What is Omission of Article
Many sentences in the English language contain articles. However, there are certain circumstances where an article is not used.
Rules
Articles are not used in front of Proper nouns.
Delhi is the capital city of India.
Gold is a valuable metal.
Assam faced heavy rainfalls and floods.
Mumbai is famous for its Gateway of India.
Apple makes sophisticated laptops.
Articles are not used before languages
I learned Japanese within a year.
Mandarin is the most difficult language.
English is essential for travelling anywhere in the world.
I travelled to France, without knowing French.
Before a common noun used in its commonest sense-
Iron is used to make many types of machinery.
Humanity has always survived with love.
Gold is considered a precious metal.
Animals are bred in captivity in the ZOO.
We do not use articles in front of the name of the subjects, such as Maths, Biology, economics, etc.
I hate the fact that Mathematics is his favourite subject.
Economics as a subject is very interesting.
I was asked to opt for computers by my teachers.
We omit articles when words like Nature, Science, Death, Life, etc are used in the General Sense.
Nature has its own rules and it follows them effortlessly.
The saint explained that death is inevitable.
Science does not have all the answers to nature’s mysteries.
We do not use articles before the names of a meal like lunch, dinner, etc.
Have you taken dinner?
Breakfast timings will differ depending on when you wake up.
We do not use articles in front of seasons, festivals, names of days, and months.
She will reach the town on Sunday.
Summer is the best season for swimming.
Christmas is celebrated in December.
When words like school, college, church, hospital, prison, temple, etc are used for their primary purpose -
Rudra goes to university daily.
She goes to school in the morning.
We all go to Church on Sunday.
Criminals are sent to prison in Albuquerque.
Sometimes we form certain phrases which are just prepositions and nouns. Such as, at school, in bed, at noon, etc.
He is in bed.
We checked the building from top to bottom.
The principal stayed back at school.
Listening to the travel plans, I was automatically on board.
We avoid using articles in certain phrases consisting of a transitive verb and its object. Such as, set sail, take heart, send word, catch fire, take offence, leave office, etc.
He took offence at my words.
The ship will set sail at 1500 hours.
When a common noun is written in pairs, we omit articles from it.
Both brother and sister are exceptional students.
The husband and wife were allowed to take part in the play.
We don’t use articles before plural nouns used to denote a class-
Oranges are supposed to be rich in Vitamin C.
Books are our best friends.
Animals are a wonderful creation of nature.
Before the nouns following kind of:
The people in North-East India wear different kinds of clothes.
What kind of human leaves a starving dog?
We don't use any article before the word " God "
They all prayed to god for peace and prosperity after a war.
Special Points to Remember
Notice the examples below
I have a brown and black dog. ( There is only one dog)
I have a brown and a black dog. ( There are two dogs)
These are the exceptions where the articles are omitted. To make it more clear there is an exercise below
Solved Example
Fill in the blanks with a, an, or the as the case may be. Leave blank if the article can be omitted.
………….. Honesty is the best policy.
This is ………….. best car in my garage.
He has a house by …………. lake.
…………….Computers are used in many offices and schools.
He was …………. Leonardo da Vinci of Tibet.
They speak ……………. English at home.
My uncle is in ………….. bed.
I went to ……………. hospital to visit my brother.
Mr Picher became ……………….. dean of the college in 2015.
…………………. mother seems to be very angry with me.
Answers
None
The
The
None
None
None
None
The
None
The
FAQs on Omission of Article: Understanding Article Usage in Grammar
1. What is the Omission of Article?
This omission of the article is done before abstract nouns, certain uncountable nouns, and proper nouns in some cases. So with such cases, while the article is implied, it is not written. Hence we call such implication a 'zero article'.
2. What Do You Mean by the Plural Noun Which Denotes Class?
It means that the noun which is representing its whole class. For eg Horses are best for racing. We omit articles in front of the plural noun.
3. Elaborate on the Different Types of Articles in English
The following are examples of several sorts of articles in English:
There are three articles in English, they are a, an, and the. Articles are a sort of adjective that are used just preceding nouns or their equivalents. The definite article (the) is used before a noun to ensure that the reader is aware of the word's identity. When the identification of a word is unknown, the indefinite article (a, an) is used before it. In some cases, a noun does not require the use of an article.
The definitions below should serve as a reference to the fundamentals of articles.
Definite article
the (before a singular or plural noun)
Indefinite article
a (before a singular noun beginning with a consonant sound)
a (placed before a singular noun starting with a vowel sound)
To learn more, click here.
4. Explain the Meaning of Count Nouns and Noncount Nouns
The meaning and differences of count nouns and noncount nouns are explained below:
Count nouns are nouns that can be counted and can be singular or plural.
Non-count nouns - non-count nouns are singular things that are not counted.
It's crucial to realize that nouns can either be countable or uncountable when it comes to comprehending how articles are utilized (indefinite in quantity and cannot be counted). Furthermore, count nouns might be single (one) or plural (many) (more than one). Noncount nouns are written in the singular form.
For example, if there is one drop (single) or two or more drops (plural) of water on the table, it might be one drop (singular) or two or more droplets (plural). Because we can count the number of droplets, the word drop is a count noun in this case. As a result, the word drop would employ the articles an or the according to the requirements for count nouns.
However, if we are talking about water spilt on the table in general, it is not necessary to count one or two waters; there would just be water on the table. Water is a noun that does not have a count. As a result, the word water would need no article or the, but not a, according to the criteria for noncount nouns.
5. What are the Rules for the Usage of Definite and Indefinite Nouns?
The rules for the usage of definite and indefinite nouns are:
First Rule: If the specific identity is not known: Only utilize the indefinite article “an” or a when referring to a single count noun whose identity is unknown to the reader. Before nouns that start with a consonant sound, use a, and before nouns that start with a vowel sound, use an.
To represent any non-specified member of a group or category, use the article an or an.
To denote one in a number, use the article an or an (as opposed to more than one).
Before a consonant sound, use the article a, and before a vowel sound, use the article an.
Some are the plural version of an or an. To imply an undetermined, restricted amount, use some (but more than one).
Rule Two: Known specific identity: When the reader knows the precise identity of the noun (whether singular or plural, count or noncount), use the definite article with any noun (whether single or plural, count or noncount):
When a specific noun has already been specified, use the article the.
When an adjective, phrase, or sentence characterizing the noun explains or restricts its identification, use the article.
When the noun is used as a reference to someone or something that is unique, make use of the article “the”.
Rule Three: Everything or everything in general: When using plural count nouns or noncount nouns to signify all or in general, do not use the article.
6. Give Examples of Non-Count Nouns?
The examples of non-count nouns are given below:
Food and Drink items: Bacon, beef, bread, broccoli, butter, cabbage, candy, cauliflower, celery, cereal, cheese, chicken, chocolate, coffee, corn, cream, fish, wheat, fruit, ice cream, lettuce, meat, milk, oil, pasta, rice, salt, spinach, sugar, tea, water, wine, yogurt are some examples of foods and beverages.
Nonfood Substances: Air, cement, coal, dirt, gasoline, gold, paper, petroleum, plastic, rain, silver, snow, soap, steel, wood, and wool are examples of non-food items.
Abstract Nouns: Anger, advice, beauty, courage, confidence, fun, happiness, employment, health, honesty, information, intelligence, knowledge, love, poverty, satisfaction, truth, wealth are some of the most abstract terms.
Areas of Study: History, maths, biology, and other subjects of study
Sports: Soccer, football, baseball, hockey, and other sport.
Language: Chinese, Spanish, Russian, English, and more languages are available.
Miscellaneous: Other items include clothes, equipment, furniture, homework, jewellery, luggage, lumber, machinery, mail, money, poetry, pollution, research, scenery, traffic, transit, violence, weather, and job.
7. How are Articles Used With Pronouns?
Possessive pronouns can help you distinguish between specific and generic goods. Articles, as we've seen, also express specificity. Readers will be puzzled if you use a possessive pronoun and an article at the same time. Words like his, mine, our, it, her, and there are possessive pronouns. Pronouns should never be used with articles.
Consider the following instances.
Incorrect: What are you reading my novel?
Because they are both used to modify the same noun, the and my should not be used together. Instead, depending on the intended meaning, you should use one or the other:
Correct: Why are you reading my novel?
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