Articles (a, an, the): Rules, Uses and Common Errors

English has three articles: a, an and the. A and an are called the indefinite articles because they point to any one person or thing, not a particular one. The is the definite article because it points to a particular person or thing that the listener already knows. Lok Sewa papers test articles through fill-in-the-blanks and error spotting, so learn each rule below with its examples.

1. A or an: decided by sound, not spelling

The choice between a and an depends on the first sound of the next word, not on its first letter.

• Use a before a consonant sound: a book, a tiger, a village.
• Use an before a vowel sound: an apple, an egg, an orange, an umbrella.

Watch the words whose spelling and sound do not match:

So we say “an hour”, but “a horse”, because the h in horse is pronounced. We say “an umbrella” but “a university”, because the u in university is pronounced like “you”.

2. Uses of the indefinite article (a, an)

A and an are used only before singular countable nouns. The main uses are:

1. When we mention a person or thing for the first time: “Bimala bought a sari in Birgunj.”
2. To mean one: “Wait here for a minute.” “He has a brother and two sisters.”
3. To name a profession or a member of a group: “Hari is a teacher.” “My aunt is an engineer.”
4. To speak about any member of a class: “A cow gives milk.” (any cow)
5. To show rate: “Potatoes cost fifty rupees a kilo.” “Take this medicine twice a day.”
6. In exclamations with what and such: “What a beautiful view of Machhapuchhre!” “It was such a long day.”
7. In fixed expressions: a few, a little, a lot of, in a hurry, once upon a time.

A or an is never used before plural nouns (“a books” is wrong) or before uncountable nouns (“an advice” is wrong; say “a piece of advice” or “some advice”).

3. Uses of the definite article (the)

The is used before singular and plural nouns, countable and uncountable, when the thing is particular or already known.

3.1 Something already mentioned or clearly known

• Second mention: “Bimala bought a sari in Birgunj. The sari was red.”
• When both speaker and listener know which one: “Please close the door.” “The principal wants to see you.”

3.2 Unique things and special words

• Things of which there is only one: the sun, the moon, the earth, the sky.
• Superlatives: “Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world.”
• Ordinal numbers (first, second, third, last): “Sunita was the first student to arrive.” “Read the third chapter.”

3.3 Geographical names

3.4 Other uses of the

• Newspapers: The Kathmandu Post, The Rising Nepal.
• Musical instruments after play: “Sita plays the sarangi.” “Can you play the madal?”
• An adjective used for a whole group of people: the rich, the poor, the old, the young, the blind. These take a plural verb: “The poor need help.”

4. Zero article: when no article is used

Many nouns take no article at all. This is called the zero article.

• Proper nouns (names of people, places, countries and cities): Ram, Nepal, Kathmandu, Janakpur. But remember the exceptions in section 3.3 such as the USA.
• Single mountains: Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga. (Compare: the Himalayas, which is a range.)
• Lakes usually take no article: Rara Lake, Phewa Lake, Begnas Lake.
• Meals: “We have breakfast at seven.” “Dinner is ready.” (But “The dinner at the hotel was expensive”, when it is a particular meal.)
• Languages: “She speaks Nepali and English.” (But “the Nepali language”.)
• Games and sports: “The boys play football every evening.” “Do you like cricket?”
• Plural and uncountable nouns used in a general sense: “Books are our best friends.” “Honesty is the best policy.” “Milk is good for health.” (But “The milk in this jug is sour”, when it is particular milk.)
• Means of transport with by: by bus, by train, by air, on foot. “We went to Pokhara by bus.”
• Places used for their main purpose: school, college, church, bed.
  • “Ramesh goes to school every day.” (as a student)
  • “His father went to the school to meet the principal.” (as a visitor, so the is used)
  • “I go to bed at ten.” (to sleep)

5. Common errors and corrections

6. Worked examples

Fill in each blank with a, an, the or no article (shown as a dash).

1. Kamal is ___ engineer, and his wife is ___ doctor.
   • Answer: an, a. Engineer begins with a vowel sound; doctor with a consonant sound. Both are professions.
2. ___ Gandaki flows into ___ Ganga in India.
   • Answer: The, the. Names of rivers take the.
3. I waited for ___ hour at ___ bus stop.
   • Answer: an, the. Hour has a silent h; the bus stop is a particular one known to both.
4. My sister goes to ___ school by ___ bus.
   • Answer: -, -. School is used for its purpose (study), and by bus takes no article.
5. ___ rich should help ___ poor.
   • Answer: The, the. The plus adjective names a whole group of people.
6. We visited ___ Rara Lake, ___ biggest lake in Nepal.
   • Answer: -, the. Lakes usually take no article; biggest is a superlative.