I. the1 S1 W1 /ðə;
before vowels ði;
strong ðiː/
definite article, determiner[
Language: Old English]
1. used to show that you are talking about a particular thing or person that has already been mentioned, is already known about, or is the only one:
The audience clapped and cheered. I ordered a pizza and salad. The pizza was nice but the salad was disgusting. the tallest building in the world sailing across the Pacific The Prime Minister has intervened personally. Elections will be held later in the year (=this year). How are all the family (=your family)?2. used before nouns referring to actions and changes when they are followed by ‘of’:
the growth of the steel industry the arrival of our guests3. used when you are about to make it clear which person or thing you mean:
That’s the school that Terry went to. She laughed at the birthday card from Myra.4. used before the name of a family in the plural to refer to all the members of that family:
The Johnsons had lived in this house for many years.5. used to refer to something that everyone knows because it is part of our natural environment or part of daily life:
What was the weather like? I looked out into the darkness. Sometimes the traffic kept her awake at night. The shops open at 9 o'clock.6. used before a singular noun to refer to a type of institution, shop, system etc:
You used to buy them from the chemist. I heard it on the radio. I’ll put it in the mail for you today.7. used to refer to a part of someone’s body:
Lieutenant Taylor was wounded in the knee. How’s the ankle? Is it still hurting?8. used before an adjective to make it into a plural noun when you are referring to all the people that the adjective describes:
She devoted her life to helping the poor. a school for the deaf wars between the English and the French9. used before an adjective to make it into a noun when you are referring to the particular kind of situation or thing that the adjective describes:
Come on now, that’s asking for the impossible. fantasy movies that make the unreal seem real10. used before a singular noun when you are referring to a particular type of thing or person in a general way:
The tiger is without doubt the most magnificent of the big cats. The computer has changed everyone’s lives in so many ways. complicated dances like the tango11. a) used to refer to a period of time, especially a period of 10 or 100 years:
fashions of the 60s the great novelists of the 1900s She remembers the war years. In the thirties unemployment was widespread. b) used to mention a date:
the 3rd of November March the 21st British English:
Shall we meet on the twelfth?12. enough of something for a particular purpose:
I haven’t the time to talk just now. Eric didn’t even have the common sense to send for a doctor.13. used to say which type of musical instrument someone plays:
Fiona’s learning the flute. He plays the violin.14. used to refer to a type of sport or a sports event, especially in
athletics or swimming:
Who won the long jump? She swam up and down, practising the crawl.15. spoken used before a word or phrase that describes someone or something when you are angry,
jealous, surprised etc:
He’s stolen my parking space, the bastard! I can’t get this carton open, the stupid thing. ‘Jamie’s won a holiday in Hawaii.’ ‘The lucky devil!’16. used to emphasize that the person, place, or thing you are mentioning is the famous one, or the best or most fashionable one. ‘The’ is pronounced strongly or written in a special way:
‘Elizabeth Taylor was there.’ ‘Not the Elizabeth Taylor, surely?’ Miami is THE place for girls who like to live life to the full.17. used before the names of certain common illnesses:
If one of the children got the measles, we all got the measles.
GRAMMARDo not use
the:
– with uncountable or plural nouns to talk about a type of thing rather than specific things the reader or listener already knows about:
I like music. We use computers.– with the name of a language:
Do you speak English?– with words for institutions such as
school,
prison,
college,
university, and
church when you are talking about them in a general way:
Her son is at school. She spent a year in prison. Do you go to church?– generally, with times, days, and months (but see note below):
at midnight on Tuesday in May– with a date when you write it:
His birthday is July 29th.► But in spoken British English, you say the date as 'July the 29th'.
– generally, with the name of a meal:
Have you had breakfast? Come round after dinner.– with the name of a place, for example a street, town, country, or airport:
This is Downing Street. We flew to Boston. They love Japan. He’s climbed Everest twice.► But some places and countries, and all rivers and oceans, have
the as part of their name:
the Bronx the Netherlands the UK the Rockies the Mississippi the AtlanticUse
the:
– when you are talking about something specific or something that the reader or listener already knows about:
I didn’t like the music in the film. All the computers (=the computers in this building) are down.– with words for institutions when you are talking about a particular one:
They go to the school in the village. the church on the corner– with days when you give more information about which specific one you mean:
on the Tuesday before Christmas [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲
the II. determiner1. 
BAD: She is arriving on March the 25th.
GOOD: She is arriving on March 25th.
Usage Note:When you say the date, use 'March the twenty-fifth' or 'the twenty-fifth of March'.
When you write the date, use 'March 25th' or '25th March' (WITHOUT
the and
of ).
2. BAD: Very few people can speak the English well in Japan.
GOOD: Very few people can speak English well in Japan.
Usage Note:speak/learn/know etc + name of a language (WITHOUT
the ): 'She speaks fluent German.' 'Do you know any Malay?' 'I'd like to learn Mandarin.'
Note that
the + English/Japanese etc + language may be used when you talk about a language in terms of its history, structure, users etc: 'The English language has evolved over many centuries.'
3. BAD: I have just seen a new magazine about the computers.
GOOD: I have just seen a new magazine about computers.
Usage Note:Do not use
the with the plural form of a countable noun when it is used in a general sense. Compare: 'She likes cats.' (= cats in general) 'The cats we saw in Venice looked very hungry.' (= a particular group of cats)
4. BAD: A lot of people are afraid of the death.
GOOD: A lot of people are afraid of death.
BAD: Nowadays the pollution is a very serious problem.
GOOD: Nowadays pollution is a very serious problem.
BAD: My main hobby is the photography.
GOOD: My main hobby is photography.
Usage Note:Do not use
the with an uncountable noun when it is used in a general sense: 'She hates dishonesty.' 'Power doesn't interest him.'
The is used when the sense is restricted: 'She hates the dishonesty of the man.' 'The power enjoyed by politicians doesn't interest him.'
5. BAD: Diseases such as the AIDS and the cancer cause a lot of suffering.
GOOD: Diseases such as AIDS and cancer cause a lot of suffering.
Usage Note:Do not use
the before the name of a disease: 'He caught pneumonia and had to spend three weeks in bed.'
6. BAD: Our plane arrived at the Gatwick Airport.
GOOD: Our plane arrived at Gatwick Airport.
Usage Note:Do not use
the before the names of airports and railway stations: 'Charles de Gaulle (Airport)', 'Narita (Airport)', 'Charing Cross (Station)'
7. BAD: The language school is in the Malibu Street.
GOOD: The language school is in Malibu Street.
Usage Note:The is not usually used in the names of streets and roads: 'Oxford Street', 'Fifth Avenue', 'Fir Tree Avenue', 'Blue Pool Road'.
Note that when someone mentions 'the Oxford road' or 'the London road', they mean the road that leads to Oxford/London.
8. BAD: Climbing the Mount Fuji in winter can be very dangerous.
GOOD: Climbing Mount Fuji in winter can be very dangerous.
Usage Note:Do not use
the with the name of a mountain: 'Mount Everest', 'Mount Fuji', 'Mount Olympus'. Note, however, that
the is used with the names of groups of mountains: 'the Alps', 'the Andes', 'the Himalayas'.
9. BAD: They were both found guilty and sent to the prison.
GOOD: They were both found guilty and sent to prison.
Usage Note:See note at SCHOOL 1 (
school)
10. BAD: Yellow River has caused many terrible floods.
GOOD: The Yellow River has caused many terrible floods.
Usage Note:Always use
the with the names of canals, rivers, seas and oceans:: 'the Suez Canal', 'the Ganges', 'the River Thames', 'the Atlantic Ocean', 'the Mediterranean Sea'
11. BAD: It is more than ten years since I visited West Indies.
GOOD: It is more than ten years since I visited the West Indies.
Usage Note:Most plural names begin with
the : 'the Bahamas', 'the Himalayas', 'the United States', 'the Philippines'.
12 BAD: This is my second visit to UK.
GOOD: This is my second visit to the UK.
Usage Note:Use
the with any country whose name includes 'state', 'union', 'republic', 'kingdom' etc: 'the UK', 'the United Kingdom', 'the USA', 'the United States', 'the People's Republic of China'.
13 BAD: Only very wealthy tourists can afford to stay at Imperial Hotel.
GOOD: Only very wealthy tourists can afford to stay at the Imperial Hotel.
Usage Note:The names of hotels and restaurants usually begin with
the : 'the Hilton', 'the Mandarin', 'the Sheraton'.
Note that names which have a possessive form are exceptions: 'Claridge's', 'Salvo's', 'Tiffany's'
14 BAD: This system was brought to Hong Kong by British.
GOOD: This system was brought to Hong Kong by the British.
Usage Note:To refer to the people of a country, use
the + adjective: 'the British', 'the French', 'the Portuguese', 'the Swiss'.
15 BAD: The hotel is not suitable for disabled.
GOOD: The hotel is not suitable for the disabled.
Usage Note:the poor, the sick, the deaf, the disabled, etc = all people who are poor/sick/deaf/disabled: 'The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.' 'She devoted her life to looking after the sick.'
16See NATURE (
nature)
[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲