Article : Introduction


Articles


IntroductionArticles are words used before nouns to show whether the noun is general or specific.


Article āĻšā§ˆāϛ⧇ noun (āĻŦāĻŋāĻļ⧇āĻˇā§āϝ)-ā§° āφāĻ—āϤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻšā§‹ā§ąāĻž āĻļāĻŦā§āĻĻ, āϝāĻŋāϝāĻŧ⧇ noun-āĻŸā§‹ āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖ āύ⧇ āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āϏ⧇āϝāĻŧāĻž āĻŦ⧁āϜāĻžāϝāĻŧāĨ¤


Types of Articles


There are two types of articles in English Grammar.


1. Definite Article: The


Used for a specific person, place, thing, or idea. (āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āĻŦā§āϝāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋ, āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āϤ⧁ āĻŦāĻž āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāύ⧰ āĻŦāĻžāĻŦ⧇ the āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āϕ⧰āĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


Example: i. The book on the table is mine.,  ii. The sun rises in the east.


2. Indefinite Articles: A, An


Used for a general or non-specific noun.(āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖ āĻŦāĻž āĻ…āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ noun-ā§° āφāĻ—āϤ a/an āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āϕ⧰āĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)



  • A → before consonant sounds

  • An → before vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u)


Examples: i. This is a book.,  ii. He is a boy.,  iii. She is an artist.,           iv. I ate an apple.


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General Reference vs Particular Reference


Introduction: A noun can be used in two ways depending on the meaning it gives: (āĻāϟāĻž noun (āĻŦāĻŋāĻļ⧇āĻˇā§āϝ) āχāϝāĻŧāĻžā§° āĻ…ā§°ā§āĻĨ āĻ…āύ⧁āϏ⧰āĻŋ āĻĻ⧁āϟāĻž āϧ⧰āϪ⧇ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻš'āĻŦ āĻĒāĻžā§°ā§‡:)



  1. General Reference (āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖ āωāĻ˛ā§āϞ⧇āĻ–)

  2. Particular Reference (āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āωāĻ˛ā§āϞ⧇āĻ–) 


1. General Reference (āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖ āωāĻ˛ā§āϞ⧇āĻ–): When a noun refers to any one of a class or the whole class in general, it is called General Reference. āϝ⧇āϤāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āϕ⧋āύ⧋ noun-āĻ āĻāϟāĻž āĻļā§ā§°ā§‡āϪ⧀⧰ āϝāĻŋāϕ⧋āύ⧋ āϏāĻĻāĻ¸ā§āϝ āĻŦāĻž āϏāĻŽāĻ—ā§ā§° āĻļā§ā§°ā§‡āĻŖā§€āĻ• āĻŦ⧁āϜāĻžāϝāĻŧ, āϤāĻžāĻ• General Reference āĻŦā§‹āϞāĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤


Example: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Here, apple means any apple, not a particular apple. (āχāϝāĻŧāĻžāϤ apple-āĻ āϝāĻŋāϕ⧋āύ⧋ āφāĻĒ⧇āϞāĻ• āĻŦ⧁āϜāĻžāχāϛ⧇, āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āφāĻĒ⧇āϞāĻ• āύāĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


2. Particular Reference (āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āωāĻ˛ā§āϞ⧇āĻ–) 


When a noun refers to a specific person, place, animal, or thing, it is called Particular Reference. āϝ⧇āϤāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āϕ⧋āύ⧋ noun-āĻ āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āĻŦā§āϝāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋ, āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āϤ⧁, āϜāĻ¨ā§āϤ⧁ āĻŦāĻž āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāύāĻ• āĻŦ⧁āϜāĻžāϝāĻŧ, āϤāĻžāĻ• Particular Reference āĻŦā§‹āϞāĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤


Example: The apple kept on the table was rotten. Here, apple means a particular apple kept on the table. (āχāϝāĻŧāĻžāϤ apple-āĻ āĻŸā§‡āĻŦ⧁āϞāϤ āĻĨāĻ•āĻž āĻāϟāĻž āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āφāĻĒ⧇āϞāĻ• āĻŦ⧁āϜāĻžāχāϛ⧇āĨ¤)






Difference Between General Reference and Particular Reference


General Reference āφ⧰⧁ Particular Reference-ā§° āĻĒāĻžā§°ā§āĻĨāĻ•ā§āϝ


1. Meaning (āĻ…ā§°ā§āĻĨ): 



  • General Reference: Refers to any one or the whole class in general. (āϝāĻŋāϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻāϟāĻž āĻŦāĻž āϏāĻŽāĻ—ā§ā§° āĻļā§ā§°ā§‡āĻŖā§€āĻ• āĻŦ⧁āϜāĻžāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)

  • Particular Reference: Refers to a specific person, place, or thing. (āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āĻŦā§āϝāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋ, āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāύ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āϤ⧁āĻ• āĻŦ⧁āϜāĻžāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


2. Specificity (āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟāϤāĻž)

  • General Reference: Not specific. (āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)

  • Particular Reference: Specific.(āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟāĨ¤)


3. Articles Used (āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšā§ƒāϤ Article)

General Reference: Usually uses a/an. (āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖāϤ⧇ a/an āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


Particular Reference: Usually uses the. (āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖāϤ⧇ the āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


4. Example (āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ)

General Reference: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. (āχāϝāĻŧāĻžāϤ apple-āĻ āϝāĻŋāϕ⧋āύ⧋ āφāĻĒ⧇āϞāĻ• āĻŦ⧁āϜāĻžāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


Particular Reference: The apple on the table was rotten. (āχāϝāĻŧāĻžāϤ apple-āĻ āĻŸā§‡āĻŦ⧁āϞāϤ āĻĨāĻ•āĻž āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āφāĻĒ⧇āϞāĻŸā§‹āĻ• āĻŦ⧁āϜāĻžāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


5. Trick (āĻ•ā§ŒāĻļāϞ)

General Reference = Any One (āϝāĻŋāϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻāϟāĻž)



  • A boy, An apple, A teacher


Particular Reference = Specific One (āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āĻāϟāĻž)



  • The boy in the class, The apple on the table, The teacher who taught us


Remember: i. A/An = General (āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖ), ii. The = Particular (āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ)