Englishfor English speakers
a
Determinative
—
A is used when the following word could be any of a certain type.
Compare "A book I saw on the shelf" and "The book I gave you yesterday".
a
Noun
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A is the first letter of the alphabet.
The letter "a" comes before "b".
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In some schools, an A is a very high grade.
Ron got an A on his earth science test.
pain
Noun
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A strong feeling of hurt or discomfort
He was in pain, because his leg was broken.
—
Something annoying
He wouldn't go away and was a real pain.
pain
Verb
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to sadden or hurt
It pains him to have to say goodbye.
in
Preposition
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Used to show that something is inside something else.
The cat is in the box.
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Used to show that someone is at home, or is available.
Is John in?
The Doctor is now in.
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Used to show movement towards the inside.
The rain came in through the window.
the
Determiner
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Used, instead of a, to reference something specific, already known to exist.
Compare "I read a book." and "I read the book."
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Used with a stress, to show that the word following is special.
Are you the John Smith that I went to school with?
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Used with an adjective that acts like a noun to mean all of the people concerned
The poor are always with us.
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Used with superlatives forms of adjectives and adverbs.
You are the best.
butt
Noun
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Short for buttocks; a person's backside.