Articles - The Definite Article

‘The’ is termed as the definite article because it specifies the noun it talks about. In other words, it makes the noun definite.

For example:

The postman is waiting at the door. (Here, the noun ‘postman’ refers to a particular or specific postman.) The children are making a lot of noise. (Here, the noun ‘children’ refers to a particular group of children.) I have two pets—a dog and a cat. The cat is lazier than the dog. (Here, the indefinite article ‘a’ is used before the nouns ‘dog’ and ‘cat’, when they are introduced for the first time. However, the definite article ‘the’ is used when these nouns are mentioned again.)

The definite article is used for indicating a singular countable noun.

For example:

The car has been stolen. (Here, ‘the’ is used before the singular form of the noun ‘car’.)

The definite article is used for indicating a plural countable noun.

For example:

The apples were very sweet. (Here, ‘the’ is used before the plural form of the noun ‘apple’.)

The definite article is used for indicating an uncountable noun.

For example:

The police asked the thief where the gold was hidden. (Here, ‘the’ is used before the uncountable noun ‘gold’.)

The definite article is used before nouns that are considered unique, and also before names of certain places, organisations, certain books, newspapers, famous buildings and certain abbreviations.

For example:

The sun, The earth, The moon, The sky, The equator The North Pole, The South Pole, The Indian Ocean, The Arabian Sea The Brahmaputra River, The Thar Desert, The Andaman and Nicobar Islands The Himalayas, The United Kingdom, The United States of America, The Kingdom of Norway, The Indian Republic The United Nations, The Congress The Mahabharata, The Ramayana, The Odyssey, The Iliad, The Vedas, The Puranas, The Quran, The Bible, The Bhagavad Gita The Indian Express, The Times of India, The Guardian, The Tribune, The Statesman The Rashtrapati Bhavan, The Parliament House of India, The Red Fort, The Taj Mahal The UK, The US, The BJP, The CPI, The CPI (M)