Articles and Determiners for the Assam Police Constable (AB & UB) Exam
An article is a small word placed before a noun to show whether it is a particular one or any one, and a determiner is a word that fixes the quantity or the range of a noun. Together they form a regular part of the General English paper, tested mostly through fill-in-the-blanks and error detection. There is no long passage to read; the answer depends on a few clear rules about sound, count and certainty. The difficulty is that the choice between a and an depends on the sound and not on the letter, that the is used in some set phrases and dropped in others, and that words such as little and a little, few and a few carry opposite senses. This page explains the three articles, the cases where no article is used, the determiners of quantity and distribution, and the high-yield patterns that repeat in the paper. The material follows the standard grammar reference books used for Assam recruitment examinations and is reviewed before it is published.
How This Portion Is Set
The examiner usually gives a sentence with a blank and options such as a, an, the or no article, and asks for the right one. Sometimes a determiner such as few, a few, little, many or much has to be chosen. In both cases the candidate must decide whether the noun is particular or general, countable or uncountable, and singular or plural. A candidate who asks these three questions first answers faster and with fewer mistakes.
The Three Articles
- a and an are called the indefinite articles and are used with a singular countable noun that is not particular.
- the is called the definite article and is used when the noun is particular, already known or unique.
- No article is used when the noun is general, plural or uncountable.
Using a and an
The choice between a and an depends on the sound that begins the next word and not on the letter. Use an before a vowel sound, as in an elephant, an umbrella, an apple, an orange, an hour and an honest man, because hour and honest begin with a vowel sound although they begin with the letter h. Use a before a consonant sound, as in a book, a university, a European and a one-rupee coin, because university and European begin with the consonant sound of y and one begins with the sound of w.
Using the
Use the when the noun has already been mentioned, when it is the only one of its kind, and when it is made particular by a phrase. The sun, the moon, the earth and the sky take the because they are unique. The is also used with the superlative degree, as in the best player, with rivers and seas, as in the Ganga and the Brahmaputra, with mountain ranges, as in the Himalayas, with holy books, as in the Ramayana, with musical instruments, as in the guitar, and with the names of newspapers.
Cases Where No Article Is Used
No article is used before a proper noun, before an abstract noun used in a general sense, and before school, college, church, bed and market when they are used for their purpose rather than as places, as in she goes to school. No article is used before the names of meals, as in we had lunch, and before languages and most countries.
Determiners of Quantity
Some and any are used for an indefinite quantity; some is common in the affirmative and any in the negative and the interrogative. Much and little are used with uncountable nouns, and many and few with countable nouns. Little means hardly any and carries a negative sense, while a little means some and carries a positive sense. In the same way few means hardly any and a few means some.
Determiners of Distribution and Range
Each is used for one of two or more taken separately, and every is used for all the members of a group. Either means one of the two, and neither means not one of the two. All means the whole number, and none means not one. Most means the greater part. These words must agree with the noun that follows and with the verb.
Traps That Cost Marks
- Choosing a or an by the letter instead of the sound, as in a hour instead of an hour.
- Using a before a vowel sound, as in a elephant instead of an elephant.
- Using the where no article is needed, as in he goes to the school meaning as a pupil.
- Confusing little with a little and few with a few.
- Using much with a countable noun, as in much books instead of many books.
- Using every with a plural noun, as in every students.
High-Yield Rules to Memorise
- An elephant, an hour, an honest man, an umbrella, an M.A.
- A university, a European, a one-rupee coin, a unique opportunity.
- The sun, the moon, the Himalayas, the Ganga, the best player.
- Go to school, have lunch, speak Assamese, love music.
- A few friends, a little water, many books, much patience.
- Either of the two, neither of the two, each student, every child.
A Revision Plan for This Block
- Learn the a and an rule by sound, and keep a list of the exceptions such as hour and university.
- Learn the uses of the as a short list of categories.
- Learn the no-article cases separately, because they are asked often.
- Learn the pairs little and a little, few and a few with one sentence each.
- Practise ten fill-in-the-blank sentences a day and ask first whether the noun is particular.
Articles and Determiners Used in Sentences
The paper tests articles and determiners inside a sentence, and the candidate must supply the word that suits the noun. A sentence may speak of an honest man, a university student, the tallest girl in the class, or a few students present in the room. Reading the sentence first, and asking whether the noun is particular, countable and singular, answers the question more safely than recalling a list without looking at the context.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do we use a and when an?
Use a before a consonant sound, as in a book and a university, and an before a vowel sound, as in an apple, an hour and an honest man. The choice depends on the sound and not on the letter.
Why do we say an hour but a university?
Hour begins with a vowel sound because the h is silent, so it takes an. University begins with the consonant sound of y, so it takes a.
What is the difference between little and a little?
Little means hardly any and has a negative sense, as in he has little patience, while a little means some and has a positive sense, as in there is a little water in the bottle.
Where is the definite article the used?
The is used with unique things such as the sun, with the superlative such as the best, with rivers and ranges such as the Ganga and the Himalayas, and when the noun has already been mentioned.
When is no article used before a noun?
No article is used before proper nouns, before abstract nouns in a general sense, and before school, bed and similar words when they are used for their purpose, as in she goes to school.