The definite article THE

1

Form:

The is the same for singular and plural and for all genders:

- the boy / the boys; - the girl / the girls; - the day / the days

2

Use:

1) The is used when the object (or group of objects) is unique or is

considered to be unique:

- the earth; - the sea; - the sky;

- the equator; - the stars. 3

2) The is used before a noun which has become definite as a

result of being mentioned a second time. But when a person or thing is

introduced for the first time, we use the indefinite article A / AN:

4

I watched a car as it came up our road. The car stopped outside our

house and a man got out. The man was carrying a case in his hand.

With the case in his hand, the man looked like a salesman.

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3) The is used before a noun made definite by the addition of a

phrase or of a clause:

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- The girl in blue; - The man with the hat;

- The boy that I met; - The place where I met him.

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4) The is used before a noun which can represent only one

particular thing:

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- Ann is in the garden (the garden of this house);

- Please, pass the wine (the bottle of wine on our table);

- Look, the postman is arriving (the one who comes to us every day);

- Enter the car, kids (our car); - Have you got the newspaper, dad?

(the one we read every day)

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5) The is used before superlatives; before first, second etc.; before

only:

- the first week; - the best day; - the only way.

10

6) The + singular noun can represent a class of animals or

things:

- The whale is in danger of becoming extinct;

- The dishwasher has made life easier for housewives.

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But man / mankind, used to represent the human race, has no

article:

- If oil supplies run out, man may have to fall back on the horse.

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7) The + adjective represents a class of people:

- the rich; - the poor; - the Spanish;

- the Welsh; - the accused (person); - the unexpected (thing).

13

8) The is used before certain proper names of seas, rivers, islands, chains of mountains, plural names of countries,

deserts:

- the Atlantic; - the Netherlands;

- the Crimea; - the Sahara.

14

9) The is used before other proper names consisting of adjective +

noun or noun + of + noun:

- the National Gallery; - the Tower of London.

15

It is also used before names of choirs, orchestras, pop groups etc.; before

names of newspapers and ships:

- the Beatles; - the Bach Singers;

- the Philadelphia Orchestra; - The Times; - the Titanic.

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10) The with names of people has a very limited use. But the + plural

surname can be used to mean “the...family”:

- the Smiths = Mr and Mrs Smith

(and their children)

17

Omission of the article THE:

1) The is not used before names of places (except as shown above), or

before names of people.

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2) The is not used before abstract nouns (except when they are used

in a particular sense):

- All men fear death - The sudden death of the Prime Minister left his party without a

leader.

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3) The is not used after a noun in the possessive case, or after a

possessive adjective:

- the boy’s uncle; - It is my book.

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4) The is not used before names of meals:

- The Scots have porridge for

breakfast.

21

5) The is not used before names of games:

- He plays golf.

22

6) The is not used before parts of the body and articles of clothing,

as these normally prefer a possessive adjective:

- Raise your right hand. - He took off his coat.

23

7) The is never used before indefinite plural nouns. But in the Italian language this use is possible:

- Women are expected to like babies

(women in general) - The women are expected to like

babies (it means that we are referring to a particular group of women).

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8) The is not used before nature, where it means the spirit creating and animating the world of plants

and animals:

- If you interfere with nature you will suffer for it.

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9) The is not used before the following nouns (when they are not preceded or followed by a descriptive word or phrase):

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- home - bed

- church - court

- hospital - prison

- school / college / university - work - sea

- town 27