The Definite Article THE

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)

The Definite Article