Articles: A, An, The
A vs An — Rules:
- A → before consonant sound: a university, a European, a one-eyed man, a useful book
- An → before vowel sound: an honest man, an hour, an MBA, an X-ray, an MP, an heir
- মনে রাখুন: বর্ণ নয়, উচ্চারণ দেখতে হবে!
Indefinite Article (A/An) — When to use:
- First mention of a singular countable noun: "I saw a bird."
- Profession: "He is a doctor."
- Before "certain / similar / particular": "A certain man came."
- Exclamatory: "What a beautiful flower!"
Definite Article (The) — When to use:
- Second mention / already known: "I saw a bird. The bird was blue."
- Unique things: the sun, the moon, the earth, the sky, the world
- Superlative: "He is the best student."
- Ordinal numbers: "the first, the second"
- Rivers, seas, oceans: the Padma, the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean
- Mountain ranges: the Himalayas (but NOT Mount Everest)
- Newspapers: the Daily Star, the Prothom Alo
- Holy books: the Quran, the Bible, the Gita
- "The + adjective = plural noun": the poor (= poor people), the rich
- Musical instruments: play the guitar, the piano
- Inventions/Species: "The computer has changed the world."
- Nationality (whole nation): "The Bangladeshi are hardworking."
No Article (Zero Article):
- Proper nouns (most): Bangladesh, Dhaka, Asia
- Languages: English, Bangla, Arabic
- Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner (general)
- Games/Sports: cricket, football, chess
- Subjects: Mathematics, History, Physics
- Single mountains/lakes: Mount Everest, Lake Baikal
- Abstract nouns (general): Honesty is the best policy.
- Before possessive: my book (not the my book)
পরীক্ষায় বারবার আসা Confusing Pairs:
| With "The" |
Without "The" |
| the Quran |
Allah |
| the Padma |
Lake Baikal |
| the Himalayas |
Mount Everest |
| the USA |
Bangladesh |
| the piano (play) |
cricket (play) |
| the rich (= rich people) |
honesty (abstract) |