OF ARTICLES
A or AN.[7]--The choice between these forms is determined by
sound, not by spelling. Before a consonant sound "a" is used; before a
vowel sound "an" is used.
[7] "Foundations," pp. 32-36.
EXERCISE IV.
_Put the proper form, "a" or "an," before each of these
expressions_:--Elephant, apple, egg, union of states, uniform, uninformed
person, universal custom, umpire, Unitarian church, anthem, unfortunate
man, united people, American, European, Englishman, one, high hill, horse,
honorable career, hypocrite, humble spirit, honest boy, hypothesis,
history, historical sketch, heir, hundred, hereditary disease, household.
THE or A.[8]--"The" is a broken-down form of the old English
_thoet_, from which we also get "that," and is used to point out some
particular person, thing, or class: as, "_The_ headmaster of _the_ school
gave _the_ boys permission." When "the" is used before the name of a
particular class of persons or things it is called the "generic" article
(from _genus_, "a class"): as, "None but _the_ brave deserve _the_ fair";
"_The_ eagle is our national bird."
"An" ("a") is a broken-down form of the old English word _ane_, meaning
"one." It is properly used when the object is thought of as one of a
class: as, "There is _an_ eagle in the zoological garden." It cannot
properly be used before a word which is used as a class name, because a
class name includes in its meaning more than "one."
SUPERFLUOUS and OMITTED ARTICLES.[9]--The use of a superfluous
"a" or "an" before a class name, especially after the words "sort" and
"kind," is a common and obstinate error. We may say, "This is an eagle,"
meaning "one eagle." But we may not say, "_An_ eagle is our national
bird," "This is a rare kind of _an_ eagle," or, "It is not worthy of the
name of _an_ eagle"; because in these sentences "eagle" is used as the
name, not of a single bird, but of a class of birds, and includes in its
meaning all the birds which belong to the class called "eagle." The
sentences are equivalent to: "The kind of bird called 'eagle' is our
national bird;" "This is a rare species of the class of birds called
'eagle;'" "It is not worthy of the name given to the birds which belong to
the class called 'eagle.'"
[8] Ibid., pp. 33-34.
EXERCISE V.
_Tell the difference in meaning between_:--
1. The (a) house is on fire.
2. Yes, I heard (the) shouts in the street.
3. About eight o'clock (the) guests began to come.
4. Yes, I heard (the) noises in the next room.
5. The (an) elephant stood on a cask, and the (a) clown sat on the
elephant's back.
6. The President has appointed a commission to investigate the
cause of (the) strikes.
7. Will he let us look at (the) stars through the (a) telescope?
8. (The) teacher and (the) pupil are interested in this question.
9. He told us about an (the) accident.
10. Fire is beautiful. The fire is beautiful.
11. He was a better scholar than (an) athlete.
12. A young and (a) delicate girl.
13. He liked the bread and (the) butter.
14. A pink and (a) lavender gown.
15. The wise and (the) good.
16. Wanted, a cook and (a) housemaid.
17. The black and (the) white cow.
18. The athlete, (the) soldier, (the) statesman, and (the) poet.
19. A secretary and (a) treasurer.
20. The corresponding and (the) recording secretary.
21. The honest, (the) wise, and (the) patriotic senators voted
against the bill.
22. A cotton and (a) silk umbrella.
23. The tenth and (the) last chapter.
[9] "Foundations," pp. 34-39.
EXERCISE VI.
_Insert the proper article ("a," "an," or "the") in each blank place in
the following, if an article is needed; if no article is needed, leave the
place blank_:--
1. I began to suffer from ---- want of food.
2. There are two articles, the definite and ---- indefinite.
3. He did not say what kind of ---- horse he wanted to buy.
4. Did Macaulay die of ---- heart disease?
5. Nouns have two numbers, ---- singular and ---- plural.
6. ---- third and ---- fourth page are to be learned.
7. ---- third and ---- fourth pages are to be learned.
8. Many names of ---- states are derived from ---- Indian tongues.
9. This is a curious species of ---- rose.
10. Study carefully ---- first and ---- second chapters.
11. A black and ---- white boy were walking together.
12. ---- violet is my favorite flower; ---- robin, my favorite bird.
13. There is an impenetrable veil between ---- visible and ---- invisible
world.
14. ---- lion is ---- king of beasts.
15. Thackeray was a greater writer than ---- artist. Thackeray was
greater as ---- writer than as ---- artist.
16. The bank closed its doors from ---- lack of ready money.
17. I despise not ---- giver, but ---- gift.
18. ---- whole is greater than any of its parts.
19. He is entitled to the name of ---- scholar.
20. I do not use that sort of ---- pen.
21. In ---- warm weather you do not need so many wraps as in ---- cold
weather.
22. The Queen conferred on Tennyson the title of ---- baron.
23. It does not matter what kind of ---- man is appointed.
24. It is found in both ---- old and ---- new editions.
25. The fourth and ---- fifth verse.
26. The fourth and ---- fifth verses.
27. Abraham Lincoln was ---- great and ---- good man.
28. ---- families of ---- strikers are sadly in ---- need of food.
29. Here are two bottles, ---- one empty, ---- other full of ---- red
liquid.
30. Ariel had ---- power to control ---- sea.
31. Evangeline travelled far in ---- search of Gabriel.
33. Illustrate by an original sentence ---- preterite and ---- past
participle of the following verbs.
33. To ---- student of Latin or Greek a knowledge of ---- difference in
meaning in English between ---- indicative and ---- subjunctive is
especially important.
34. In the verb "to be" ---- present and ---- past subjunctives have
different forms.
35. ---- life in Madras in ---- time of Clive was different from what it
is now.
36. I like so many sports that it is hard to tell which I like ---- best.
I like swimming, foot-ball, and riding more than ---- others, but I do
not know which of these three I like ---- best.