use the with deserts, peninsulas, oceans, seas, gulf, rivers, canals, bridges,
tunnels, zoos and gardens
 The Sahara is a huge desert, bigger than the Mojave.
 The Red Sea separates Egypt from Israel and Saudi Arabia.
 The George Washington Bridge crosses the Hudson River
 Cars can also cross via the Lincoln Tunnel or the Holland Tunnel
 Children love the Bronx Zoo but are sometimes bored with the Botanical Garden.
 The Mississippi and the Amazon are the two largest rivers in the world, while the
Nile is the longest.
article Page 14
 Nile is the longest.

Rule: Use the with North, South, East, and West when they are used to refer to a
section of the country or of the world.
 The Civil War was fought between the North and the South.
 The Northeast is more densely populated than the Southwest.

Rule: Use the with north, south, east and west, after a prepositional phrase.
 The United States is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Pacific Ocean
on the west, and the Gulf of Mexico on the south.

Rule: When north, south, east, and west, are used single word adverbs, do not use
the
 The explorer looked east, then west. He tested the wind and decided to continue
north
 New York is south of Boston.
 California is west of Nevada.

Rule: Colleges, schools and universities: Use the if the name of the school is
followed by a phrase beginning with of or for
 The University of Southern California
 The City College of New York
 The College of William and Mary
 The School for the Blind

Rule: Do not use the if there is no phrase following the name of the school.
 Rutgers State University
 Notre Dame Northwestern University
 Columbia University
 Harvard
 Yale

Rule: Do not use the if you use the initials only of the school.

article Page 15
 Rule: Do not use the if you use the initials only of the school.
 I graduated from C.C.N.Y., but my brother went to U.C.L.A.

Rule: Use the with names of buildings

 The Museum of Natural History
 The Smithsonian the Gallery of Modern Art
 The Empire State Building
 The Holiday Inn
 The Jefferson Memorial
 The White House
 The World Trade Center
Exceptions: names of building with Hall, hospital, do not use the.

Rule: Some building with House do not use the.

e.g.
 The name of her dormitory was Archer Hall.
 Valley Hospital is in Westwood; university Hospital is in Manhattan.
 Blair House is in Washington D.C.

Rule: Do not use “the” with the names of businesses.

 Macy's
 Bloomingdales
 Con Edison
 Ford
 Saks Fifth Avenue
 Black and Tan Buses
 New Jersey Bell
 Jeffrey's Repair Shop
 IBM
Exceptions: When the last word in the company name is company, the is sometimes
used.
 The Bridgetown Lumber Company the Ford Motor Company
 The A & P (the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company)
article Page 16
 The Bridgetown Lumber Company the Ford Motor Company
 The A & P (the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company)

Rule: About 80% of magazines do not use the with their titles:
e.g.
 Discovery
 Playboy
 Ms.
 Ebony
 Scientific American
 Newsweek
 Reader's Digest
 TV Guide
 Dawn
 Better Homes and Gardens,
 But;
 The Quarterly Review
 The Saturday Evening Post
 The New Yorker

Rule: Most newspapers have the word the in their titles:

 The New York Times
 The Daily News
 The Campus Reporter
 The Post
 The Wall Street Journal
 The Washington Post
e.g.
a. When I got home, the first thing I did was read The Post.
b. Would you get me The Times while you are at the store?

Rule: Use the with the names of periods of history (ages, years, and centuries) and
the names of wars, battles, agreements, treaties, and alliances.
 The Golden Age of Greece
article Page 17
 The Golden Age of Greece
 The Pax Romana
 The American Revolution
 The Middle Ages
 The Stone Age
 The Industrial Revolution
 The Grand Alliance
 The nineteen eighties
 The twelfth century
 The Renaissance
 The Roaring Twenties
Exceptions:
 World War One
 World War Two

Rule: Use the with ordinal numbers before a noun,

(ordinal numbers first, second, third, fourth, etc.) (Next and last are sometimes used
like ordinal numbers. In these cases, use the.
a. The first person to arrive was Mr. Hendricks.
b. The second person was Mrs. Smally.
c. We live on the fourth floor.
d. The last month of the year is December.
e. Sharon ate too much on her birthday. The next day she was sick.

Rule: Next/last year, week, month, holiday or season: If the point of time you are
starting from is now, do not use the
a. Next year we are going to the mountains for vacation
b. Last week our company sold three thousand widgets
c. I hope we can come to visit you next summer.
d. We had a good time last New Year's Eve,

Rule: Do not use “the” with certain phrases with ordinal numbers.
 It was love at first sight.
article Page 18
 It was love at first sight.
 On second thought, his idea seems quite useful.
 At first glance, it looked like the right one.

Rule: When a number follows a noun, do not use the

a. I read Chapter Nine and Chapter Eight for homework.
b. The plane departs from Gate Four.

Rule: Use “the” for names of sports teams, groups, organizations and government
departments.
 The American Red Cross
 The New York Mets
 The Philharmonic Orchestra
 The town council
 The House of Representatives
 The fire department
 The police
 The board of education
 The United States Senate
 The I.R.S.

MCQ'S
1. Choose the correct article to complete the sentence:
○ I saw ___ elephant in the zoo yesterday.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article

2. Choose the correct article to complete the sentence:

○ She is ___ best player in the team.
a) a
b) an
c) the
article Page 19
 a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article
3. Fill in the blank with the appropriate article:
○ We need to hire ___ honest worker for this job.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article
4. Choose the correct article to complete the sentence:
○ ___ sun is shining brightly today.
a) A
b) An
c) The
d) No article
5. Choose the correct article to complete the sentence:
○ She doesn’t own ___ car.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article

6. Choose the correct article to complete the sentence:

○ ___ books on that shelf are mine.
a) A
b) An
c) The
d) No article
7. Choose the correct article to complete the sentence:
○ There isn’t ___ milk in the fridge.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article

8. Choose the correct article to complete the sentence:

○ We are going to ___ park later.
a) a
b) an
c) the
article Page 20
 c) the
d) no article
9. Choose the correct article for the sentence:
I saw a documentary about ___ Amazon River.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article
10. Choose the correct article for the sentence:
She loves playing ___ cricket in her free time.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article
11. Choose the correct article for the sentence:
___ English is one of the most spoken languages in the world.
a) A
b) An
c) The
d) No article
12. Choose the correct article for the sentence:
Have you read latest issue of ____Time magazine?
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article
13. Choose the correct article for the sentence:
___ Asia is the largest continent in the world.
a) A
b) An
c) The
d) No article
14. Choose the correct article for the sentence:
I would love to visit ___ Maldives next year.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article
15. Choose the correct article for the sentence:
___ Nile is the longest river in the world.
article Page 21
 ___ Nile is the longest river in the world.
a) A
b) An
c) The
d) No article
16. Choose the correct article for the sentence:
He is studying ___ physics at university.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article
17. Choose the correct article for the sentence:
They live in ___ United Kingdom.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article
18. Choose the correct article for the sentence:
She enjoys reading ___ DAWN every day.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) no article

article Page 22