Study Materials for IBPS, Bank Exams : English Language : Common Erro

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.