The definite article
The definite article the is used in the following cases:
| Explanation | Example |
|---|---|
| With singular countable nouns, plural countable nouns, and uncountable nouns |
the man the shoes the water |
| When we talk about people and things that we have already mentioned | I met a girl and a boy. I didn't like the boy much, but the girl was very nice. |
| When we say which people or things we mean | Who is the man over there talking to Sue? |
| When it is clear from the situation which people or things we mean | "Where's Simon?" "He's in the bathroom." (=the bathroom in this house) Could you switch on the light? (=the light in this room) I got into a taxi. The driver asked me where I wanted to go. (=the driver of the taxi that I got into) |
| When there is only one of something | the sun the moon the sky the earth the world |
| When we talk about something in particular, we use the | These are the shoes which I bought last week. (=the particular shoes which I bought last week) Could you pass the milk, please? (=the particular milk on the table) I like horses. (=horses in general) Look at the horses in that field. (=the particular horses) He only cares about money. (=money in general) Where is the money I gave you yesterday? (=the particular money) |
| We sometimes use the with a singular countable noun to talk about something in general. This happens, for example, with the names of animals, flowers and plants. | The dolphin is an intelligent animal. (=dolphins in general) The orchid is a beautiful flower. (=orchids in general) |
| We also use the in a general sense with the names of musical instruments and scientific inventions. | She can play the guitar and the piano. Marconi invented the radio. |
| Some common expressions with the have a general meaning | the town the country/side the sea/side the mountains the rain |
| We can use the before some adjectives eg young, old, rich, poor, blind with a general meaning. | The young should listen to the old. ( = young people in general; old people in general ) |
| We also use the before some nationality words eg. English, Italian, French, Swiss, Japanese to mean "the people of that country". | The English drink a lot of tea. |
| Before a noun made definite by the addition of a phrase or clause: | the girl in blue the man with the banner the boy that I met the place where I met him |
| Before superlatives and first , second etc. used as adjectives or pronouns, and only: | the first week the best day the only way |
| You also use the when you are referring to something of which there is only one in a particular place. | Mrs Robertson heard that the church had been bombed. He decided to put some words on the blackboard. |
| You can use the with a singular countable noun when you are referring to a system or service. | I don't like using the phone. How long does it take on the train? |
| Use the with regions of the world, or regions of a country that include north, south, east, or west. Note that there are some exceptions: North America | the Middle East the Far East the north of England the west of Ireland |
| Before nouns of which there is only one: | the sun the moon the sky the earth the world the Colosseum |
| Before a noun which we have already mentioned: | I have found a coin. The coin is worth 50p. His car struck a tree; you can still see the mark on the tree. |
| Before a noun which by reason of locality can represent only one particular thing: | Could you switch on the light? ( = the light in this room ) Ann is in the garden. ( = the garden of this house ) the postman ( = the one who comes to us ) the car ( our car ) the newspaper ( = the one we read ) |
| Before the following nouns: when they are used for their primary purpose of entertainment | the cinema the opera the races the pictures the theatre the radio People often prefer watching TV to going to the cinema. Yesterday, my fiancé suggested we should go to the theatre. |
| Before a musical instrument when it refers to "playing": | She can play the guitar and the piano. |
| Before a particular or special meal: | I met him at the dinner given by the Browns. |
| When we talk about something in general, we use plural or uncountable
nouns without the. When we talk about something in particular, we use the. |
Shoes are expensive. ( = shoes in general ) Milk is good for you. ( = milk in general ) These are the shoes which I bought last week. ( = the particular shoes ) Could you pass the milk, please? ( = the particular milk on the table ) He only cares about money. ( = money in general ) Where is the money I gave you yesterday? ( = the particular money ) |
| When a noun refers to the class as a whole and when a generalization is made about a whole class of animate or inanimate nouns: | The cat drinks a lot of milk. The lemon has vitamins in. |
| But man, used to represent the human race, has no article. | If oil supplies run out, man may have to fall back on the horse. |
| Before an adjective which is used in the superlative degree and shows comparison: | Mary Hailey in the most intelligent girl in the class. (in comparison with the other girls in the class) This is the biggest apple I have ever seen. (in comparison with all the other apples I have ever seen) |
| Before an ordinal numeral | That's the fourth time you've made such a mistake. Sofia is not the first capital of Bulgaria |
| Before same | Mary always invites the same people. Ann has got the same shirt as I have |
| When a family name is used in the plural: | the Quirks the Sidneys |
| When there is more than one person or place of the same name and therefore it is necessary to specify to which one the reference is made | Is that the Mary Brown? I don't mean the Warsaw in the United States. |
| To emphasize that one person or place named is the one that everybody knows | Was this book written by the Hemingway? Are you going to the Monte Carlo? |
| In reference to a place of a certain period | This is not the Paris I used to know. The New York of our epoch has become a dangerous place to live in. |
| Before last and next when they do not refer to proximate days, weeks, months, etc: | I met him the last week of our holiday. (not the week before the present one) I hope to see you the next week after the end of our holiday. (not the week after the present one) |
| Before a small group of adjectives which denote the class of people | The unemployed should be given some money. (the class of people who are unemployed ) The brave are not always rewarded. (the class of people who are brave ) |
| Before adjectives denoting nationalities and referring to the class of people | The French often spend their free time abroad. ( the class of French people ) The Scottish are famous for their miserliness. (the class of Scottish people ) |
| Before some adjectives which are then changed into abstract nouns | The good characterizes his behaviour. The bad is not a feature of Tom's character. |
| Before the comparative form of an adjective when two objects are compared | That's the longer of the two shirts. That's the more expensive of the two cars. |
| Before fixed expressions which consist of adjectives used in the comparative degree and which follow the pattern the more the merrier | The sooner you start your work the better. The quicker you work the better for you |
| Before a gerund when the action/state denoted by the gerund is identified | She has done the cooking. |
| We say go to sea/be at sea (without the) when the meaning is go/be on a voyage | Ken is a seaman. He spends most of his life at sea. I would love to live near the sea. (not "near sea") |
| We say space (not "the space") when we mean space in the universe | There are millions of stars in space. (not "in the space") He tried to park his car but the space wasn't big enough. |
| We also use the + a singular countable noun when we talk about a type of machine, an invention etc. | When was the telephone invented? The bicycle is an excellent means of transport |
| oceans | the Pacific (Ocean) the Atlantic (Ocean) |
| seas | the Baltic (Sea) the Black Sea |
| rivers | the Vistula the Nile the River Thames or the Thames |
| canals | the Panama Canal the Suez Canal |
| deserts | the Sahara the Kalahari |
| island groups | the Canaries the West Indies the Bahamas |
| chains of mountains | the Alps the Tatras |
| exceptionally, before names of towns | the Hague the Piraeus |
| countries, if their names contain the words: Kingdom, Union, Republic or State | The United Kingdom The People's Republic of China The United States |
| and in the case of exceptions | The Netherlands the Philippines |
| regions | the Middle East the Far East the north of England |
