For questions about "The", the only definite article used in English.
The word the (with no variant forms) is the only English definite article.
Questions tagged [definite-article]
1453 questions
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votes
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Using "the bank" or "the cinema" to talk about the activity
Native speakers use "the bank" even if they are not speaking about the specific bank, but because with certain institutions the definite article is used to talk about the activity. As in "I went to the bank yesterday." Can I use these words with…
Antonia A
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Why is the article "the" used in "He invented THE slide rule"?
Why is there "the" in the following sentence?
He invented THE slide rule.
They are not talking about a specific common noun. (Like in: There is only one blue car in the parking lot. Where is THE car?)
Thank you.
Jano
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Using “the” with names of functions, variables, constants in computer literature
When I write computer-related text and want to refer to something (a variable, a function, etc.) that has a unique name, should I add “the” before the name? For example: “Here I call the printf function” vs “Here I call printf function.” Logically…
Mikhail Edoshin
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11
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What is this case of using "the" in front of a noun?
As I have been taught, apart from being a part of a name, the definite article in English is usually used for:
1) things that have already been mentioned earlier in conversation (like in "So you did take care of that mother, but what about the…
brilliant
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Curious use of the definite article with body parts in dictionary definitions
I've come across the following definition of plectrum in the Oxford Dictionary of English, which can be found at https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/plectrum:
A thin flat piece of plastic, tortoiseshell, or other slightly flexible material…
user3395
10
votes
4 answers
If we remove 'the' in "Gone with the Wind"
I was talking to a native speaker some time ago, she was a young adult. And when I mentioned the movie Gone with the Wind, she corrected me, saying that the right title was Gone with Wind. But we know that it is not true.
I was pondering it and…
mosceo
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"In English literature" or "In the English literature"?
Do we ever say, "In the English literature" ? Is it correct?
For example:
"Hamlet" is a classic play in the English literature.
or
"Hamlet" is a classic play in English literature.
Vic
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7
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Definite article before name of languages
Should I use the definite article before name of languages?
(the?) Persian language
(the?) German language
(the?) Arabic language
(the?) Russian language
(the?) English language
Some language name may also refer to other things, so you need…
Real Dreams
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7
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Use of articles before seasons
Why is it correct to say, "Summer is the golden season," but not necessary to use "the" when saying, "Winter is exercise season"?
Melanie
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7
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Why is 'the' added before Wasp but not before Antman?
Why is 'the' added before Wasp but not before Antman from the movie title "Antman and the Wasp"?
Kami
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7
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Extra "the" in "In the evening, my mother and I cooked the dinner"
My name's Elsie Jackson. I'm eighty-nine years old. I was at school
eighty years ago! Every morning I helped my mother. We lived on a
farm, and sometimes I milked the cows. I walked eight kilometers to
school. School started at eight o'clock.…
Mori
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7
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"Money" or "the Money"
I wrote:
The money isn't the root of selfishness. It can (instead) be the facilitator for good deeds.
Someone corrected it to "money". However as I googled I found a song including "it's not all about the money, not all about the fame". How does…
Ahmad
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7
votes
3 answers
"The following" vs. "Following"
I wrote
"Following examples show ..."
and my colleague revised it as
"The following examples show ..."
Why do we need "the" here even though the examples have not been mentioned before?
MaxHeap
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6
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You were born in (the) winter: is the article necessary?
You were born in (the) winter.
I am interested in this particular case of using the article since someone's birth is often associated with a particular season of a particular year. Is the article necessary in such expressions? I'd like to have…
Yulia
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The rule of definite article "the"
I asked several questions about the definite article "the". Especially using "the" before user and mouse when describing an application was interesting to me.
I concluded it to myself that when I use "the", one can ask "which or who" and I should…
Ahmad
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