Articles
(Definite
Article)
Navigation:
The Adjectives a or an and the are called Articles. They are Demonstrative Adjectives.
Articles
(a, an, the) define a noun as specific or unspecific.
Look
at these examples to see how articles are used.
She's
a doctor.
I
need an umbrella.
Have
you heard the news?
I
don't like spiders.
English
has two types of articles: definite and indefinite.
The Definite Article
The
only definite article in English is the word the, denoting person(s) or
thing(s) already mentioned, under discussion, or otherwise presumed familiar to
the listener or reader. It limits the meaning of a noun to one particular
thing.
"The"
can be used with both singular and plural nouns, with nouns of any gender, and
with nouns that start with any letter.
Consider
the following sentences:
1.
Give me the book.
2.
Give me a book.
Sentence
1 uses the definite article and thus expresses a request for a particular book.
In contrast, Sentence 2 uses an indefinite article and conveys that the speaker
would be satisfied with any book.
Rule
1:
‘The’
is used to indicate a particular person(s) or thing(s) in the case of common
nouns. Proper nouns generally do not take an article.
Examples:
The man
is running. (A particular man)
I
saw the boy cooking.
Where
is the book, I gave you last year?
I
gave him a book, but he lost the book.
‘a
book’ became ‘the book’ in the second clause because that book was not a random
book anymore.
Rule
2:
Sometimes
‘the’ is used to generalize a group or a whole class.
Examples:
The dog
is a faithful animal. (Refers to the whole species of dog.)
The
English are industrious. (Refers to the people of England as a nation)
The
honest are respected.
The
poor are not always dishonest.
Rule
3:
To particularize
an uncountable noun ‘the’ is required before it.
Examples:
The
water of the Arctic ocean is freezing.
Please
return the money I lent you last year.
The
milk in the glass is of goat.
Rule
4:
‘The’
is mandatory before a thing which is only one of a kind in the universe.
Examples:
The
moon is shining tonight.
The
earth is moving around the sun.
The sun
rose at 6:17 this morning.
You
can go anywhere in the world.
Clouds
drifted across the sky.
Rule
5:
Use ‘the’
before superlatives and ordinal numbers.
Examples:
This
is the highest building in New York.
She
read the last chapter of her new book first.
You
are the tallest person in our class.
This
is the third time I have called you today.
Rule
6:
Use ‘the’
when you assume there is just one of something in that place, even if it has
not been mentioned before.
Examples:
We
went on a walk in the forest yesterday.
Where
is the bathroom?
Our
house is across from the Italian restaurant.
My
father enjoyed the book you gave him.
Rule
7:
Use ‘the’
with adjectives, to refer to a whole group of people.
Examples:
The
French enjoy cheese.
The
elderly require special attention.
She
has given a lot of money to the poor.
Rule
8:
Use ‘the’
with decades.
Examples:
He
was born in the seventies.
This
is a painting from the 1820's.
Rule
9:
Use ‘the’
with clauses introduced by only
Examples:
This
is the only day we've had sunshine all week.
You
are the only person he will listen to.
The
only tea I like is black tea.
Rule
10:
Use ‘the’
with countries that have plural names
Examples:
I
have never been to the Netherlands.
Do
you know anyone who lives in the Philippines?
Rule
11:
Use ‘the’
with countries that include the words "republic",
"kingdom", or "states" in their names.
Examples:
She
is visiting the United States.
James
is from the Republic of Ireland.
Rule
12:
Use ‘the’
with newspaper names.
Examples:
I
read it in the Guardian.
She
works for the New York Times.
Rule
13:
Use ‘the’
with the names of famous buildings, works of art, museums, or monuments.
Examples:
Have
you been to the Vietnam Memorial?
We
went to the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa.
I
would like to visit the Eiffel Tower.
I
saw King Lear at the Globe.
Rule
14:
Use ‘the’
with the names of hotels & restaurants, unless these are named after a
person.
Examples:
They
are staying at the Hilton on 6th street.
We
ate at the Golden Lion.
Rule
15:
Use ‘the’
with the names of families, but not with the names of individuals.
Examples:
We're
having dinner with the Smiths tonight.
The
Browns are going to the play with us.
Geographical names are confusing because some
require the and some do not.
Rule
16:
Use ‘the’
with names of geographical areas, rivers, mountain ranges, groups of islands,
canals, united countries, large regions, deserts, peninsulas, seas, gulfs and
oceans.
Examples:
They
are travelling in the Arctic.
Our
ship crossed the Atlantic in 7 days.
I
will go on a cruise down the Nile.
Hiking
across the Rocky Mountains would be difficult.
the
Gobi Desert
the
United Arab Emirates
the
Sacramento River
When
not to use "the"
1.
Do not use ‘the’ with names of countries
(except for the special cases above).
Examples:
Germany
is an important economic power.
He's
just returned from Zimbabwe.
2.
Do not use ‘the’ with the names of
languages.
Examples:
French
is spoken in Tahiti.
English
uses many words of Latin origin.
Indonesian
is a relatively new language.
3.
Do not use ‘the’ with the names of
meals.
Examples:
Lunch
is my favorite meal.
I
like to eat breakfast early.
4.
Do not use ‘the’ with people's names.
Examples:
John
is coming over later.
Mary
Carpenter is my boss.
5.
Do not use ‘the’ with titles when
combined with names.
Examples:
Prince
Charles is Queen Elizabeth's son.
President
Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
6.
Do not use ‘the’ after the 's possessive
case
Examples:
His
brother's car was stolen.
Peter's
house is over there.
7.
Do not use ‘the’ with professions
Examples:
Engineering
is a well-paid career.
He'll
probably study medicine.
8.
Do not use ‘the’ with names of shops
Examples:
I'll
get the card at Smith's.
Can
you go to Boots for me?
9.
Do not use ‘the’ with years
Examples
1948
was a wonderful year.
He
was born in 1995.
10.Do not use ‘the’ with
uncountable nouns
Examples:
Rice
is an important food in Asia.
Milk
is often added to tea in England.
War
is destructive.
11.Do not use ‘the’ with
the names of individual mountains, lakes and islands
Examples:
Mount
McKinley is the highest mountain in Alaska.
She
lives near Lake Windermere.
Have
you visited Long Island?
12.Do not use ‘the’ with
most names of towns, streets, stations and airports
Examples:
Victoria
Station is in the center of London.
Can
you direct me to Bond Street?
She
lives in Florence.
They're
flying into Heathrow.
Navigation:
Comments