use of THE

The article the

We use the definite article in front of a noun when we believe the listener/reader knows exactly what we are referring to:

- Because there is only one: The Pope is visiting Russia. The moon is very bright tonight. Who is the president of France? - This is why we use "the" with a superlative adjective: He is the tallest boy in the class. It is the oldest building in the town. - Because there is only one in that context:We live in a small house next to the church. (= the church in our village)When we stayed at my grandmother’s house, we went to the beach every day. (= the beach near my grandmother’s house) Look at the boy over there. (= the boy I am pointing at) - because we have already mentioned it: A young man got a nasty shock when he tried to rob a jewellery shop in Richmond. The man used a heavy hammer to smash the windows in the shop.

We also use the definite article:

- To say something about all the things referred to by a noun: The wolf is not really a dangerous animal. (= Wolves are not really dangerous animals.) The kangaroo is found only in Australia. (= Kangaroos are found only in Australia.) The heart pumps blood around the body. (= Hearts pump blood around bodies.) - We use the definite article in this way to talk about musical instruments: Joe plays the piano really well. She is learning the guitar. - To refer to a system or serviceHow long does it take on the train? I heard it on the radio. You should tell the police.

The article the

- We can also use the definite article with adjectives like rich, poor, elderly and unemployed to talk about groups of people: Life can be very hard for the poor. I think the rich should pay more taxes. She works for a group to help the disabled. - The definite article with names We do not normally use the definite article with names: William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. Paris is the capital of France. Iran is in Asia. - But we do use the definite article with: - countries whose names include words like kingdom, states or republic: the United Kingdom the Kingdom of Bhutan the United States the People's Republic of China - countries which have plural nouns as their names: the Netherlands the Philippines - geographical features, such as mountain ranges, groups of islands, rivers, seas, oceans and canals: the Himalayas the Canaries the Atlantic (Ocean) the Amazon the Panama Canal - newspapers: The Times The Washington Post - well-known buildings or works of art: the Empire State Building the Taj Mahal the Mona Lisa - organizations: the United Nations the Seamen's Union - hotels, pubs and restaurants: the Ritz the Ritz Hotel the King's Head the Déjà Vu - But note that we do not use the definite article if the name of the hotel or restaurant is the name of the owner: Brown's Brown's Hotel Morel's Morel's Restaurant - families: the Obamas the Jacksons

practice