Use of THE

English Grammar Index


Use of THE :


  1. When we talk about the same person again in the same essay, we use the article THE to indicate the same person.


    Examples :

    I saw a man on the roadside begging. After 6p.m. the man was seen in a queue in front of a theatre.

    I saw a girl in a park. The girl was plucking the flowers.

    Near my school there is a temple and a hospital. The temple is neat and clean. The hospital looks dirty.

    There was once a rich merchant. He lived in a large house. There was a big garden in front of the house. The merchant used to entertain his friends in the garden.




  2. If we want to mention about a place or a person specifically, we have to use the article THE.


    Examples :

    The book you want is out of print.

    This is the pen which I lost last week.

    This is the man whom I met yesterday.




  3. THE should be used before the Superlative Degrees and adjective.


    Examples :

    The Everest is the highest peak in the world.

    The Nile is the longest river in the world.

    This is the best book of elementary chemistry.

    The great Caesar was killed.

    The beautiful Cleopatra died.

    The victorious Arjuna was never defeated.

    The immortal Kalidasa has left behind a book.

    The famous scientist Einstein is still the King of science.

    The great Akbar established a kingdom.




  4. When a singular noun is used to represent a whole class, use the article THE.


    Examples :

    The swallow is a migrating bird. (means all the swallows)

    The crow is a clever bird. (means all the crows)

    The fox is a cunning animal. (means all the fox)




  5. When an adjective used as a noun, use THE before the adjective.


    Examples :

    God blesses the kind who help the poor.

    We must treat the poor with sympathy.

    This school is for the blind.




  6. Use of THE is followed in the following ways.


    Examples :

    The Earth, The Sun, The North Pole - (Only One of its Kind)

    The Vaigai, The Cauvery - (Names of Rivers)

    The Arabian Sea, The Red Sea - (Seas)

    The Persian Gulf - (Gulfs)

    The Champal Valley - (Valleys)



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