Definite Article

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The is called the definite article because it is used to refer to a particular person or thing.

Call the man waiting outside.
Revenge is the main theme of this play.

Uses

To talk about a person/thing already mentioned

When a person/thing has been mentioned earlier, the definite article is used in later references to that particular person/thing.

I saw a beggar near the bus stop; the fellow came to me with outstretched hands.

To talk about a person/thing known to the listener

We use the definite article (the) before a noun when we expect the listener/reader to know which particular person(s) or thing(s) we are talking about.

Can I talk to the manager? (The listener knows which person is meant.)
I have been to the doctor. (Which doctor? My doctor.)
The book you want is out of print. (Which book? The one you want.)
The child was crying. (Which child? The one I met in the store.)
Let us go to the park. (Which park? The one in the town.)

To talk about unique things or events

We use the to talk about unique things or events.

The French Revolution began in 1789. (Unique: because there has been only one French revolution.)
The Nile is the longest river in the world.

Most nouns that represent things that are the only ones of their kind also take the before them.

Examples are: the sun, the moon, the earth, the city, the Nile, the country, the sea, the weather etc.

This use of the is possible even when we are talking about somebody/something that the listener knows nothing about?

You don’t know the Hiltons, do you? (The use of the makes it clear that there is only one Hilton family in the speaker’s social environment.)

With expressions referring to our physical environment

The is used in a number of expressions referring to our physical environment.

Examples are: the town, the weather, the rain, the wind, the country, the sunshine, the sea, the city etc.

I prefer the country to the city.
The earth is the only planet that supports life.

With adjectives referring to a particular class of people

We use the before certain adjectives referring to a particular class of people.

Examples are: the blind, the dead, the poor, the disabled etc.

The rich are not always happy.
The accused was sent on bail.
The educated should teach the illiterate.

With superlatives

Superlative adjectives take the before them.

She is the eldest member in the family.
The Nile is the longest river in the world.

With singular nouns that represent a whole class

We use the before a singular noun when it is used to represent the whole class of things to which it belongs.

The lotus is a lovely flower.
Can the leopard change its spots?
The camel is the ship of the desert.

Sections in this article

Introduction to Articles
The Definite Article
Cases where the definite article should not be used
The Indefinite Article
Cases where articles should not be used
What to use - A/an or the
The difference between some/any and no article
Common expressions without articles
Articles: special rules and exceptions