Question

Fill in the blank with a suitable article:
______ ‘Oliver Twist’ is a famous novel by Charles Dickens.
a) The
b) A
c) An
d) No article

Answer 1

Hint: Indefinite articles are usually used before a noun that is general or when its identity is not known. Definite articles are used when the identity is certain, however not before a
proper noun.

Complete answer:
Indefinite articles are used for a thing or person when the reader doesn’t know which one we are referring to out of many nouns. It is used for denoting the random nature of an object.
‘The’ is used as a definite article for a thing or person when the reader knows which one we are exactly referring to. It states the specific nature of the subject.
The word ‘French’ is a proper noun. So, there will not be any article in front of it, as it is already a distinct noun. However, the word ‘language’ is a common noun. The word ‘easy’ comes before it, which makes a vowel sound.
Now, let’s look at the given options-
a) the - The article ‘the’ is a definite article. It is used when the identity is certain, however, it is never used before a proper noun, with some exceptions. The word following the blank is Oliver which is a proper noun. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) a - The article ‘a’ is an indefinite article. It is used more in a general sense, however, these also cannot be used before a proper noun. The word following the blank is Oliver which is a proper noun. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) an - The article ‘an’ is an indefinite article. It is used more in a general sense, only before words beginning with a vowel, however, these also cannot be used before a proper noun. The word following the blank is Oliver which is a proper noun. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) no article - Since, the given sentence starts with a proper noun, it is fitting that there be no article in front of the name. This is grammatically correct. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.

Note:
Choose the option which can be used correctly. To choose the correct indefinite article, pronounce the word after it. If it is a proper noun, that will mean a different option is correct. That will be the correct answer for the given sentence.