DEFINITE ARTICLE: THE

A definite article refers to a noun (countable or uncountable, singular or plural) that is specific or "definite" because it refers to a specific person/animal/thing etc., or to a specific group of the same kind.

A. Usage

The definite article is used in the following situations:

1. When it is clear which specific person or thing is being referred to, either from the context or because it has already been mentioned, e.g.:

   • I’m going to the shops. (The ones I usually visit.)
   • He is in the kitchen. (In our kitchen.)
   • I saw an interesting photo today. In the photo, there was... (I saw an interesting photo today. In the photo, there was...)

2. With unique items/places/phenomena, e.g.:

   • the Eiffel Tower (the Eiffel Tower)
   • the sun (the sun)
   • the sky (the sky)
   • the ground (the ground)
   • the environment (the environment)
   • the universe (the universe) (but: space – space)
   • the city centre (the city center)
   • the radio (the radio) (but: television – television)

3. With places that were historically unique, e.g.:

   • the cinema (the cinema)
   • the theatre (the theatre)
   • the restaurant (the restaurant)
   • the opera (the opera)
   • the post office (the post office)
   • the library (the library)
   • the bank (the bank)

4. When the noun is further specified, e.g.:

   • the people sitting next to us (the people sitting next to us)
   • the man wearing a yellow hat (the man wearing a yellow hat)
   • the car that I bought (the car I bought)
   • the IT specialists we work with (the IT specialists we work with)

5. With musical instruments, e.g.:

   • I have played the violin since I was 6 years old. (I’ve played the violin since I was 6 years old.)

6. Before superlative adjectives, e.g.:

   • the greatest (the greatest)
   • the heaviest (the heaviest)
   • the worst (the worst)

7. When referring to a part of something known to the speaker, e.g.:

   • the foot of the mountain (the base of the mountain)
   • the beginning of the story (the beginning of the story)
   • the end of the month (the end of the month)

8. With parts of the body, e.g.:

   • the head (the head)
   • the foot (the foot)
   • the calf (the calf)

9. With places such as a church, school, hospital, prison, when referring to their function, not a specific building, e.g.:

   • go to the prison (as a visitor) vs. go to prison (to serve a sentence)

10. With geographical directions, e.g.:

    • the west (the west)
    • the north (the north)
    • the south (the south) (but: go west, travel north, head east – go west, travel north, head east)

11. Before a representative of a specific type/group/category/species, e.g.:

    • The elephant is the largest land animal. (The elephant is the largest land animal.)

12. With adjectives referring to an entire group described by the adjective, e.g.:

    • the sick (the sick)
    • the unemployed (the unemployed)
    • the elderly (the elderly)

13. With names of deserts, mountain ranges, island groups, seas, oceans, rivers, and canals, e.g.:

    • the Gobi Desert (the Gobi Desert)
    • the Carpathians (the Carpathians)
    • the Azores (the Azores)
    • the Baltic Sea (the Baltic Sea)
    • the Pacific (the Pacific)
    • the Danube (the Danube)
    • the Channel (the English Channel)

14. With names of hotels, pubs, restaurants, museums, galleries, theaters, and cinemas, e.g.:

    • the Ritz (the Ritz)
    • the Temple Bar (the Temple Bar pub)
    • the Oxo Tower Restaurant (the Oxo Tower Restaurant) (but: KFC)

15. With adjectives denoting nationality, especially in diplomatic contexts, e.g.:

    • the Chinese (the Chinese)
    • the French (the French)
    • the English (the English)

3. With places that were historically unique, e.g.

the cinema (the cinema) – cinema
the theatre (the theatre) – theater
the restaurant (the restaurant) – restaurant
the opera (the opera) – opera
the post office (the post office) – post
the library (the library) – library
the bank (the bank) – bank

4. When a noun is further specified, e.g.

the people sitting next to us (the people sitting next to us) – people sitting next to us
the man wearing a yellow hat (the man wearing a yellow hat) – man in yellow hat
the car that I bought (the car I bought) – the car that I bought
the IT specialists we work with (the IT specialists we work with) – IT specialists with whom we work