Articles and Determiners | NTRCA English Preparation

Introduction

Articles (a, an, the) and determiners (words such as some, any, much, many, few, little, each, every) appear in almost every NTRCA paper, either as fill-in-the-blank items or as error-correction items. The rules are short, but the exceptions are what examiners test.

A and an: it is about sound, not spelling

Use	Rule	Examples
an	before a vowel sound	an apple, an hour, an honest man, an MA, an umbrella, an heir
a	before a consonant sound	a university, a European, a one-eyed man, a unit, a useful book

Uses of the

Rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges, groups of islands, deserts: the Padma, the Bay of Bengal, the Himalayas.
Unique things: the sun, the moon, the sky, the earth.
Superlatives and ordinals: the best boy, the first day.
A specific thing already known: The book you gave me is interesting.
The + adjective for a class of people: the rich, the poor, the old.
Holy books and newspapers: the Quran, the Bible, the Daily Star.
A family name for the whole family: the Rahmans.

When no article is used

Languages, subjects and games: He speaks English. She plays cricket. I like mathematics.
Meals: Have you had breakfast? (unless specific: The breakfast was good.)
Names of persons, most countries and cities: Rahim, Bangladesh, Dhaka.
Abstract or plural nouns in a general sense: Honesty is the best policy. Dogs are loyal.
Fixed phrases: go to school, go to bed, at home, by bus, in hospital (as a patient).

Determiners you must know

Determiner	Use	Example
much	uncountable nouns	There is not much water.
many	countable plural nouns	How many books do you have?
little / a little	uncountable; little is negative, a little is positive	He has little money. / She has a little money.
few / a few	countable plural; few is negative, a few is positive	Few people came. / A few people came.
some	affirmative sentences and offers	I need some help. Would you like some tea?
any	negatives and questions	I do not have any pen. Do you have any idea?
each, every	singular noun and singular verb	Every student has a card.
either, neither	of two things	Neither answer is correct.
another	one more, with a singular noun	Please give me another chance.
other	with plural nouns	Other students left early.
the other	the remaining one of two	One is red and the other is blue.
the whole	with a singular countable noun	He worked the whole day.
enough	before a noun, after an adjective	enough money; rich enough

Common exam traps

He is a honest man. Wrong. The h is silent, so use an honest man.
Bangladesh is a developing country is right, but The Bangladesh is wrong.
He has few money. Wrong. Money is uncountable, so use little money.
He has much friends. Wrong. Use many friends.
She is enough tall. Wrong. Enough follows an adjective: tall enough.
Each of the boys have... Wrong. Each takes a singular verb.

Memory tips

Sound, not letter. Ask how the word begins when spoken.
Few and little are negative. A few and a little are positive.
Some in the positive, any in the negative.
Enough follows an adjective but comes before a noun.

Solved examples

Example 1. He returned after ____ hour. Answer: an. Hour starts with a vowel sound.

Example 2. I have ____ interest in politics, so I never read about it. Answer: little. The meaning is negative.

Example 3. Correct: The honesty is the best policy. Answer: Honesty is the best policy. An abstract noun in a general sense takes no article.

Example 4. Neither of the two answers ____ correct. Answer: is. Neither takes a singular verb.

Practice problems

He is ____ M.A. in English. (a / an)
____ Himalayas are the highest mountains. (a / the / no article)
I have ____ pens, so I can lend you one. (few / a few)
Correct: She gave me many advices.
Correct: He is the taller of the three boys.

Answers: 1. an. 2. The. 3. a few. 4. She gave me much advice (or a lot of advice). Advice is uncountable. 5. He is the tallest of the three boys.

Practice MCQs with solutions

Note: these are practice questions written in the style of past NTRCA/BCS preliminary papers. Please cross-check with the official question bank.

Question 1. He is ____ honest man.

(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article

Correct answer: (b) an

Explanation: Honest starts with a vowel sound (the h is silent), so use an.

Question 2. ____ Ganges is a holy river for Hindus.

(a) A
(b) An
(c) The
(d) No article

Correct answer: (c) The

Explanation: Names of rivers take the.

Question 3. She has ____ friends, so she feels lonely.

(a) few
(b) a few
(c) little
(d) a little

Correct answer: (a) few

Explanation: Few means hardly any and has a negative sense. A few would mean some.

Question 4. He has ____ time, so he can help you.

(a) little
(b) a little
(c) few
(d) a few

Correct answer: (b) a little

Explanation: Time is uncountable, and a little means some, which is positive.

Question 5. He plays ____ cricket every evening.

(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article

Correct answer: (d) no article

Explanation: No article is used before the name of a game.

Question 6. One of the twins is here. Where is ____ one?

(a) other
(b) another
(c) the other
(d) others

Correct answer: (c) the other

Explanation: When only two exist, the remaining one is the other.

Question 7. She is ____ European lady.

(a) an
(b) a
(c) the
(d) no article

Correct answer: (b) a

Explanation: European begins with a yoo sound, which is a consonant sound.

Question 8. ____ sun rises in the east.

(a) A
(b) An
(c) The
(d) No article