Aurmita

📘 Articles (English Grammar)
Articles are small words placed before nouns to show whether the noun is general or specific.

There are two types of Articles in English:
1️⃣ Definite Article
2️⃣ Indefinite Articles

1️⃣ Indefinite Articles: A / An
A and An refer to any one person or thing, not a specific one.

Use A
Before words that begin with a consonant sound.

Examples:
• a book
• a teacher
• a university

Example sentence:
She is a teacher.
— সে একজন শিক্ষক।

Use An
Before words that begin with a vowel sound.

Examples:
• an apple
• an egg
• an honest man

Example sentence:
He ate an apple.
— সে একটি আপেল খেয়েছে।

🔎 Important:
It depends on sound, not only the letter.

Example:
• an hour (h is silent)
• a university (sounds like “yu”)

2️⃣ Definite Article: The
The refers to a specific person or thing that both the speaker and listener know.

Example:
Close the door.
— দরজাটি বন্ধ করো।

Common Uses of The
1️⃣ When something is already known

Example:
I saw a dog. The dog was barking.

2️⃣ With unique things

Example:
• the sun
• the moon
• the earth

Sentence:
The sun rises in the east.

3️⃣ With rivers, seas, oceans

Examples:
• the Padma
• the Nile
• the Bay of Bengal

Sentence:
The ship sailed across the Bay of Bengal.

4️⃣ With superlatives

Examples:
• the best
• the tallest
• the most beautiful

Sentence:
She is the best student in the class.

5️⃣ With musical instruments

Example:
He plays the guitar.

When Articles Are Not Used
1️⃣ Before most proper nouns

Examples:
• Rahim
• Dhaka
• Asia

Sentence:
Rahim lives in Dhaka.

2️⃣ With general plural nouns

Example:
Books are useful.

3️⃣ With uncountable nouns (in general sense)

Example:
Milk is good for health.

Quick Summary
Article Use
A before consonant sound
An before vowel sound
The specific or known noun

Example:
I saw a dog. The dog was running.

✅ Student Tip
Think like this:
A / An → any one
The → specific one