English Grammar Articles for Class 5
In this article, we will be learning about the English Grammar Articles for Class 5. This will help you in preparing for your examination. Articles are words that appear before the nouns to tell if the noun phrases are specific or general. Some noun phrases might not have articles as well. The articles can be divided into definite articles and indefinite articles.
A Definite article is used when any listener is aware of the noun’s identity. Indefinite articles can be utilised when any listener is not aware of the referent or when there is no need for the listener to know the identity of the referent.
So, in a context, "the'' is the definite article, and it can be placed before singular, plural, countable and uncountable nouns. And, "a" or "an" are the indefinite articles that can be placed before singular, count nouns. "A" is placed before the singular count nouns beginning with consonants, and "an" is placed before singular count nouns starting with vowels. In this article, we will further study the CBSE Class 5 English Grammar Articles, their usage and if there is an exception to the general rule.
Definite Article
The article (the) is the only commonly used definite article before a noun to indicate the definite identity of the noun to the reader. This is done when the speaker believes that the listener already knows what they are referring to.
Rule 1: When referring to something that the reader believes the listener already knows
The lady was walking down the road.
Rule 2: When assuming that there is just one of it in place
Where is the library?
Rule 3: When referring to a unique object
The sun is shining brightly today.
Rule 4: When referring to a singular or a plural noun
The teacher gave away all the books.
Rule 5: When referring to something that cannot be counted and is a plural common noun.
All the money at the bank was robbed.
Rule 6: When referring to Geographical places (nouns), usually proper nouns, depending on the size and plurality of the noun.
The Ganga is a holy river.
Rule 7: When a generalised group is referred.
The mountaineers were of great help.
Rule 8: While using before superlatives and ordinal numbers
She was the tallest person in the class.
Rule 9: When referring to Decades
This movie was released in the late 70s
Rule 10: When referring to clauses introduced by the word, only
The only person she listens to is you.
Indefinite Articles
An indefinite article is an article that tries to describe a noun for the first time without actually specifying what exactly it is about. There are two indefinite articles: a and an.
Usage of Article “a”
Article A is utilised before a noun that starts with a consonant.
Example: I have a dog.
Usage of the article "an"
The article An is used before a noun that starts with a vowel.
Example: I have an umbrella.
Choosing between a or an
The general rule is that article A is utilised before a consonant, and the article An is utilised before a vowel. But there is another rule that says that when a word begins with a vowel sound or a consonant sound, the sound will take priority, whatever the letter may be.
Example :
He waited for an hour.
Rosie studied at a University.
Are you still not sure about adding the right article? Do not worry when PlanetSpark has all the basic needs to solve your grammar problems!
Placement of Articles before adjectives
Articles generally are regarded as adjectives in themselves as they describe the noun that they precede. Primarily, articles precede descriptive adjectives in a sentence.
Examples :
I have a ballpoint pen.
She bought me an apple pie at the bakery.
Raju was the tallest person in our class.
Usage of Articles with Pronouns
Possessive pronouns like articles help identify whether one is talking about a specific or non-specific item. So grammatically, it is incorrect to use both a possessive pronoun and an article in the same sentence as both denote specificity.
Example :
She is playing with the my toy - this sentence is incorrect.
She is playing with the toy.
She is playing with my toy.
The above two sentences are correct.
Does this choice seem tricky? Well, head right into Planet Spark’s curriculum to get this right.
Complete Omission of Articles
Articles form part of the sentences and phrases in the English language. However, there are certain sentences or phrases that do not require the usage of articles. There are a few rules that state the omission of articles. They are:
Articles are not to be placed before languages.
E.g. Chinese is the most complicated language.
Articles are not to be used before the names of subjects such as Science, Social, Maths, etc.
E.g. I do not like Mathematics as it is numerical.
Articles are to be omitted while referring to any meal.
E.g., At what time did you have lunch?
Articles are not to be used in front of festivals, seasons, hospitals, colleges, temples, etc.
E.g. Winter is the most awaited season of the year.
Raju does not like to go to school on Mondays.
A lot of people go to Church on their birthdays.
Articles are to be omitted when pairs of common nouns are used.
E.g., Both girls and boys are good at Cricket.
Articles are to be omitted when referring to the word "God."
E.g. God is great.
A lot of people pray to God when they are in need.
There are a lot of people who do not believe in God.
Still confused about how this works? Try enrolling in a course with Planet Spark!
Conclusion
From this article, we have read about the meaning, usage and types of articles and how to place them. These articles add awareness to the reader or the listener regarding the identity of the noun. In every sentence or phrase, it is necessary to give clarity to the reader on what is being addressed.
Sometimes there might not be a requirement of articles in any of the sentences because it might be an abstract or an uncountable noun like a feeling, a thought, etc.
We must make sure that these articles are rightly placed in a sentence. Grammar has the highest importance in a language, so one must make sure to use the articles correctly to make the sentence crisp and clear. This article gives a clear understanding of the English Grammar Articles for Class 5.
Planet Spark is one such platform that enables potential growth in your skill sets. Enrol now and make use of this opportunity.
FAQs
- What are the rules of articles in Grammar?
Articles are a type of adjective that are placed before nouns or equivalents of nouns in a sentence or a phrase. The definite article “the” is placed before a noun when the reader or the listener is aware of the identity of the noun. The indefinite articles “a” and “an” are placed before the nouns when the reader or listener is not aware of the noun’s identity. These Articles for Class 5 are easy to grasp when the rules are understood.
- When should we not use articles?
Only countable and singular nouns require articles, while uncountable and plural nouns do not require articles. Articles should not be placed before the names of countries, people, rivers, continents, cities, lakes, etc. Articles are also not used before uncountable and abstract nouns.
- How do you introduce an article in grammar?
Articles are precedents to the nouns and are placed either before the noun or before the adjective clause/phrase that is used for the noun. Moreover, articles determine whether the mentioned noun in a sentence is definite or indefinite.
- Why are articles important in English Grammar?
Similar to adjectives, articles help in clarifying the meaning of the noun that forms parts of a sentence. This can help modify the meaning of a noun that might be a person, place, object, thing or idea. Abstract and uncountable nouns do not require articles.
- What are the rules for articles?
There are three basic rules for articles.
- Rule 1: When the specific identity is not known, countable nouns have "a" or "an", and uncountable nouns do not have any article.
- Rule 2: When the specific identity is known, both countable and uncountable nouns use “the” as their article.
- Rule 3: For general things, no articles are added.
