12/120 Mistakes to avoid during 2025

 12. Articles 

The misuse of the and a is very common.

 Here are the basic rules for the use and omission of articles. 

Proper nouns (e.g. John, Alice and India) do not take articles.  

• Incorrect: The John is my friend. 

• Correct: John is my friend. 

• Incorrect: The Tokyo is a big city. 

• Correct: Tokyo is a big city. A singular common noun (e.g. boy, cat, tree, book, apple etc.) must have an article. 

 • Incorrect: There is cat on roof. 

• Correct: There is a cat on the roof. A plural common noun cannot be used with the article a. It is usually used with no article, though 'some' is sometimes used before it. 

Compare: 

 • A spider has eight legs. • Spiders have eight legs.                                                                                                

Remember that a noun can be common in one sentence and proper in another sentence. 

 A superlative adjective is usually used with the. 

 • Incorrect: He is best player in the team.

 • Correct: He is the best player in the team.