3. Articles — A, An, The & Zero Article — English (Precis & Composition)

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Urdu has no articles, so Pakistani candidates drop them (He is best student) or overuse them (The honesty pays). CSS papers set articles as fill-in-the-blank items and hide article errors in sentence correction.

1. A vs. An — by sound

an (vowel sound)	a (consonant sound)
an hour, an honour, an honest judge, an heir, an heirloom	a house, a hotel, a historic day (modern usage), a horse
an MNA, an MBBS doctor, an FIR, an SMS, an NOC, an LLB, an X-ray	a UN mission, a USB, a one-way street, a once-famous actor
an umbrella, an unusual case, an unknown man	a university, a uniform, a unique chance, a union, a useful book, a European, a eulogy, a ewe

2. Uses of the Indefinite Article (a/an)

One unspecified singular countable noun: I saw a snake.
Profession/class membership: He is an engineer. (❌ He is engineer.)
Rate/frequency: twice a week, Rs 500 a kilo, 60 km an hour
Before few / little with positive meaning: a few friends (some) vs few friends (almost none)
Exclamations with singular countables: What a pity! Such a waste!
a + proper noun = "someone like" / "a certain": He is a Jinnah in determination. A Mr Khan called.

3. Uses of the Definite Article (the)

Category	Examples
Already mentioned / specific	I bought a book. The book is on history.
Unique in the world	the sun, the moon, the sky, the earth, the equator, the internet
Superlatives, ordinals, only, same, very, last, next (in a sequence)	the tallest, the first, the only child, the same day
Rivers, seas, oceans, canals, gulfs	the Indus, the Jhelum, the Arabian Sea, the Pacific, the Suez Canal, the Persian Gulf
Mountain ranges, deserts, island groups	the Himalayas, the Karakoram, the Thar, the Sahara, the Maldives
Countries with plural names or common nouns	the USA, the UK, the UAE, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea
A whole class (singular noun)	The camel is called the ship of the desert.
the with an adjective = group of people	the rich, the poor, the elderly, the injured
Musical instruments	She plays the violin.
Holy books, famous buildings, newspapers, ships, trains	the Quran, the Badshahi Mosque, the Taj Mahal, the Titanic, the Khyber Mail
Historical events & periods	the Mughal Empire, the Cold War, the Industrial Revolution
Parts of a whole / directions	the north of Pakistan, the top of the page
Comparative correlative	The more you read, the more you learn.
Before a proper noun used as adjective of quality	Kalidas is called the Shakespeare of India.

4. Zero Article (no article)

Proper nouns of people, cities, countries (singular), continents, single lakes and mountains: Lahore, Pakistan, Asia, Lake Manchar, K2, Mount Everest, Nanga Parbat
Uncountable/abstract nouns used generally: Knowledge is power. Water is essential. Life is short.
Plural countables used generally: Books are our best friends.
Meals, games, languages, subjects, days, months, seasons: after breakfast, play cricket, speak Punjabi, study economics, on Friday, in winter
Institutions used for their purpose: go to school / college / hospital / bed / prison / mosque (as student, patient, prisoner, worshipper)
Transport with by: by train, by air, by car
Titles with names: President Zardari, Dr Qadeer, Queen Victoria (but the President of Pakistan)
Set phrases: at home, at night, by chance, in time, on foot, at sea, in debt, under arrest, from hand to mouth

5. Meaning Changes with the Article

Without	With
He went to hospital (as a patient).	He went to the hospital (to visit someone).
Few people came (hardly any).	A few people came (some).
He has little money (almost none).	He has a little money (some). / He spent the little money he had (all of it, though small).
Man is mortal (humankind).	The man is mortal (a particular man).

6. Exercise A — Fill in a / an / the / — (20)

…… Ravi is …… polluted river.
He is …… honest officer.
…… Mount Everest is …… highest peak in …… world.
She is …… European, not …… Asian.
…… gold is …… precious metal.
He is …… MPA from Sindh.
…… rich should help …… poor.
We go to …… mosque on …… Friday.
I have …… few friends in Quetta, so I am not lonely.
…… Quran was revealed in …… Arabic.
…… more you practise, …… better you become.
He plays …… flute beautifully.
…… Netherlands is famous for …… tulips.
It was …… unique opportunity.
He earns Rs 5,000 …… day.
…… honesty is …… best policy.
He went to …… prison to meet his brother.
…… Thar is …… desert in Sindh.
What …… beautiful view!
…… Allama Iqbal was …… poet of …… East.

Key

1 The, a · 2 an · 3 —, the, the · 4 a, an · 5 —, a · 6 an · 7 The, the · 8 the (the local one) / — (to pray), — · 9 a · 10 The, — · 11 The, the · 12 the · 13 The, — · 14 a · 15 a · 16 —, the · 17 the · 18 The, a · 19 a · 20 —, the, the

7. Exercise B — Passage (fill 10 blanks)

…… (1) Indus Valley Civilisation was one of …… (2) oldest urban cultures in …… (3) world. Its cities had …… (4) well-planned drainage system and …… (5) granaries. …… (6) archaeologist who excavated Mohenjo-daro found …… (7) seals bearing …… (8) script that has not yet been deciphered. It was …… (9) extraordinary achievement for …… (10) age.

Key

1 The · 2 the · 3 the · 4 a · 5 — · 6 The · 7 — · 8 a · 9 an · 10 its / that