Question

Identify the articles in the following sentence:
A bird is flying in the air.
A) bird, air
B) a, in
C) a, the
D) is, in

Answer 1

Hint: Here in the given question we have to find the suitable article for the given sentence. The articles in English grammar are: a, an, and the. Articles are a type of adjective that are used before nouns or noun equivalents.

Complete answer:
The definite article (the) precedes a noun to indicate that the reader is aware of the noun's identity. When the identity of a noun is unknown, the indefinite article (a, an) is used before it. In some cases, a noun does not require the use of an article.
Now let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Bird, air: This option is incorrect because both “bird” and “air” are nouns not articles.
Option B) a, in : This option is incorrect because “a” is the article which is correct but “in” is a preposition.
Option C) a, the : Both “a” and “the” are articles, the definite article 'the' modifies 'air' and the indefinite article 'a' modifies 'bird'. Thus, in the sentence “a” and “the” are the articles.
Option D) is, in : This option is incorrect because “is” is a verb and “in” is a preposition not articles.

Thus, option ‘C’ i.e, a, the is the correct answer.

Note:
i) Writers often have a hard time deciding whether or not to include an article. Keep in mind that the articles "a" and "an" can be used if the noun is singular, countable, and nonspecific or generic (e.g., book, author).
ii) No article is used if a noun is countable and plural (e.g., "scientific studies") or uncountable (e.g., "information") and is used in a nonspecific or generic manner.