Study Materials for IBPS, Bank Exams : English Language :
Common Error
1. Articles: There are three articles in English—a, an and the. A and an
are called indefinite article.The is the definite article. An article is placed
before a noun. If there is an adjective before a noun, the article is placed
before the adjective:
a train,
a fast train,
an incident,
an unusual incident
Note: We can never use a singular count noun alone, that is, without
a/an/the/my/some/any etc.
2. A/an: Singular count nouns take the indefinite article a/an with them:
a ball
an egg
a dog
an elephant
Uncount nouns do not generally take an article with them. we do not
generally say
a milk
a beauty
a wisdom
for milk, beauty, wisdom cannot be counted.
3. We use a with singular count nouns beginning with a consonant sound:
a girl
a map
a university
a union
a one-sided affair
a one-rupee note
Note: That the words university, union, and one begin with a vowel but no
a vowel sound. University and union begin with the yoo sound while one begins
with the w sound.
Well-known words which begin with a vowel but take a with them are:
European
uniform
union
unit
universal
usual
useful
eau-de-cologne
4. An: An is used before words beginning with a vowel sound:
an umbrella
an opportunity
an honest boy
an honourable person
The letter h in honest and honourable is not sounded. Common words in
English which begin with an unsounded h are:
heir
heiress
honest
honorary
honourable
hour
hourly
5. In abbreviations, if consonants begin with a vowel sound, they take an
before them:
an M.P.
an S.P.
But if consonants begin with a consonant sound, they take a before them:
a Ph.D.
a B.Ed.
6. Note the use of a in the following phrases:
a pity a shame
a pleasure a noise
a rage a nuisance
a headache a toothache
a bad cold in a whisper
in a low voice in a loud
voice
