Why Articles Decide Your Accuracy (কেন গুরুত্বপূর্ণ)
Band 7 requires "frequent error-free sentences". For Bengali speakers, the number-one thing that stops sentences being error-free is articles (a, an, the) — because Bangla has no articles, so it is easy to forget them or add them wrongly. Master the system below and your accuracy jumps.
Band 7-এ "ঘন ঘন নির্ভুল বাক্য" লাগে। বাংলাভাষীদের কাছে নির্ভুলতার সবচেয়ে বড় বাধা article (a, an, the) — কারণ বাংলায় article নেই, তাই ভুলে যাওয়া বা ভুল বসানো সহজ। নিচের সিস্টেম আয়ত্ত করলে নির্ভুলতা লাফিয়ে বাড়বে।
Two questions decide everything: (1) Is the noun countable & singular? (2) Is it specific / already known to the reader? Answer these and the article chooses itself.
দুটি প্রশ্নই সব ঠিক করে: (১) noun কি গণনাযোগ্য ও একবচন? (২) এটি কি নির্দিষ্ট/পূর্বপরিচিত? উত্তর দিলেই article বসে যায়।
Part of the Band 7+ grammar series: Complex Sentences · Conditionals · Passive & Nominalisation · Comparison & Modality · Cohesion.
The a / an / the / zero Decision (সিদ্ধান্ত)
Run every noun through this flowchart until it becomes automatic. প্রতিটি noun এই flowchart দিয়ে চালান — অভ্যাস হয়ে যাবে।
When to Use "The" (কখন "the")
Use the when the reader knows which specific one you mean. the ব্যবহার করুন যখন পাঠক জানে আপনি কোন নির্দিষ্টটি বোঝাচ্ছেন।
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| Second mention (already introduced) দ্বিতীয়বার | A study was published. The study found… |
| Only one exists / unique অদ্বিতীয় | the sun, the environment, the government, the internet |
| Made specific by the sentence বাক্যেই নির্দিষ্ট | the main reason for this trend; the number of tourists |
| Superlatives & ordinals সর্বোচ্চ/ক্রম | the highest figure, the first stage, the best solution |
| the + adjective = group গোষ্ঠী | the elderly, the poor, the unemployed |
| Decades, oceans, rivers, some countries | the 1970s, the Pacific, the USA, the UK |
Zero Article — Generalisations (শূন্য article)
Use no article for general statements with plural or uncountable nouns. This is where most candidates wrongly add "the". সাধারণ বক্তব্যে বহুবচন বা অগণনীয় noun-এর সঙ্গে article নয়। এখানেই বেশির ভাগ ভুলভাবে "the" যোগ করে।
| Zero article for… | Example |
|---|---|
| plural nouns in general | Children learn languages quickly. |
| uncountable nouns in general | Water is becoming scarce. · Information is power. |
| abstract ideas in general | Education reduces poverty. · Crime is rising. |
| most countries, cities, languages | Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bengali, English |
| meals, sports, subjects | have lunch, play football, study economics |
General vs specific test: "Nature is beautiful" (all nature — zero) vs "The nature of the problem is complex" (a specific one — the). Same word, different article.
সাধারণ বনাম নির্দিষ্ট: "Nature is beautiful" (সব — zero) বনাম "The nature of the problem" (নির্দিষ্ট — the)।
Determiners & Quantifiers (পরিমাণবাচক)
Quantifiers must match countable or uncountable nouns. Getting these right is pure accuracy marks. পরিমাণবাচক শব্দ গণনীয়/অগণনীয় noun-এর সঙ্গে মানানসই হতে হবে।
| Meaning | Countable (plural) | Uncountable |
|---|---|---|
| large amount | many, numerous, a large number of | much, a great deal of, a large amount of |
| small amount | few, a few, several | little, a little |
| not enough | few (= almost none) | little (= almost none) |
| works with both | some, any, a lot of, plenty of, most, all, no, enough | |
| each item | each / every + singular | — |
Watch these uncountable nouns (no plural, no "a"): information advice research knowledge equipment traffic money progress news furniture. Say "much information", not "many informations".
এই অগণনীয় noun-গুলোর বহুবচন/"a" হয় না: "much information" ঠিক, "many informations" ভুল।
Band 6 → Band 7 Errors (সাধারণ ভুল)
Your Turn — Add the Right Article (অনুশীলন)
Fill each gap with a, an, the or — (nothing). ফাঁকে a / an / the / — বসান।
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— pollution is one of the biggest problems facing — modern cities.
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A study was published in 2020. The study showed that — working hours had risen.
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The government should invest in — renewable energy to protect the environment.
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He is an honest engineer who gave me — useful advice. ("advice" অগণনীয় — "a" নয়)
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There is — little water and — few solutions to the crisis.
Next guide: Comparatives, Modality & Hedging. Proofread real essays for articles with the Cambridge IELTS companions.
পরের গাইড: Comparison & Modality।