Question

Fill using an appropriate article:
We stayed at a very nice hotel - I can’t remember _______ name now.
 a. the
b. a
c. an
d. no article

Answer 1

Hint: The student should go through the options carefully after reading the sentence to understand what the sentence implies. This will help the student in finding the right answer for the given question.

Complete answer:
A definite article is a determiner (as `the' in English) that indicates the specificity of reference. An indefinite article is a determiner (as `a' or `some' in English) that indicates nonspecific reference.

Let us thus analyze the options given to us in this question -
Option (a.), 'the', refers to ‘Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already completely specified’.
Therefore, option (a.) is correct as it is used for a specific reference, and the hotel in the sentence is a specific reference.
Option (b.), ‘a', refers to ‘an indefinite article used before words starting with consonant sounds’. Therefore, option (b.) is incorrect as it is used for nonspecific references, and the hotel in the sentence is a specific reference.
Option (c.), ‘an', refers to ‘an indefinite article used before words starting with vowel sounds’.
Therefore, option (c.) is incorrect as it is used for nonspecific references, and the hotel in the sentence is a specific reference.
Option (d.), ‘no article', refers to using no article in the blank given.
Therefore, option (d.) is incorrect as an article is required here to indicate the specific reference of the name of the hotel.

Note:
 In this question, it will be helpful for the student to recall the concept of articles (like a, an and the are all articles). An article is (grammar) a determiner that may indicate the specificity of reference of a noun phrase.