How to use the definite article the

Artikli is an important part of English. But unfortunately, this topic is not always understood by the Russian-speaking student. Because in their native speech there is no such phenomenon. Nevertheless, the rules for the use of articles should be studied by a person who wants to use various means of English competently. And in some situations, small and seemingly insignificant articles even help to understand the interlocutors correctly.

What are articles and what are they

Article - this is the official part of speech, which is inextricably linked with the noun. His own meaning (translation into Russian), he does not have, but conveys only a grammatical meaning.

In English, the article does not indicate the genus and case of nouns. In some cases, it conveys a single or plural number, but basically it contains only the category of definiteness-indeterminacy. Proceeding from this, there can be three situations with the article: its absence, indefinite and definite. Each of these three situations has its own specifics and its own rules.

The definite article was once formed from that, the demonstrative pronoun. Therefore, in Russian you can often find a translation of "this", "these", etc. Formally, this is not entirely true, because the service parts of speech do not have a translation, but in the case of the article, especially certain, this is often allowed. It's all about the special stylistic function that he can play in the sentence, pointing in a special way to objects and people.

The use of the article will become the topic of this article. We consider various situations, we give examples. There will be a lot of use cases, but do not be afraid if you can not understand everything at once and especially remember it. More and more immersed in English by regular classes, you will understand this logic and soon you will be able to easily determine which article is needed in each case.

The definite article in front of the nouns

The classic case where it is necessary to use the article before the name of the object (man, animal) is the uniqueness of the latter.

1. The noun called is the only one of its kind.

For example: the sun is the sun, the world is the world .

2. The noun is unique in this situation.

Do you like the pie? "Did you like the pie?"

3. This subject (man, animal) has already been mentioned in this conversation and therefore the interlocutors understand what the (com) speech is about.

I've got a cat. Her name is Lucy, she's very cute. May I take the cat with me? "I have a cat." Her name is Lucy, she is very nice. Can I take the cat with me?

4. The article is also put before the proper names, when it is necessary to designate the whole family. For example: the Smiths (Smiths) .

The definite article in front of other parts of speech

Of course, the article and any others are used only with nouns. Before other parts of the speech, articles are not needed. But often it happens that there is a numeral or adjective between the article and the noun associated with it. We will consider such cases.

1. There is always a definite article in front of ordinal numerals: the twentieth century - the twentieth century.

2. Also invariably put the article the before an excellent degree of adjectives: the brightest star is the brightest star.

3. It is necessary to use a definite article in the designation of a group of people united by a common sign: the young is a youth .

The definite article with geographical names and concepts

With the concepts that somehow relate to geography, the article is used especially often.

1. Parties of the world: the East (East).

2. Names of individual countries: the Russian Federation.

3. Oceans, seas, rivers, waterfalls: the Indian Ocean.

4. Groups of islands, lakes, mountains: the Bahamas.

5. Deserts and plains: the Great Plains.

With the use of the article (or its absence) with geographical names, there are also many exceptions, so the most reliable option is simple memorization. And with any doubts, it is always worthwhile to look in the handbook on grammar and clarify the question on a specific case.

The definite article in special cases

There are also a number of words that can perform the function of determining before a noun. These words are given in the table below.

They always need to use the article. For example:

This is the very book I need! - This is exactly the book that I need!

The last time I saw him on Friday.

Also, a certain article is required before the words:

The definite article to strengthen the meaning

Separately, situations stand out when the article carries a stylistic function. In these cases, it can be used before proper names, which, under normal conditions, remain without the article. This is best seen in the example. Compare the two sentences: the first with the usual use of the proper name, and the second with a stylistic enhancement of meaning.

This is Jack, always cheerful and generous! "It's Jack, always cheerful and generous!"

This is the Jack I love most - cheerful and generous! - This is the very Jack, whom I most like - cheerful and generous!

As it is easy to see, there is something in common in all cases of the use of a definite article: it is usually put before words that carry in themselves a definite, concrete, narrow, unique meaning. Remember this when you doubt the choice of the official word, and the handbook is not at hand.