Fill in the blanks with the articles, a, an, the.
1. Bought ______ new umbrella.
2. My uncle is ______ lecturer.
3. Put ______ ice pack on that wound.
4. To win ______ medal.
5. ______ mango tree is a useful tree.
Answer (1)
In the English language, articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. There are three articles - 'a', 'an', and 'the'. Understanding how to use them correctly can help improve your writing and speaking skills.
Here's how the articles can be applied to the given sentences:
Bought a new umbrella.
We use 'a' before a noun that begins with a consonant sound. 'Umbrella' starts with a vowel, but the pronunciation begins with the 'y' sound, which is consonant-like.
My uncle is a lecturer.
'A' is also used in front of singular nouns that start with a consonant sound. 'Lecturer' begins with a consonant sound, so we use 'a'.
Put an ice pack on that wound.
'An' is used before nouns that start with a vowel sound. Even though 'ice' starts with a consonant letter, it starts with the vowel sound /aɪ/.
To win a medal.
'A' is used here as 'medal' starts with an 'm', a consonant sound.
The mango tree is a useful tree.
'The' is used when referring to a specific item that both the speaker and listener are aware of. It implies that there is one specific mango tree being discussed.
These examples highlight the basic usage of articles: 'a' and 'an' are indefinite articles used for general items, while 'the' is a definite article, which is used for specific items.
