Linked table of contents:

• Introduction

• Rules for articles

• Under what conditions are articles not used

• Uses of articles

• Conclusion

• FAQs

Introduction

Articles are an important part of English grammar. They are asked in many kinds of competitive exams and daily life. It is important to learn and practice articles both verbally and in writing. English grammar articles for class 8 have many important rules and other important points to remember while writing an article. There are two types of articles; definite article (the) and the indefinite article (an and a). They are one of the most important parts of English grammar and speech. A sentence is incomplete and wrong without a perfect article. They are asked in many examinations and tests. Class 8 English articles form a basis for perfect English language and fluency. For more information, you can visit https://www.planetspark.in/ or BOOK a FREE Class with our Language Expert.     

What are articles?

The determination of a noun ( general or specific) is done with the help of articles. They combine with one or more nouns to make a better sense of the sentence.

Some examples are:

1. The long day

2. The mug of coffee

3. The healthy food

Here, in the above phrases, the article used is 'the'. It specifies which mug of coffee, which day and which kind of food.

Rules for articles

There are the following rules for class 8 English grammar articles (a, an, and the), which depend on different types of articles.

• Rule 1

The first rule of articles states that 'the' should only be used before the nouns (singular noun or plural noun), which is specific. It points out a particular person, place, object, or another thing.

Some examples are given below:

1. The teacher in the examination was sweet.

2. He won all the money in the lottery.

 

• Rule 2

If the listener is aware of the topic which the speaker tells, then 'the' is used.

Some examples are given below:

1. The oranges in the fridge which were kept last night are still fresh.

2. I completed all the homework.

 

• Rule 3

‘The’ is used when the speaker talks about the whole group or class.

Some examples are given below:

1. That flock of birds is huge.

2. The rich are respected.

 

• Rule 4

‘The’ is used to specify any point geographically on the map or globe.

Some examples are given below:

1. The equator is the hottest area.

2. The north pole has many stars.

 

• Rule 5

'The' is used for those nouns also, which can not be counted.

Some examples are given below:

1. The thieves stole some of the money.

2. The plants in the pacific ocean are colorful.

 

• Rule 6

'The' is used before the names of rivers, oceans, lakes, groups of islands or Greenlands, countries, mountains, etc.

Some examples are given below:

1. The Yamuna is a big river.

2. The United States has many cities.

 

• Rule 7

'The' is used with those unique things and the only ones in the universe.

Some examples are given below:

1. The sun is also a kind of star.

2. The planet Pluto is known as a dwarf planet.

 

• Rule 8

‘The’ does not include all the things.

Some examples are given below:

1. The toys are my favorite things to play with. (not all the toys, but toys in general)

2. I do not like movies. (not all the movies, but movies in  general)

• Rule 9

Consonant words and vowels with a consonant sound have 'a' before them.

Some examples are given below:

1. A girl is sitting on the bench.

2. He goes to a school in Goa.

 

• Rule 10

A singular noun (common noun) must be written with 'a' article or 'an' article. A plural noun (common noun) does not need any article, or 'the' can be added before to point out the noun in particular.

Some examples are given below:

1. I want to see an ant. ( referring to any random ant)

2. The elephant has a good memory. ( referring to any random elephant)

 

• Rule 11

A proper noun can be converted into a common noun with the help of ‘a’ or ‘an’.

Some examples are given below:

1. He is an American. (America is a proper noun and 'American' represents a common noun)

2. She thinks that she is an Abraham Lincon. ( someone like Albert Einstein, not particularly him)

 

• Rule 12

Sometimes, ‘a’ or ‘an’ is used to define a number (indefinite).

Some examples are given below:

1. The boy is playing with a toy.

2. He can drive 200 kilometers in an hour and a half.

 

• Rule 13

The articles 'a' and 'an' are used before particularly descriptive adjectives.

Some examples are given below:

1. He is an amazing guitar player.

2. It is a bar of nice chocolate.

 

• Rule 14

'A' and 'an is also used before the determiners.

Some examples are given below:

1. He has little time for class.

2. There is a little dark in the room.

Types of articles of class 8

Articles in English grammar for class 8 are of two types; definite articles and indefinite articles.

• Definite articles

'The' is a definite article. It is used before the nouns which are definite or point to a particular noun.

Some examples are:

1. The music teacher sings great.

2. The song is trash.

 

• Indefinite articles

'A' and 'an 'are indefinite articles. They are used before nouns that are not definite.

Some examples are:

1. An elephant is a heavy animal.

2. She went to a school in Delhi.

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Under what conditions are articles not used

There are some conditions or situations under which articles are irrelevant to use. These conditions are given below:

1. When the speaker is talking about a plural noun, articles are not used before.

Example- Boys like blue. (the speaker is talking about color, which boys in general like)

2. Articles are not used before uncountable nouns.

Example- Pollution is a serious problem.

The water in the school is of very poor quality.

3. They are not used before real nouns like names of people, etc.

Example- He talks to Kan Adams. (incorrect)

Uses of articles

There are many uses of articles in CBSE English grammar. Some of them are given below:

1. They are used to talk about a particular thing, place or person.

2. They are used to talk about the thing/person that has already been mentioned or referred to by the speaker.

3. They are used before descriptive adjectives to describe the noun more effectively.

4. They are used to define whether a noun is particular or random.

5. They are used to define whether the noun is positive or negative.

6. They are used to improve and make the quality of the sentence better and readable.

7. They are used to indicate a noun without actually describing it.

8. They tell the uniqueness of universal things such as the sun, the moon, and many other such things.

9. They are used to improve the quality and frequency of English language communication.

10.  A sentence without an article is incomplete.

11. They are used in the form of adverbs that have comparatives.

12. They are also used with ordinal numbers.

Conclusion

Articles are the words 'a', 'an', and 'the', used before the nouns to indicate them. Articles for class 8 play an essential role in giving the students knowledge and importance of articles in English grammar and verbal speaking. Articles are of two types; definite articles and indefinite articles. Definite articles define a particular noun, whereas indefinite nouns are used before any noun in general or common. Articles can not be used before the names of a person. Using the wrong article can degrade the quality of the sentence. They are used to highlight a particular type of information about the noun. The rules of the articles are very basic and easy. Articles are asked in many examinations and other verbal tests.

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FAQs

1. What is the main purpose of using articles in English grammar?

The main purpose of using articles in English grammar is that they help to modify the nouns. They are used to highlight specific nouns or non-specific nouns.

2. How is an article used in any sentence?

An article in a sentence is used so that they tell that a noun is a 'noun' without any need to describe it. 

3. Give some uses of definite articles.

Some uses of definite articles are-

1. Before adjectives (only superlative)

2. Before ordinal numbers

3. In the form of adverb (w/ comparatives)

4. Before any singular noun 

4. When is ‘the’ used in a sentence?

    'The' is used before the specific nouns and one of their kind- the sun, the music teacher, etc. 

5. Give an example of articles of each type.

1. An-He is an hour late.

2. A-It is a chocolate ice cream that is better than vanilla ice cream.

3. The-The sun and the moon are an essential part of the function of the solar system.  

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