Articles (A, An, The) Notes for SSC Exams

Articles (a, an and the) are the smallest words of English, but they carry many marks in SSC error spotting and fill in the blanks. The questions test whether you know when to use a, an or the, and when no article is needed. These articles notes for SSC explain all the rules with simple examples, a table of common errors and practice questions.

Types of Articles

Use of A and An

• Use a before a word that begins with a consonant sound: a book, a university, a one-rupee note, a European.
• Use an before a word that begins with a vowel sound: an apple, an hour, an honest man, an MBA, an umbrella.
• The sound matters, not the spelling: university starts with the sound "yoo", so we say "a university".
• Use a or an only with singular countable nouns, never with plural nouns.

Use of The

Omission of Articles (No Article)

Special Rules

• Use "a" or "an" with the meaning "per": He earns Rs 500 a day.
• Use "a" with "few" and "little" to show some: A few friends came (some came). Few friends came (almost none).
• Use "the" before an adjective to name a whole group: the poor, the rich, the young.
• Do not use an article before "most" when it means "almost all": Most people like music.
• Use "a" in exclamations: What a beautiful day!
• Use "the" with "same": He is the same man.

Common Errors

Quick Tips

• Look at the sound of the first letter, not the spelling, before choosing a or an.
• Use "the" for superlatives, unique things and rivers, seas and mountains.
• Do not use an article before names of persons, languages, meals and sports.
• Do not use a or an with uncountable nouns like advice, information and furniture.

Quick Revision Points

• A is used before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound.
• The is used for a particular or unique thing.
• No article before proper nouns, languages, meals and sports.
• Use the before a superlative.
• "A few" means some and "few" means almost none.

Practice Questions With Answers

1. Fill in the blank: He is ___ honest man.
   Answer: an
2. Fill in the blank: She studies in ___ university.
   Answer: a
3. Fill in the blank: ___ Ganga is a holy river.
   Answer: The
4. Fill in the blank: He is ___ tallest boy in the class.
   Answer: the
5. Fill in the blank: I have ___ lunch at 1 pm.
   Answer: (no article)
6. Fill in the blank: ___ sun rises in the east.
   Answer: The
7. Fill in the blank: She plays ___ violin.
   Answer: the
8. Fill in the blank: He earns Rs 400 ___ day.
   Answer: a
9. Correct the sentence: I met an European yesterday.
   Answer: I met a European yesterday.
10. Correct the sentence: He is the Rahul.
    Answer: He is Rahul.

How to Practise This Chapter

Learn the rules in three groups: a and an, the, and no article. Then solve ten fill in the blanks and ten error spotting questions daily. Attempt timed sets from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. Read the next chapter, Active and Passive Voice, and see all topics on the English notes page. Read the Noun notes too, because articles depend on the type of noun.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are articles in English?

Articles are the words a, an and the. They are used before nouns to show whether the noun is specific or not.

What is the difference between a and an?

Use "a" before a consonant sound and "an" before a vowel sound, for example a book and an apple.

Why do we say "an hour" and "a university"?

The word hour starts with a vowel sound because h is silent, and university starts with the consonant sound "yoo".

When do we use the definite article "the"?

We use "the" for a particular thing, a unique thing, superlatives, rivers, seas, mountain ranges and holy books.

When do we not use any article?

We do not use an article before names of persons, languages, meals, sports and general plural or uncountable nouns.

Can we use "a" before plural nouns?

No. The articles a and an are used only before singular countable nouns.

What is the difference between "few" and "a few"?

"A few" means some, which is positive, while "few" means almost none, which is negative.

Do we use an article before uncountable nouns?

No. Nouns like advice, information and furniture do not take a or an.

Do we use "the" before "most"?

No. When "most" means almost all, we do not use "the", as in "Most people like music".

How are articles asked in SSC exams?

They are asked in error spotting, fill in the blanks and sentence improvement questions.

How can I improve in articles?

Learn the rules with examples, and practise at least ten questions every day.

How many questions come from articles in SSC exams?

Usually one or two questions come from articles in SSC English papers, but the number changes from year to year.