How to Use the Definite Article 'The'?

In the English language, when you refer to a singular item, you will use one of these articles:

• A
• An
• The

The first two terms are what are known as 'indefinite' articles. On this page, we are going to focus on using 'the'.

This is a definite article. To tell you how you need to use this, then we are probably going to need to start by explaining what a definite article is first, right?

What is a definite article?

When we discuss 'definite' in terms of English grammar, we mean that we are referring to something specific. Perhaps the best way to discuss this is by giving an example!

* He handed him a book (indefinite)

* He handed him the book (definite)

In the first example, the 'indefinite' means that we don't know the book that was handed over. We just know that there was a book about dogs. In the second example, the way in which this is written, we assume that the name of the book is already known and it is a pretty specific book.

Still doesn't make sense? Don't worry. A lot of newcomers to English will find this sort of thing pretty tough to grasp when they start learning the language. All you really need to know is that you use a definite article when the noun that follows is a specific item, and an indefinite one when you are talking about something a bit more general.

How do you use the definite article 'the'?

As we said, 'the' is the definite article. You will be using it whenever you are talking about something specific. One of the joys of using 'the' as opposed to the indefinite articles of 'a' and 'an' is that you never actually have to think about what term that you need to use. It is always going to be 'the', no matter what follows it.

One of the awesome things about the 'definite' article is that you can actually use it when you are referring to plurals too. For example:

* The dogs

* The books

* ,etc.

This doesn't work when you use the indefinite article, you would have to use a number beforehand. While we are not actually discussing the use of indefinite articles here, we still want to give an example so everything is completely clear:

* A books (doesn't make sense)

* Two books (makes sense)

Honestly, that is all there is to it. If the noun is specific, always use 'the'. Simple!

How can you practice?

Aside from talking to your Justlearn tutor, we encourage you to just listen to English being spoken and try to communicate in English a lot. The word 'the' is always going to be used in language. You have probably seen us use this word a lot, even when we have not been discussing the specific usage of it! In fact, seeing us use the word will probably already give you a rough idea of how you can use it yourself! Just practice and practice. We are sure that you will get the hang of it eventually.