Poetic Devices & Figures of Speech

       

INDEX :- 

 1.Definition
 2.Kinds of Articles
 3.Articles and Number System
 4.Articles and Gender System
 5. Indefinite Articles

•  Position of the indefinite article
•  Usage on the basis of sound

 6. Definite Article: Usage

 7. Omission of Articles

•  Proper nouns
•  Uncountable nouns
•  Plural indefinite nouns

 Definition:- 

  "An article (a/an/the) is a determiner. As a determiner it signals the   coming of a noun after it."

for example:- 

1. This is a car (not, This is car.)

2. This is water (not, This is a water.)

3. That is an elephant (not, That is a elephant.)

Articles are used with nouns but not all nouns are used with articles, so it is necessary to pay attention here that

1.   which noun requires an article and which doesn't and
2.   which article to use when one is required.

Kinds of Articles:- 

There are two kinds of articles:

i) Indefinite articles (a/an)

ii) Definite article (the)

Note: quantitative articles-some/any, Numeric articles- Countings

Indefinite uncountable nouns and plural indefinite countable nouns usually do not take an article:

for example:- 

 Mona bought juice. (not a/the juice)

     But nouns like these usually take a determiner some/any to indicate a certain quantity or number:

1. Mona bought some Juice. She didn't buy any Juice.

2. I bought some toys. I didn't buy any toys.

    Since some and any (determiners) are used as substitutes for articles thats why  they may be termed as  quantitative articles.

Articles and Number System:- 

The use of articles is linked to the number system of nouns. A or An is never used with a plural noun:

1. This is a pen. (not, a pens)

2. That is an apple. (not, an apples)

But the is not governed by the number system,  it can be used with singular nouns and plural nouns as well:

For example:- 

   those are the birds on the tree.

That is the bird on the tree.

 Indefinite Article:-

 Position of the indefinite article

i) a/an is an article and therefore belongs to the class of determiners. Being a determiner, its position is before the adjective.

For example:- 

•  a handsome boy.
• an intelligent girl.

ii) a/an is placed after predeterminers like           '                     many/much/rather/quite/what'

For example:-

  1. What a man he is! (not, a what man)

  2. Many a man was arrested. (not, a many man)

  3. She is such a beautiful girl that everybody fell in love with her.          (not, a such talk)

  4. she is quite a beauty. (not, a quite beauty)

iii) a/an is placed after adjectives when they are premodified by                 as/so/too/how.

For example:-

•  How beautiful a scene it is !
•   It is too hurting an animal.

Usage on the basis of sound:-

The choice between a or an is determined by the initial sound of the word following it; if the word begins with a consonant sound, use a; if the word begins with a vowel sound, use an.

Note:- that consonant and vowel refer to sound not to be the letter of the alphabet.  'A e I o U' are letters (vowels) of the alphabet, not sounds.

i)  a + consonant sound 

a is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound:

For Example:- 

a book, a cat, a dog, a fan

a university, a European

Note: 

a) -Words beginning with 'u/eu' have an initial 'y' sound, so they              take 'a':

For Example:- 

a unit, a utensil, a union, a utopia

a eunuch, a ewe, a eulogy, a euphemism

b) 'o' pronounced like 'w' is a consonant sound, so such words take         'a':

For Example:- 

a one-eyed man, a one-dayer

a one-rupee note, a one-act play

c)  an + vowel sound

     'an' is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound:

    For Example:- 

      an apple, an egg, an inkpot

      an hour, an honour, an heir

Note:  

 a)  an + a mute h (Silent h) /

• Words beginning with 'a mute h'  take 'an', not 'a':

For Example:- 

    heir, honest, honour, hour

     honorary, honorarium

1. He is an honest man.

2. Half an hour ago.

3. He is an honourable person.

4. This is an honorary post.

b)  hotel, historical, habitual, humble

1. That is a hotel.

2. This is a historical novel.

3. He is a habitual drunkard.

4. This is a humble beginning.

     'an' is not acceptable here because in current English the 'h' in these words is pronounced.

c)  an + acronyms/abbreviations

'an' is used before acronyms/abbreviations beginning with ' f, h, I, m, n, r, s, x '  because each of these consonants has an initial vowel sound 'e/a':

f (ef) h (eich) l (el) m (em)

n (en) r (aar) s (es) x (eks)

For Exapmle:-

1. He is an IAS officer.

2. It is an HTML page

3. He is an LLB.

4. He is an MP.

5. He is an NCC officer.

d) - an + number

an is used before a number beginning with a vowel sound:

For Example:- 

This is an 18- player team.

He is an 80- year old man.

but:

This is a 5-year old child.

e)-  'MS'  is an abbreviation for manuscript. The abbreviated form is usually pronounced manuscript, not 'em- es', so it takes 'a'. But MS pronounced like 'em- es' has to take 'an':

For Example:- 

This is an M5 (em- es) of my new book.

This is a M5 (manuscript) of my new book. (not an)

f) - X-mas is an abbreviation for Christmas but it is usually pronounced as 'Christmas', not 'Ex-mas', so it takes a. If pronounced 'ex-mas',

the article should be an:

a Christmas card. (not, an)

This is an Xmas (Ex-mas) card.

g):- a/an + adverb/adjective + noun

The choice of a/an does not always depend on the initial sound of the head noun. It depends on the initial sound of what follows it immediately. It can be an adjective or adverb placed before the noun:

For example:- 

an honest man, an extremely difficult problem

a great artist, a very amusing story

 

Definite Article: Usage

i):-  a/an is used before an indefinite noun, so a singular countable noun mentioned for the first time takes a/an:

For example:-  This is a pen. That is a pencil.

                         This is an apple. That is an orange.

The is used before a definite noun. When a noun is mentioned again, i.e. when it refers back to a noun mentioned already it takes the. This is called an anaphoric function of the:

For example:- 

 This is an old palace. People believe that the palace was built 500 years ago.

ii):-  The, like alan is used before a singular countable noun mentioned for the first time when it represents a class, 

i.e. when the means 'all/every'. 

This is called a generic or classifying function of the:

For example:- 

The camel is the ship of the desert.

The lion is a wild animal.

Note:

Man/mankind meaning 'all men/women' does not take a/ an/the:

For example:- 

Man is mortal. (not a/the man)

Mankind is searching for meaning.

iii):- the is used before adjectives or participles to represent a class of people:

For example:- 

the rich, the poor, the dead

the dying, the injured/wounded

The rich are not necessarily happy.

The blind deserve our sympathy.

iv) - the is used before an adjective to denote a quality:

the white/yellow of an egg

the evil, the good, the beautiful

v):-  The is used before a noun considered unique or extraordinary, i.e., a noun treated as equivalent to a superlative adjective. In this construction the means 'the best, the only, or precisely', so it has a heightening effect on the noun it modifies:

For example:-

She is the bride for him.

This is the place for our picnic.

He is the authority on the subject.

vi):-  The is used before a noun whose identity is common knowledge or can be easily inferred. In this construction the denotes a person's title, rank, or profession etc.:

For example:-

the president the Prime Minister

the principal the king/queen

the prophet the bench/bar

the postman the press/media

vii):-

The is used before a singular common noun (place/person) that can be easily inferred from the situation:

the police station the post office

the station the radio

1. Would you close the gate, please?

2. She is listening to the radio.

3. He will be on the air tonight.

4.Turn on/off the tap, please.

Note:

a) radio always takes the:

She is listening to the radio.

What's on the radio now?

b) The use of the before television is optional:

What's on the television now?

What's on television now?

But the is not used in the expression 'watch TV':

They are watching TV. (not, the TV)

viii):- The is used before common nouns denoting musical instruments:

For example:-

She is playing the violin/piano/sitar.

He is playing the drum/tabla.

He is accompanied on the violin by an Englishman.

(not, She is playing harmonium.)

ix):-  The is used before a noun denoting a unit of measure to mean 'every':

For example:-

We buy petrol by the gallon/litre.

They sell bananas by the dozen.

They are paid wages by the hour/week.

x):-  the is used before both countable and uncountable nouns (singular or plural) that are made definite by:

a) preposition/prepositional phrase

For example:-

the boy with long hair

the woman in black

the milk in the bottle

the boys/girls/teachers of this school

b) a relative clause

For example:-

the booklpen/milklsugar/she bought yesterday

the water/tea/coffee he drinks every day

the birds/animals that live in a forest

xi) The is used before a noun placed by the side of a noun clause (that-clause):

For example:-

1. The news that the PM has resigned, is not true.

2 The fact that Columbus discovered America is known to all.

xii) The is used before a singular countable noun to denote an attribute/a quality

For example:-

The monkey in man still survives.

The dancer in her is dead.

xiii) The is used before adjectives in the superlative degree:

For example:-

the best book the most beautiful flower

one of the wisest men one of the most useful animals

Note:

a) the is not used in the construction like best/like most

For example:- Which do you like best/most? (not, the best/the most)

b) the is not used before most/least when it is used in the sense of 'very':

For example:-

It is a most interesting story.

xiv) :- The is used before adjectives in the comparative degree (of the two):

For example:-

She is the taller of the two girls.

He is the wiser of the two boys.

Note:

a) the ... the

In this construction expressing parallel increase/decrease the is used twice:

For example:-

The older you grow the wiser you become.

The more you have the more you want.

xv) The is used before ordinal numbers and 'only':

For example:-

the first prize the only hope

the only son the second son

xvi):-  The is used before few/little + relative clause:

For example:-

I have read the few books/I have.

She has spent the little money/she had .

. (In this construction a is not possible)

viz., He has broken a few toys he bought yesterday.

xvii) The is used before the names of ranges of mountains and hills:

For example:-

the Himalayas the Alps

the Khasi hills the Vindhyas

Note: the is not used before the following peaks or mountains:

For example:-

Everest Kailas Kanchenjunga

Mont Blanc Olympus Snowdon

Mount Abu Parasnath

xviii) The is used before names of groups of islands:

For example:-

the Andamans the West Indies

the Hebrides the Maldives

Note: the is not used before individual islands:

For example:-

Crete Malta, Bermuda

Ireland Sicily, Sri Lanka

The is used before names of gulfs, canals, seas, and oceans:

For example:-

the Atlantic (ocean) the Pacific (ocean)

the Indian ocean the Mediterranean sea

the Persian gulf the gulf of Mexico

the Panama canal the Suez canal

xx):- The is used before names of rivers/channels:

For example:-

the Ganga the Thames

the Rhine the Avon

the Danube the Euphrates

the Indus the Amazon

the Brahmaputra the English Channel

the Tyne the Mississipi

the Nile the Sutlej/Beas

xxi) The is used before names of these countries/states:

For example:-

the Netherlands the Sudan

the Transval the Congo

the UK the USA

the Punjab the GDR

xxii) The is used before the names of holy/great books:

For example:-

the Bible the Gita

the Koran the Ramayan

the Mahabharat the Iliad

Note:- The is not used before the name of a book when it appears before the name of the author in the possessive case i.e., before name + 's:

For example:-

I have read Tulsi Dasa's Ramayan. (not, the Tulsi Dasa's Ramayan)

xxiii) The is used before names of newspapers:

For example:-

the Hindustan Times the Times of India

the New York Times the Pakistan Times

the Times the Guardian

the Statesman the Economist

the Washington Post the Dawn

Note:

 a) The is not used after noun +'s:

 For example:-

I haven't yet read today's Statesman. (not, the today's Statesman)

b) There is an increasing tendency to drop the before the names of

newspapers.

c) Names of magazines/periodicals are now usually used without the:

For example:-  Punch, Outlook, Time

                        Sunday, Today, Vogue

xxv) The is used before specifying any of the cardinal directions:

For example:- the east/west the north/south

xxv) The is used before names of inventions:

For example:-

the telephone , the microscope

the wheel ,the steam engine

Who invented the telephone? (not, telephone)

xxvi) The is used before a common noun considered unique:

For example:-

the sun/moon the sky/earth

the world/universe the sea/air

xxvii) The is used before these nouns:

cathedral, cinema, pictures, theatre, office, station, museum, zoo

For example:-

I am going to the pictures.

She is going to the cinema/theatre.

They are going to the zoo.

He is in the office now.

(not, She is going to station/museum.)

xxviii) The is used before the parts of one's body and articles of clothing:

For example:-

The stone hit him on the shoulder,

The trouser you bought fits you well.

I held him by the tielcollar.

                -:Omission of Articles:-

Proper nouns :- 

No article is used before proper nouns. So no article is used before:

i) names of people

ii) names of continents/countries

iii) names of states/cities/towns

iv) names of days/monthslfestivals

v) names of languages

vi) names of subjects of study

E.g.: 1. This is Seema/Nigel.

2. We live in Nagpur/lndia.

3. We are learning English.

4. He is a student of law/science.

Note:

a) family relations

These are not normally treated like proper nouns, so no article is

used before-father, daddy, dad, mother, mum, mummy, uncle, aunt.

For example:-

Father/Daddy is at home. (not, the father/daddy)

Mother/Mummy is out. (not, the mother/mummy)

b) names of seasons

Though names of seasons can be used with or without the, it is more

common to drop the article:

For example:-

spring , the spring

winter ,the winter

Spring is in the air.

c) names of countries

The is used before the name of a country which contains a word like

kingdom, republic, union, or states:

For example:-

the United Kingdom

the United States

the Indian Union

the German Democratic Republic

 

Uncountable nouns:- 

No article is used before uncountable nouns (material and abstract nouns):

He sells milk.

She lacks confidence.

Plural indefinite nouns

No article is used before plural nouns that are indefinite;

Bees gather honey.

Dogs bark at night.

I love birds and animals.

Note: 

The is used before a plural noun only when it is made definite by a

preposition or a relative clause:

For example:-

The apples that are on the tree are ripe.

The soldiers of this battalion are well-trained.

But:

Apples are costly. (not, the apples)