English Grammar Tips

Important Tips for Spotting Errors in English Language

Important Tips for Spotting Errors in English – Usage of Articles:
Dear Aspirants, Here we are going to discuss about the Important Tips for spotting errors in English and Usage of Articles. Candidates those who are preparing for upcoming IBPS PO/Clerk 2017 and all other competitive exams can use this.

A
AN
THE
‘A’ can be used before consonants and before ‘u’ (yu) and ‘o’ (wo)
‘AN’ can be used before five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and consonant sound like (f, h, l, m, n, r, s& x)
‘THE’ can be used before individual nouns or already known nouns.
Usage of article ‘A’
THE PLACE OF USAGE
THE USAGE OF ‘A’
A Consonant sound
He is a student.
Singular nouns
He is a teacher
Numbers
I have a car.
Type of noun is or to be
She wants to become a doctor.
Vowels with consonant sound
It is a (not AN) useful thing.
A noun of particular type
Each one should have adictionary.
One of several
He is a member of the committee.
Quantity
I have a lot of money.
A proper noun(when compared)
He is a Tendulkar in our team.
Some drinks
Can you give me a cup of coffee?
Cost , frequency, speed
It is a costly bangle.
Substances, products
Good day is a tasty biscuit.
Noun formed from a verb
shall we have a race this evening?
Feeling
It is a relief to know that Ramesh is alive.
Particular day, season
They came here on a Sunday evening.
They first of the two nouns
We purchased a cup and saucer.
Vague sense
A Ravi phoned you yesterday.
An individual representing
A cow is a useful animal.
Usage of article ‘AN’
‘AN’ is used before vowels . ( a , e, i, o, u)
EXAMPLES
1. One day an artificial old statue came to my village.
2. I am reading an interesting story.
3. What an ugly face that cat has.
4. He is an engineer.
5. I bought an orange.
‘AN ’  IS USED BEFORE A NOUN BEGINNING WITH A MUTE ‘H’.
1. He is an honest man.
2. I waited for an hour.
‘AN‘ IS USED BEFORE CONSONANT SOUNDS SUCH AS “F, H, L, M, N, R, S, AND X”
F –I have an F.D.account at SBI.
H – It is an H.M.T watch.
L –I am an L.I.Cagent.
M –He is an M.B.A gratuate
N –You get an N.O.C certificate.
R –He is an RSS activist.
S –You sent an SMS.
X –He took an x-ray.
Usage of article “THE”
Place of usage
Usage of ‘the’
A particular noun
You meet the man.
A noun already mentioned
The boy you sent is smart.
Well known books
He bought the Bhagavad Geetha
Unique nouns
The sun sets in the west.
Newspaper and magazines
Do you read the Hindu.
Musical instruments
He knows to play the violin.
Superlatives
I saw the darkest cloud yesterday.
The ordinals ( first, second,…)
He was the first man to arrive.
Proper nouns
The john that I know he is a doctor.
Natural resources, rivers,seas,bays,etc..,
The Cauvery is the water source of Tamilnadu.
Common nouns in the sense of abstract nouns.
He played the fool.
As an adverb
The more the merrier.
Some countries, provinces
The Irish republic.
Peoples, families
The Indians, the Sharmas.
Singular as a representative of class
The rose is a beautiful flower.
Adjectives used as nouns
Hercules the novels of H.G. Walls.
Famous public buildings
The red fort is in Delhi.
A noun to give the force of a superlative
Today is he hottest day of the month.

OMISSION OF ARTICLES

  • Not used before school, college, church, hospital etc..,

Eg: Nancy goes to church every Sunday.

  • Not used before predicative nouns denoting a unique position.

Eg: He was elected Chairman of the Board.

  • In certain phrases consisting of transitive verb followed by its object.

Eg: He wants to work hard.

  • In certain phrases consisting of prepositions followed by its object.

Eg: She is at home.

  • Names of people.

Eg: This is Neena. ( not , This is a/an/the neena)

  • Names of states/ cities/ towns.

Eg: I live in Tamilnadu. (not , This is a/an/the Tamilnadu)

  • Names of days / months/ festivals.

Eg: She comes on Sunday. (not , This is a/an/the Sunday)

  • Names of continents/ countries.

Eg: He lives in America. (not , This is a/an/the America)

  • Names of languages.

Eg: We are learning English. (not , This is a/an/the English).

  • Names of subject of study.

Eg: He is a student of law. (not , This is a/an/the law).

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This post was last modified on August 28, 2020 12:15 pm

8 years ago

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