Use of Articles with Adjectives

Now, we discuss some important use of articles with adjectives

Definition: (Adjective can be defined as a word that modifies a noun or pronoun. In other words, an adjective is a word used with a noun or pronoun to add something to its meaning)

Use #1 Before Superlative

‘The’ is often used before superlative degree.

Example:

1. He is the best student in our class
2. She is the most beautiful girl in the town.

Note: Article ‘A/An’ can also be used if talk about one out of many nouns qualified by superlative adjectives.

Example: This is a most useful book needed for competitive exams.

Use #2 Before Comparative degree

‘The’ is used before the comparative degree, when two comparative degrees are shown to be directly or inversely proportional to each other.

Example:

1. The more electricity you use, the higher your bill will be.
2. The higher you rise, the greater the fall.

Use #3 If one out of two is chosen

If one out of two is chosen, a comparative degree is used preceded by ‘the’ and followed by ‘of’.

Example:

1. He is the stronger of the two players.
2. He is the better of the two wrestlers.

But if one out of many are chosen, a comparative degree is used, preceded by ‘the’ and followed by ‘of’.

Example: She is the best of all the players.

Use #4 Before adjectives

When ‘The’ is used before adjectives like honest, rich, poor, meek, etc., it denotes the entire class and becomes plural common noun. Such nouns take plural verbs.

Example:

1. The honest are always rewarded.
2. The rich exploit the poor.
3.  The young and the old, the poor and the rich, all demand corruption-free India.

Use #5 When Noun qualifies Proper noun

When any adjective or a noun qualifies a proper noun, article ‘the’ is used with the proper noun (read articles with Noun)

Example:

1. Ashoka, the great.
2. The great Akbar.
3. Napoleon, the warrior.

Use #6 Ordinal numbers

‘The’ is used before Ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) Cardinal numbers such as one, two, three do not take any article before them.

Example:

1. Chapter two of this book is very difficult.
2. The second chapter of this book is very difficult.
3. Volume one is on Grammar.
4. The first volume is on Grammar.

Use #7 Before Adjective like Same, whole, all, both

‘The’ is used before an adjective ‘same’ and ‘whole’ and after ‘all’ and ‘both’ 

Example:

1. He is the same boy that met me in the market.

1. The whole period was wasted.

When article ‘a’ or ‘the’ is used (Read Articles a, an, the)with few and little, the sentence takes a different meaning.

Few

A few: Not equivalent to zero.

Few: Equivalent to zero but not equal zero.

The few: All that is available.

Little

A little: Not equivalent to nothing

Little: Equivalent to noting but not equal to nothing

The little: All that is available

If so, as, too, how and quite are used before adjectives, A/An is used if the noun that follows the adjective is singular.

Example:

1. It is too heavy a box for me to carry.
2. Rohit is not so big a businessman as you think.

Use of articles with adjectives PDF