The Definite Article THE is the most frequently used word in English. It is the same for all genders in singular or plural.
Definite article is used to refer to a particular phenomenon or a thing. It can be something already mentioned or something specified.
We use THE:
- with the words beach, cinema, theatre, world, weekend… (We’re going to the beach every day).
- before the names of the cinemas (the Cineplex), hotels (the Four Seasons), theatres (the Rex), museums (the Louvre), groups of islands/states (the Philipines, the United Kingdom), etc…
- with the names of rivers (the Danube), seas (the Mediterranean), mountain ranges (the Himalayas), the oceans (the Atlantic), deserts (the Sahara).
- before musical instruments (I can play the piano).
- with names of people, families, nationalities (the Smiths, the French)
- with titles without names (the Prime Minister)
- with superlative forms of adjectives (the most popular)
We don’t use THE:
- with proper nouns (Sabin is travelling to China).
- before names of sports, colours, meals, etc… (They play tennis on Saturday mornings)
- with names of countries (Thailand), streets (Oxford Street), mountains (Mont Blanc), lakes (Albert Lake ), etc…
- before titles with names (President Mujica)
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