Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Form of Article “the”
The definite article “the” is the most frequently used word in English.
the + NOUN
We use the definite article in front of a noun when the speaker believes that the listener already knows what he is referring to.
Uses of the article “the”
The definite article ‘the’ is used in the following cases:
- because there is only one
The sun is very bright.
Who is the president of Spain?
- because there is only one in that context
My family lives in a house next to the church. (= the church in our town)
Mom, can I borrow the car? (= the family’s car)
- because it has already been mentioned
A young man tried to rob a jewelry shop in Tampa. The man used a big rock to smash the windows of the shop.
- with a superlative adjective
He is the tallest kid in our class.
It is the oldest house in the village.
- to talk about musical instruments and dances
Jerry plays the guitar really well.
Can you do the foxtrot?
- to refer to a system or service
How long does it take on the train?
She heard it on the radio.
- with countries whose names include words like kingdom, states or republic
the United Kingdom
the People’s Republic of China
- with countries which have plural nouns as their names
the Netherlands
the Philippines
- with geographical features, such as canals, oceans, groups of islands, seas, rivers, and mountain ranges
the Amazon
the Himalayas
- with works of art or well-known buildings
the Mona Lisa
the Empire State Building
- We do not use the definite article with names.
Robert Downey Jr. played Iron Man.
Madrid is the capital of Spain.
Japan is in Asia.
Other English grammar lessons can be found here.