Rules for Article: “The”
Rule 1: Defining a common noun as a particular person or thing
“The” is used to indicate a common noun as a particular or known thing or person.
Examples:
1. The car was stolen.
2. The man is walking.
Rule 2: Generalizing a group or class
“The” is helpful in generalizing a whole group or class.
Examples:
1. The lion is a type of carnivore.
2. The Indians are known for their hospitality.
Rule 3: Non-count noun
“The” is required to particularize a non-count noun
Examples:
1. The water in the ocean is saline in nature
2. When are you returning the money that you borrowed from me?
Rule 4: One-of-a-kind words from the universe.
“The” is compulsory when one is mentioning things that are one of a kind in the universe.
Examples:
1. The sun rises in the east.
2. The earth is round.
Rule 5: Geographical places
The use of “the” before geographical places is tricky as there are a few exceptions also. It mostly depends on the size or the plurality of the things that the nouns are referring to. Generally, ‘the’ is used in most of the cases. Let us look into the exceptions first.
“The” should not be used before:
Names of countries: India, Australia, Pakistan, England
Names of continents: Asia, Africa, Europe
Names of cities or states: Assam, Gujarat, Mumbai, Delhi
Names of singular mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji
Names of singular lakes: Lake Pichola, Chilika Lake, Nal Sarovar
Names of singular islands: Majuli, Colaba Island, Madh Island
The above exceptions also have some cases and conditions where “the” is to be used. These are the cases:
Names of oceans, seas, rivers: the Pacific, the Ganges, the Nile, the Arabian Sea
Names of mountain ranges: the Alps, the Himalayas
Names of Island groups: The Andamans, The Caribbeans
Names of countries that are united by states or groups: the USA, the UAE, the UK
Rules of Using Articles with Examples
Articles form an integral part of English grammar. They are important in defining the specificity of a noun. There are three articles in the English language: ‘a’, ‘an’, and ‘the’. Some of its common uses are The car, a dog, an elephant, etc. The rules of using the three articles will be analyzed in a detailed manner in the subsequent sections.
Table of Content
- What is an Article?
- Definite Article
- Indefinite Article
- Definite and Indefinite Articles with Examples
- Rules for Article: “A”/ “An”
- Rules for Article: “The”
- Using definite article: “The”
- Using indefinite articles: “A”, “An”
- Conclusion
- Practice Questions on Articles
- Articles – FAQs
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