A. Articles
The words
a or
an and
the are called Articles.
a or an is called indefinite article.
The is called the definite article.
The choice between a and an is determined by sound.
Before a word beginning with a vowel sound "an" is used ( singular common noun )
Eg. An enemy , an orange ,an ink pad , an ice cave , an interesting story , an umbrella ,An hour , an honest man , an heir , an MLA , an H.B. Pencil , etc.
Before a word beginning with a constant sound "a is used ( singular common noun)
A boy , a woman , a girl , a monkey, a horse , a hole , a university, a unique thing , a European, a union , a one eyed man , etc.
Examples :
1. Copper is a useful metal.
2. He is not an honourable man.
3. Rustam is a young parsee.
4. He returned after an hour.
5. I first met him a year ago.
6. Sanskrit is a difficult language.
7. You are a fool to say that.
8. Anne is an outstanding student.
9. Draw a map.
10. Madhu is a model and an artist.
Use of the definite article “The"
1. When we talk about a particular person or thing , or one already referred to
Examples :
The book you want is out of print.
The pen you gave me is lost.
Let’s go to the park.
2. When a singular noun is meant to represent a whole class as
The cow is a useful animal. ( cows are useful animals )
The cat loves comfort. ( all cats love comfort)
The rose is the sweetest of all flowers. ( all roses...)
3. Before name/s of
1. Oceans and seas : the pacific , the black sea
2. Rivers : the Nile , the Ganga,etc.
3. Canals : the suez canal,etc.
4. Deserts : the sahara desert,etc.
5. Group of islands : the west indies,etc.
6. Moutain ranges : the himalayas
7. Group of countries : the United kingdom, the USA
8. Holy books : the ramayana, the vedas,the Bible,the Quran,the Mahabharata
9. Name of things unique of their kind : the sun , the earth, the sky,the stars
4. With superlatives :
the darkest cloud , the worst part , the best book, the tallest boy , etc.
5. With ordinals : the first man to arrive , the ninth chapter of the book
6. Before an adjective when noun is understood : the poor are always struggling to survive.
The rich never pay heed towards the poor.
7. As an adverb with comparatives : the more the merrier
The more they get , the more they want.
8.Seven wonders : the taj mahal , the great wall of china
More examples...
1. We live near the sea. The houses in our area are expensive.
2. He wanted to live in the Himalayas.
3. She wants to become a doctor to help the poor.
4. The sun is just rising.
5. The boy , who stood first , got the prize.
6. Freedom is the main theme of this play.
7. The lotus is a lovely flower.
8. The camel is the ship of the desert.
9. Kalidas is the Shakespeare of India.
10. Socrates was the wisest of Greek Philosophers.
B. Prepositions
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show it's relation to some other word in the sentence.
Prepositions of
1. Place
1. He ran across the road.
2. She fell among the thorns.
3. He was at the foot of the tree.
4. He stood behind the door.
2. Time
1. He came at 10 o'clock.
2. You should return before the night falls.
3. He waited for months.
3. Manner
1. It came by courier.
2. He cut it with a knife.
3. They fought with courage.
4. He succeeded by hard work.
4. Reason and purpose
1. I am playing football with my friends.
2. They went for an interview.
3. We struggled for freedom.
4. She died of high fever.
5. Possession
1. I saw a boy with purple hair.
2. Delhi is the capital of India.
3. He is a man of principles.
6. Direction/motion
1. He fell into the well.
2. She walked towards the library.
3. The moon moves round the earth.
More examples...
1. He was standing beside her.
2. The land was ploughed by the farmer with the help of a tractor.
3. You can divide this between the two of you.
4. They decided to live in a small house.
5. It is so hot in the day but cold at night.
6. We got the news in the morning.
7. She has come to stay with us for her studies.
8. Radhika sat on the bench.
9. The cat was sleeping under the table.
10. He walked across the park.
