Page 16 - New Grammar with a Smile 3

Ê The article a is used

1. before a singular countable noun that begins with a
consonant sound. For example,

y He is a banker.

y I visited a zoo in Delhi.

2. before a singular countable noun that starts with a
vowel but has a consonant sound. For example,

y He studies in a university. (‘u’ sounds like ‘you’)

y Mark is a European.

3. before an adjective that comes before a countable noun. For example,

y He is a good driver.

y We gave her a picture book.

Ê The article an is used

1. before a singular countable noun that begins with a vowel sound. For example,

y She is an actor.

y They live in an igloo.

2. before a singular countable noun that starts with a consonant but has a vowel
sound. For example,

y His name starts with an F. (‘f’ sounds like ‘eff’)

y He is an MP. (‘m’ sounds like ‘em’)

3. before a silent h. For example,

y I’ll meet you in an hour.

y He is an honest man.

Ê The article the is used

1. when we talk about a particular noun. For example,

y The dog that bit me ran away.

y The sun and the moon are heavenly bodies.

2. before names of rivers, oceans, seas and mountains. For example, the Ganga,
the Pacific Ocean, the Caspian Sea, the Himalayas.

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