19 Definite Articles
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Introduction
Articles are words that define nouns and they belong to the group of words called determiners. Essentially there are two kinds of articles: indefinite and definite.
We use the definite article to refer to specific things.
Form
The Definite article is usually placed before adjectives and noun phrases. The definite article can be used with both singular and plural nouns.
There is only one definite article that we use before nouns: the.
Example
- Things mentioned previously
- There is a dog in your garden. The dog is hungry.
- Definite places, buildings, means of transport, services
- The train station is next to my house.
- The shop will be closed tomorrow.
- The bus leaves in five minutes.
- Every day I listen to the radio.
- The only thing that exists
- The Pope is visiting Germany next week.
- Country names in plural
- The Netherlands.
- Countries where the following words appear in their name: kingdom, republic or states
- The United Kingdom, The Czech Republic, The United States.
- Mountain ranges, oceans, rivers and groups of islands
- The Alps, The Pacific Ocean, The Nile, The Azores.
- Family names in plural
- The Jacksons lived in Texas for 10 years.
- Superlative adjectives
- Pizza is the most delicious food in the world!
- Newspapers
- The New York Times.
- Musical Instruments
- I play the piano.
Use
The Definite article is used to refer to specific things already known to both the speaker and the interlocutor. We use the definite article when we refer to:
- Things mentioned before (to avoid repetitions);
- Definite places, buildings, means of transport, services;
- The only thing that exists (the sun, the moon, the sky…);
- Country names in plural;
- Countries where the following words appear in their name: kingdom, republic or states;
- Mountain ranges, oceans, rivers and groups of islands;
- Family names in plural;
- Superlative adjectives;
- Newspapers;
- Musical instruments.
Summary
The definite article the is a determiner used to refer to a specific thing. It is placed before nouns or adjectives.
For example:
— “I think the dog is hungry.” = We use the to refer to one specific thing.
♦ “There is a dog in your garden.” = We use a/an to refer to a non-specific thing.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
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