But:
This course surveys the second wave of
English Romanticism
.
The definite article with musical instruments and dances
The definite article is used with musical instruments and dances:
I can't play
the piano
.
Can you do
the foxtrot
?
The definite article with names of families
The definite article is used with the plural form of the name of a family to refer to all the members of the family:
The Parkers
are coming for dinner tonight.
Are you trying to keep up with
the Joneses
?
The definite article with names of places and institutions
The definite article is used before a place name if it consists of an adjective followed by a noun:
the National Gallery
the British Isles
the British Council
the Royal Court
The definite article is also used if the name of a place or an institution contains the possessive of-construction:
the University of Chicago
the Leaning Tower of Pisa
the Tower of London
the Cape of Good Hope
the Island of Lesbos
the Isle of Man
the Gulf of Maine
The definite article with proper names
The definite article is used with a proper name if the reference is unclear without an additional phrase:
No, I mean
the Mr Brown
from Australia.
Related topics:
The indefinite article with proper names
The zero article with proper names
The definite article with titles and positions
The definite article is used with titles and positions which are unique.
Barthez has never been
the goalkeeper for Crystal Palace FC
.
The head of department
allowed me to retake the exam.
The Queen
will be opening a new music hall next month.
The Pope
is the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
The definite article with titles of books, newspapers etc.
The definite article is only used with titles of books, newspapers etc. if it is part of the title itself:
The Lord of the Rings
was written by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Do you ever read
The Times
?
The definite article with unique objects
The definite article is used before a noun which refers to a specific, unique object:
The moon
rises at 7.30 tomorrow.
The earth
revolves around the sun.
I'd love to live by
the sea
.
The captain checked the position of
the Northern Star
to determine the location of his ship.
Other examples are:
the sky
the equator
the North Pole
the Internet
the Matrix
the world
We should bear in mind, however, that there are other suns and moons in the universe, and when we refer to these they might not be considered as unique:
The planet Mars has two
moons
.
Every solar system has
a sun
.
The zero article (-)
We use the term zero article when a noun is not preceded by a definite article (the) or indefinite article (a, an).
The zero article with proper names
The zero article with names of places and institutions
The zero article with meals
The zero article with names of days, months, seasons, holidays and parts of the day
The zero article with names of pubs, restaurants etc. ending in 'S
The zero article with names of sports, games and activities
The zero article with geographical names
The zero article with places
The zero article with prepositional phrases
The zero article with proper names
A proper name is normally not preceded by an article:
Turner
is my favourite painter.
Where's
Peter
?
Uncle Jerry
visited us the other day.
Quotes:
Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why. - Bernard Baruch
Related topics:
The indefinite article with proper names
The definite article with proper names
The zero article with names of places and institutions
Names of places and institutions which consist of a proper name and another noun do not take an article:
Johns Hopkins University
Trafalgar Square
Victoria Station
George Washington Bridge
JFK Airport
The zero article with meals
Names of meals normally do not take an article:
Did you have
breakfast
this morning?
I'll have fruit for
lunch
.
Let's go out for
dinner
tonight.
But if there is an adjective before the name of the meal or a phrase or clause after it, an article is used:
The breakfast that they served