Articles: a, an, the or nothing The most common grammar slip for Bangla speakers, fixed with four clear rules.
Rule 1: one, countable, first mention, use a or an
Use "a" before a consonant sound and "an" before a vowel sound. It is about the sound, not the letter.
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an hour, an MBA, a university, a European country
a hour, an university
"university" starts with a "you" sound.
Rule 2: we both know which one, use the
Use "the" when the reader knows exactly which thing you mean: something already mentioned, something unique, or something defined in the sentence.
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The graph shows the number of tourists.
Graph shows number of tourists.
A Task 1 classic: always "The graph", "the number of", "the proportion of".
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the internet, the environment, the government
Rule 3: things in general, use no article
Plural and uncountable nouns used in a general sense take no article.
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Children need education.
The children need the education.
This is about children in general, not specific ones.
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Technology changes how we work.
The technology changes how we work.
Rule 4: the + superlatives and fixed groups
the highest, the most popular, the rich, the elderly, the United States, the United Kingdom.
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Japan had the highest figure.
Japan had highest figure.
IELTS tip
Before you submit a Writing task, scan every singular countable noun. It almost always needs a, an, the or a word like this, my or every.
Practice quiz
Pass with 7 or more to tick this topic off.
