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The is a must to be but before some words that we call it unique and has no twins ,only one , so you must know how to use the definite article (the) and its usage and when to put it and use it ,you can use it to identify that you mean a specific one from a group , look at the tall man is wearing.
thanks a lot
if you talk about something that is well known you have to use the
The must be used when we speak of oceans, seas, rivers and lakes, Holy Books, definite objects, Newspapers, hotels and family names
The Definite Article: The
- The definite article “The” is used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
Use
1-To talk about something specific / noun which was mentioned before:
- Something we have mentioned before or which is already known.
Ex. Jo bought a house on King Street, The house is very big and the street is quiet.
Ex. The book is on the table.
2-With nouns which are unique:
Ex. The sun, The moon, the Earth, The world, The sky, The environment, The atmosphere, The climate, The weather, The alphabet.
3-With the names of:
Rivers: The Amazon. The Nile.
Seas: The Mediterranean. The red sea.
Oceans: The Atlantic. The Pacific.
Mountain ranges: The Andes. The Alps. The Himalayas.
Deserts: The Sahara.
Groups of islands: The Virgin Islands. The Canary islands.
Countries when they include words such as: state, kingdom, republic, united, union, empire…etc.
The United Kingdom.
Canals: The Suez canal.
Dams: The High dam.
.....…The middle East.
4-With the names of:
A-Musical instruments:
Ex. The guitar.
B-Dances:
Ex. The waltz.
C-Discoveries and inventions:
Ex. The x-ray, The internet, The radio, The computer, The mobile, The telephone.
5-With the names of:
A-Museums:
Ex. The National Museum.
B-Hotels:
Ex. The Hilton.
C-Theatres/cinemas:
Ex. The Royal Theatre.
6-With:
A-Nationalities:
Ex. The French.
B-Names of families:
Ex. The Browns.
7-With historical periods/events:
Ex. The Iron Age, the Second World War.
But: World War II.
8-With the words: morning, afternoon, station, city, village, etc.
Ex. He gets up at6 o'clock in the morning.
Ex. They drove into the city.
9-With adjectives used as nouns to refer to groups of people:
Ex. The poor, the blind, the sick.
10-With:
A-Only, last, first …used as adjectives:
Ex. He was the first person to leave.
11-With titles when the name of the person is not mentioned:
Ex. The President, the Prince
But: Prince Charles.
12- General nouns (in meaning):
Ex. Life is quite in the countryside.
13- Before some countries:
Ex. The Sudan, The Philippines, The Netherlands, The united states of America, The European Union, The united kingdom, The United Nations
Clauses of comparison:/ أشباه الجمل:14-
Ex. The more you work the more money you earn.
Ex. The harder you train the better marks you get.
15- Before "Superlative Degree":
Ex. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.
Ex. She is the most intelligent person I know.
16- Before The Holly books and newspapers also magazines:
Ex. The Qur'an, The Bible, The Egyptian Gazette…
17- A Kind of animals:
Ex. The giraffe is found in Africa.
Do not use
1-Uncountable and plural countable nouns when we talk about something in general:
Ex. Koalas live in Australia./ The Koala lives in Australia.
2-Proper nouns.
Ex. This is Anna.
3- Abstract nouns:
Ex. Fun, truth, fire, happiness, sadness, friendship, love, joy…
4-The words: (this/that/these/those)
Ex. this boy, those trees
NOT: the this boy
5-Possessive adjectives or the possessive case:
Ex. That isn't my house - it's Sue's.
6-Means of transport:
Ex. by bus / train…
7-Two-word names (when the first is the name of a person or place) :
Ex. Heathrow Airport.
8- Noun + number:
Ex. He is in room21.
Ex. The train leaves from platform3.
9-The words:
School
College
Church
Bed
Prison
Court
Hospital
Prison
University
Home………
Note:
When we refer to the purpose for which they exist.
Ex. Jim's in hospital. (As a patient)
Ex. We went to the hospital to visit Jim. (as a visitor)
10- TV:
A- What do you see on it?
Ex. I always watch the news on TV/television.
B- TV as one of the appliances/sets: with: the)
Ex. I forgot my cell phone on the television.
11-Names of:
A-Countries:
Ex. Brazil.
But: The Netherlands.
B- Cities:
Ex. Cairo.
C-Streets:
Ex. Oxford Street.
But: The High Street.
D-Parks:
Ex. Hyde Park.
E-Bridges:
Ex. October Bridge.
F-Continents:
Ex. Europe.
G-Squares:
Ex. Ramsees Square.
H-Stations:
Ex. Tahreer Station.
I-Islands:
Ex. Rhodes.
Lakes:
Ex. Lake Geneva.
12-Names of:
A-Meals (in general)
Ex. I always have my dinner at6 o'clock.
B-Sports/games:
Ex. Tennis, chess.
C-Season, Months, Days of the week:
Ex. Spring, July, Friday...
D-Celebrations:
Ex. Mardi Gras, El-fitr.
E-Colours:
Ex. Red.
F-Drinks:
Ex. Coffee.
G-Languages when they are not followed by the word language:
Ex. I speak Portuguese.
But: The Portuguese language is spoken in Brazil.
H- Foods:
Ex. Meat, bread, rice…
I-Materials:
Ex. Plastic, wood, glass…
J- School subjects:
Ex. History, maths, chemistry…
k- Before: (work/home):
Ex. After he had finished his work, he played play-station.
Ex. I like going home.
L- Senses:
Ex. Sight is one of the five senses.
M- Air ports:
Ex. Alex. Airport.
N- Universities:
Ex. Ain - shams University.
O- Activities:
Ex. Reading, smoking, dancing…
Note: We always say:
- A university student, a European country, a youth…
