Question

And what _____ beautiful picture is over there on __ wall!
Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate words.
A) no article/ a
B) a/the
C) a/no article
D) the/a
E) a/a

Answer 1

Hint: Articles such as "the" and "a/an" join with nouns to make noun phrases. In the above sentence, we shall approach the options by considering whether the noun used is definite hence taking the article “the” or a definite noun, hence taking the article “a/an”.

Complete answer:
The definite article (the) precedes a noun to emphasise that the reader is aware of the word's identity. When a noun is broad or its identity is unknown, the indefinite article (a, an) is used before it.

Option A) no article/ a: This option is incorrect as the first blank placed before “beautiful” demands an indefinite article as the painting referred to as beautiful is a general painting. The second blank before “wall” will not take “a” as the article, as indefinites articles are used before general nouns.

Option B) a/the: The article 'the' is used to refer to something or someone that is definite. As here “the wall”.
In general, the article 'a/an' is used to refer to an object or a person. For instance, consider the words "man" and "door."
The first blank takes the article “a” as the picture referred to is generic and not by a specific artist. Hence, this option is correct.

Option C) a/no article: This option is incorrect as the second blank would not omit an article. The “wall” being referred to is the one on which the picture is hanging. Therefore the blank will take a definite article.

Option D) the/a: “The” is used for specific nouns and not generic nouns. In the sentence, the picture being talked about is not specific. Whereas “a” is an indefinite article used where the specific identity of the noun is unknown. The speaker is pointing out to some specific wall. Therefore this option is incorrect.

Option E) a/a: This option is incorrect as the second blank would not take “a” , an indefinite article used for things in general. The speaker is talking about a specific wall. Hence this option is inappropriate.

And what a beautiful picture over there on the wall! Therefore the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note: Some rules while working with article:
- When the reader doesn't know the exact identification of a singular count noun, use the indefinite article an or an.
- The noun is recognised: When the reader knows the exact identification of a noun (whether singular or plural, count or noncount), use the definite article the.
- Everything or everything in general: When using plural count nouns or noncount nouns to signify all or in general, don't use the article.