ARTICLES - 03

*ARTICLES - 03*

A is used to mean per:

20 kilometres a litre

seventy rupees a kilo

before some numbers and fractions:

a thousand rupees [also one thousand rupees]

three hours and a half

before a singular noun that precedes a linking verb [be, am, is, are, was, were, been, become etc]:

My brother is a journalist.

She must be a nurse or doctor.

before the name of a person who is a stranger to you:

A Mr Rajashekaran has come to see you.

[also One Mr Rajashekaran has come to see you. or One Rajashekaran has come to see you. but not Mr Rajashekaran has come to see you.]

before the name of a famous or notorious person or character for a comparison:

His brother is a Shylock.
He died a Gandhi.

before the name of a artist or painter to denote a particular work of art created by that person:

The most valuable item on the show will be a Picasso.
but Are you reading Shakespeare?

A/AN is used before a singular noun when it cannot be identified. When identified, THE is used:

I helped a girl and a boy with some money.

The girl is a student and the boy is a peon.

The young man who proposed to you yesterday is my cousin.

When used in a general sense, plural nouns and uncountable nouns need no THE but THE must be used before such nouns when used in a specific sense:

Students should obey their teachers.

The students in Kerala are more educated than those from some other states in India.

Gold is a precious metal.

The gold that I purchased yesterday is of good quality.