Grammar
Articles
1st Part
The definite article: The
2nd Part
Indefinite Articles “a” and “an”
3rd Part
No article
Grammar in use
- Topic : The definite articles
- Skills : Grammar
Use
What is a definite article?
the phone
the papers
“The‟ is a definite article: it is used before a specific person, object or idea. It can be singular or plural.
Examples:
I like the bananas in this cake.
This is the person I need to speak to
I‟m going to the bus stop near the market.
We also use “the‟ before an object or a person of which there is only one. This includes the names of seas, rivers, chains of islands, mountain ranges (but not mountains), and countries when their name includes a noun (such as state, kingdom…).
Examples:
The earth rotates around the sun.
The river Thames flows into the North Sea
Language Tip about the Pronunciation of “the‟.
We write “the” but can say “the” or “thee”.
| We say “the” when the next word begins with a consonant. A consonant is: b, c, d, f, etc. | We say “thee” when the next word begins with a vowel. A vowel is: a, e, i, o, u. |
| Examples: the car the boy | Examples: the apple (we say “thee apple”) the image (we say “thee image”) |
| It is the sound that matters, not the letter we write. So we say “thee” before a vowel sound, not necessarily before a vowel. Likewise, we say “the” before a consonant sound, not necessarily before a consonant. | When we wish to place emphasis on a particular word, “the‟ is pronounced “thee”, whether or not the next word begins with a consonant or vowel sound. |
| Examples: the house the hour (we say “thee hour”) | Example: This is the (pronounced “thee”) best brownie I have ever had! |
| Complement |
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| “The‟ is used before superlatives.
Examples: The most expensive object is not necessarily the best. She was the first woman from here to become a doctor. The nearest bakery is down the street. “The‟ also refers to a class of people or objects. Examples: The nene is the official state bird of Hawaii. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. |