ERRORS IN THE USE OF ARTICLES - 3

ERRORS IN THE USE OF ARTICLES - 3

(q) The is used with a particular person or thing is meant.

E.g. Joanna is in the garden. (i.e. the garden of her house)

I went to the Post Office. (i.e the post office where I usually go)

(r) The is used before a proper Noun as a Common Noun.

E.g. Kalidasa is the Shakespeare of India.

Mumbai is the Manchester of India.

(s) The is used before the names of Newspapers (the Hindu, the Hindustan Times,

the Indian Express),

names of noted public places and important events (the High Court, the Senate

House, the French Revolution, the Reformation),

Ordinal numbers (George the Fifth, Chapter the Second),

names of trains (the Brindavan Express, the Circar Express),

names of museums and certain buildings (the British Museum, the Salarjung

Museum, the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange),

common nouns as a substitute for the Possessive Adjectives (I struck him on the

(his)head. He stared in the (my) face.

Note:- The is omitted befre Abstract Nouns, Plural Nouns, Proper Nouns, Names of

Materials, Meals and Colours when they are used in a general sense.

SOME EXERCISES

01. (W) The both industrious students sat up the half night.

( R) Both the industrious students sat up half the night.

Note:- Here the position of the definite article is wrong.

We should not put “the” before : all, half, double or both. It must follow them.

02. (W) I received a letter on April the 21st.

( R) I received a letter on April 21st. (or)

I received a letter on April the twenty-first.

Note:- The correct usage is April 21st or Aqpril the twenty-first. Similarly with Kings:

Charles II or Charles the Second.

03. (W) She drives her car at 60 miles each hour.

( R) She drives her car at 60 miles as hour.

Note:- The distributive use of Indefinite Article should be correct. We have to replace

each, every, one, per or the by a or an in ordinary distributive use.

04. (W) I play violin, but not piano.

( R) I play the violin, but not the piano.

Note:- The definite article should be used before the names of musical instruments.

05. (W) English are fond of sports.

( R) The English are fond of sports.

Note:- The definite article must be placed before the names of nationalities,

describing a people collectively; as, the British, the French, the Dutch, the Swiss, etc.

Exception:- Plural nouns standing for the people of a particular country, however, are

not preceded by the , if the people question are thought of individually.

E.g. Indians have dark skins.

Russians drink Vodka.

06. (W) He is not teacher, he is student.

( R) He is not a teacher, he is a student.

Note:- The Indefinite Article a or an must be used to express a singular

noun-complement of the verb “to be”.

07. (W) He gave me a good advice.

( R) He gavbe me good advice.

Note:- The Indefinite Article is not used before singular nouns that are not used in

the plural,

such as advice, information, work, furniture, bread.