Articles - Indefinite Articles 'A/An

INDEFINITE   ARTICLES   A/AN

 Indefinite Articles  ' A ' and ' An ' are the weakest forms of Adjective 'one '.

 *    Indefinite Article – ‘A’

           {1} 'A’ is used:-

      (a) Before a word which begins with a consonant.

              Example:

                      a woman,

                      a boy,

                      a table, etc.
         ………………………………………..

         (b) Before a word which begins with a consonent sound.

                      a table,

                      a book,

                      a man

         ………………………………………..

      (c) Before a singular, countable noun.

               Example:

                       a banana,

                       a pen,

                       a chair, etc.

        ………………………………………..

       (d) When we mention something for the first time.

               Example:

                         I saw a dog.
            ………………………………………..

      (e) Before a word with a long sound of ‘u’.

               Example:

               a university,

               a uniform,

               a useful book,

               a European, etc.
        ……………………………………….. 

       (f) Before the word one.

               Example:

                a one-way street,

                a one-eyed man,

                a one-year course,

                a one-day  holiday, etc. 

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    Indefinite Article –‘ An ’  

     {2} ‘An’ is used:-
    

¨        (a) Before a word which begins with a vowel.

               Example:

                       an egg,

                       an umbrella,

                        an ox,

                        an inkpot

                        an apple,

                        an orthodox society,

                        an intelligent man, etc.

         ………………………………………..

         (b) Before a singular, countable noun which begins with a vowel.

                Example:

                        an orange,

                        an apple,

                        an inkpot,

                        an egg,

                         an umbrella, etc.  

        ………………………………………..

      (c) Before a word which begins with an open vowel sound.
            
                Example:

                    an M.L.A. ,

                    an M.A. ,

                    an S.P.,

                    an L.L.B. student,

                    an MBA student etc.

        
         (d) Before a word which begins with a silent ‘h’.

               Example:

                                    an hour,

                                    an honest man,

                                    an heir,

                                    an honour,

                                    an honourable man, etc.

       

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       {3}  Repetition of Article :--

       (*) When two or more adjectives qualify the same noun, the article is normally used before the first adjective only; but when they qualify different nouns, the article is used before each :  

            *   I have a black and white horse.

              [ One horse-- which is black and white ]

        ………………………………………..

            *   I have a black and a white horse.

              [ Two horses-- one is black and the other is white. ] 

                     

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