The articles

The,a or an are the articles in the English language.

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

Its uses-The is the definite article.Its uses are explained below.
1."The"is used to point out or refer to a noun.

• The student sitting there is my friend.
• Where are the oranges I had brought?

2."The"is placed before a singular noun when it represents its complete class.

• The hare runs fast.(This sentence means:Hares run fast.)
• The elephant is not as dangerous as the lion.

Note.We do not place "the"before "man" and "woman" when they represent the whole class. 3."The" is placed before an adjective of quality like honest,poor,proud,etc.to give it the meaning of a noun in the plural number.

• The honest(honest people)succeed in the long run.

4."The"is placed before an adjective in the third degree.It is not placed before a third-degree adverb when it is used alone.But it is placed before an adverb followed by a connected word.

• The tallest building;the most useful person;She is the ablest teacher in our college.

5."The"cannot be used when an adjective in the superlative degree is preceded by a possessive pronoun.

• Her growest asset is knowledge,not beauty.He is our most beloved leader.

6."The"is used as an adverb in sentences like:

• The easier the question,the quicker the reply;the sooner you come.

7."The"is placed before the names of newspapers,books,ships,rivers,mountains,etc.

• The Nation,The News,The Travels of Marco Polo,

NoteBut when a proper noun alone is the title,"the"will not be used;

• I have read"Ivanhoe"and"Tipu Sultan"(novels).

Qualities or abstract nouns as titles will generally not take "the":

• "Pride and Prejudice" and "Great Expectations" are marvelous novels.

When "the" is implied(contained inside)in the title,"the"will not be used:

• "Dawn" has the largest circulation in Karachi.("dawn"meaning "the beginning of the day")
• "The Tipu Sultan"(a ship),
• The Ravi

8."The" is placed before words indicating directions and before heavenly bodies that are in common use and are familiar to us:(the earth=the world;the moon=the body which moves round the earth.)

• the east,the north,the south-west.

But,a proper name of a heavenly body will not take the definite article:

• Saturn is much larger than Venus.Mars made its closest approach to the earth in 60000 years in August 2003("when it was just 55760220 kilometers away.)"

THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE

"A"or "an" is the indefinite article.It generalizes a noun and shows it as one out of many. "A " is placed before consonants when they give out consonant sounds. The consonants are all the letters like b,c,d...x,y,z except a,e,i,o,u(a,e,i,o,u are vowels).

• a college,a house,a vegetable.

'An" is placed before vowels when they give out vowel sounds.Otherwise,"a" will be placed.

• an egg,an idea,an orange,a euro,a union

NOTE. (a)."An" is generally placed before a word whose first letter "h" is silent.

• an hour,an honor.

(b)."A" is placed before "u" spoken as "you" or "o" spoken as "wu."

• a useless habit,a unit,a one-day holiday.

(c)."A" or "an" is placed before things that we can count,in the singular number.

• a pen,a flower,an idea,an inkpot.

(d)."A" or "an" is used according to the vowel or consonant sound at the start of the next word.

• an M.A(the sound is of "e"),a B.A.(the sound is of "be"),an ant.

When generally we do not use the indefinite article(a or an): (a).Before a material noun.

• Water is needed here.

(b).Before an abstract noun.

• Efficiency without honesty is of little value.

Rules(a) and (b) mean: We do not often place "a" or "an" before uncountables or uncountable nouns.(Water,iron,glass,honesty,justice,etc are uncountable as material or abstract nouns.)However,we place it when these are used like common nouns:

• He is a justice.It is a truth[Plural:justices,truths]I want a glass of fresh water.

Also note: (a)We can place "a" before Mr.,Mrs. or Miss followed by the family name(surname)-it means we do not know the person referred to:

• A certain Miss Angela wants to see you.And,a Mr.Khilji comes with her(accompanies her) from the foreign ministry.

(b)."A" can be used before an uncountable noun when an adjective qualifies it or a phrase is after it.

• A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.A good knowledge of English,an insufficient guidance,a bravery (or courage)never seen before.

(c).Often we do not place the definite article before proper nouns: However,we use it before the names of newspapers,books,seas,rivers,etc., as explained earlier. (d)."The" is placed before a proper noun,too, when we use it like a common noun:

• She is the Fatima Jinnah of our society(good like Fatima Jinnah-there is comparison),Kashmir-the Switzerland of Asia.

(e)."The" is placed with a common noun followed by a proper noun connected with it.

• the poet Ghalib,the leader Nishtar.

(f).Also note "the" for reference:

• The Bahawalpur of the 1990's or 2000's,the Mr.Ali who flies that plane,the Alis(Mr.Ali and members of his family who have "Ali" as their last name),the Punjab(that is,the five rivers that run through the province),the United States of America(that is,the states or provinces that make up the country called "America").

Unfair means or corruption in examinations

The use of unfair means in examinations has been on the increase though the government has taken some positive steps,especially in the big cities,to check corruption.We have more cases of unfair means each passing year in our Board and University examinations.The reasons for corruption in examinations are many.

First of all,we find corruption in all parts of our society.Dishonesty and cheating are as common today as honesty was in olden times.Some people rightly say that we should bring all corruption in society to an end.Only then can corruption in examination be got rid of.However,there will have to be a revolution,a complete change in our thinking and action,to bring all this about.

Secondly,most of our students cannot buy suitable books or study in first-rate educational institutions.Their economic condition does not allow them to progress properly in studies.They cannot make adequate preparations for their examinations.Quite a few of them,try to make use of unfair means.

Thirdly,those who hold or conduct examinations are also responsible for corruption in examination centers.Invigilators,superintendents,and others working for as long as eight hours a day cannot earn what an expert mechanic gets for an hour of work.Able teachers and government officers at first do not like to perform the examination work.Some of them,who do come forward,begin accepting bribes from candidates to make quick money.

The ladder of corruption in examination is very high.It very strangely goes underground,too,when answer books are smuggled out of examination centers and offices for candidates to write answers.Some corrupt examiners provide such facilities of copying or accept bribes to award undeserved marks or are influenced by recommendations.At times,copying through mobile phones is facilitated.

It is at least necessary to provide high quality education to our students.There should be able and efficient teachers and proper and enough libraries for them.Special libraries and teaching and training centers should be provided to private candidates who cannot attend regular educational institutions.

Those who can afford should not provide luxuries like Internet pleasurable programs,CD and DVD players, and expensive vehicles to children.TV viewing should specially be restricted.

If our students become really able and wise,corruption in examinations will largely end.The need of the hour is action in the right direction.