In less formal styles, the + noun can be replaced by a plural form without an article:
Computers
have made text editing easier.
Polar bears
are threatened with extinction.
The indefinite article is not possible in this sense as it would refer to one or any member of the class but not the class as a whole:
*
A polar bear
is threatened with extinction.
*
A computer
has made text editing easier.
Man or mankind can be used to represent the human race and has no article:
Man
will eventually destroy himself.
However, the more gender-neutral term humankind is preferable to man or mankind:
Humankind
will eventually destroy itself.
Related topics:
The indefinite article with a member of a class
The definite article with ordinal numbers, superlative adjectives, ONLY, NEXT, LAST, SAME, RIGHT and WRONG
The definite article is used before ordinal numbers and superlative adjectives:
This is
the first
time I've ridden a horse.
The 20th century has seen
the bloodiest
wars in the history of humankind.
Jill is
the most intelligent
girl in the class.
Most has meanings which do not take the definite article the:
That was
most kind
of you.
(very kind)
Most people
who lose weight regain it in a very short time.
(the majority of people)
The definite article is also used before only, next, last, same, right and wrong + noun:
You are
the only person
I can tell.
When is
the next train
to Cambridge?
They have
the same surname
, but they are not relatives.
What is
the right answer
?
The definite article with adjectives
The definite article can be used before an adjective to refer to all the people described by it. If the + adjective is followed by a verb, it will take a plural form:
The rich
get rich, and
the poor
stay poor.
Only
the brave
are free.
Many adjectives that describe a nationality behave in the same way unless they end in -an:
The English
are famous for being very polite.
The French
eat a lot of cheese.
But:
Canadians
play a lot of hockey.
Quotes:
Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant. - Seneca
It is the familiar that usually eludes us in life. What is before our nose is what we see last. - William Barret
The definite article with geographical names
The definite article is used with certain geographical names:
Countries
Names of countries which are collective, plural or modified by an adjective or an of-construction take the definite article the:
the Czech Republic
the Netherlands
the People's Republic of China
the Philippines
the United Kingdom (UK)
the United States of America (USA)
Bodies of water
the Amazon
the Ganges
the (English) Channel
the Panama Canal
the Atlantic (Ocean)
the Pacific (Ocean)
Deserts
the Gobi (Desert)
the Kalahari Desert
the Mojave Desert
the Patagonian Desert
the Sahara (Desert)
Mountain ranges
the Alps
the Andes
the Appalachians
the Great Dividing Range
the Himalayas
Points of the compass
the North
the South
the East
the West
the South Pole
the North Pole
the south of Italy
the Far East
But:
North
America
We were travelling
west
.
Some constellations and other heavenly bodies
the Big Dipper (AmE) / the Plough (BrE)
the Pleiades
the Cigar Galaxy
the Crab Nebula
But:
Orion
Cassiopeia
Related topics:
The zero article with geographical names
The definite article with historical references
The definite article is often used with historical references:
The Iraq War
has divided the international public.
The Renaissance
started in Italy and slowly spread throughout Europe.