This tag is for questions about the definite article.
The (with no variant forms) is the only English definite article.
Questions tagged [definite-articles]
833 questions
20
votes
6 answers
Definite article before schools, colleges, and universities
Is the always used before the name of a school, college, or university?
user4141
14
votes
4 answers
"watching the television" or "watching television"?
"He was watching the television when I called on him."
When I said this sentence to one of my friends (an English teacher) he corrected me saying that the definite article (the) should be omitted. Still, I can't understand why. ?
Actually similar …
Sumit Kumar Karn
- 189
12
votes
3 answers
Why do I want to say "the iPhone" instead of just "iPhone"?
Apple is somewhat notorious for omitting articles when talking about their products, and statements such as "People love iPhone" hit my ear a little strangely. But when I stopped to think about it, I realized that I wouldn't say "the Windows" or…
Brian Sullivan
- 869
9
votes
3 answers
"talk over the phone" or "talk over phone"
We just talked over (the) phone.
Should there be a "the" in front of "phone"? I.e., should "phone" be
specific or not?
If there should be a "the", should "phone" be "phones" instead，since
there were two phones being used during the conversation?
Tim
- 9,993
8
votes
2 answers
"do you have time" or "do you have the time"?
I'm a bit confused about the use of the determinative article before "time". I know the rule is to not use the article when you talk about thinks in general. So if I say:
do you have time to do it?
since this is a specific time, that is the time to…
8
votes
2 answers
The use of the definite article "The"
The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.
— Chapter 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: The Dark Lord
According to this web site, English native speakers use the definite article in…
Ruah
- 233
7
votes
3 answers
"People" or "the people"
What is the most correct way to say:
People in the list above will also receive product update notifications.
Should I use the people or simply people? Is there a more formal way to express the concept above?
abenci
- 257
6
votes
2 answers
The use of the article "THE" + position
As a non-English speaker whose native language does not have articles I am always unsure about the use of them.
This time I would like to clarify the use of the article "THE" together with positions of persons. For example:
John Smith and the…
Inga Vaiciakauskaite
- 95
- 1
- 1
- 5
5
votes
3 answers
Does calling an app "the Instapaper" with a definite article suggest a non-technical speaker?
Listening to an episode of a tech podcast with very tech-literate persons talking, I noticed them saying things like "I use the Tweetbot", for the iPhone app "Tweetbot", or "building the Instapaper", for the iPhone app "Instapaper". They don't use…
Henrik N
- 2,040
5
votes
1 answer
Definite article in front of “nineteenth-century United States”?
Should it be:
In nineteenth-century United States, many railroads were constructed.
Or
In the nineteenth-century United States, many railroads were constructed.
Certainly if America were used in place of United States, then there’d be no…
user38936
5
votes
4 answers
"In the late afternoon" why does it have "the " here?
"In the late afternoon, we would often be visited by one or more of the failed Beat poets who always, very coincidentally, found themselves in the neighborhood.?"
I have a question about the definite article. In the sentence above, there is "the"…
Huidong Im
- 629
5
votes
2 answers
Usage of the definite article with the abbreviated name of an equipment in a user's manual
As part of my translation studies, I have to detect anomalies in a user's manual. This manual refers to an equipment whose full name is Compuwash Commander Controller - Model CC-64. Lack of coherence is considered an anomaly in technical writing. My…
Cathy
- 159
4
votes
3 answers
"Please confirm receipt of this email" or "Please confirm the receipt of this email"?
So, Gmail now is intelligent: it guesses what one wants to write and suggests it in advance! One thing it suggests is:
Please confirm receipt of this email.
But shouldn't it be:
Please confirm the receipt of this email.
And…
Sasan
- 3,342
4
votes
2 answers
Use of definite article before occupation
I often see the definite article being omitted in texts about famous people. For instance:
Towards the end of his life, avant garde composer John Cage turned to visual art
But I also see that it is equally frequently not omitted:
In 1944 the…
d--b
- 141
4
votes
1 answer
Using the definite article "the" with Company Name + Group denominations
Is it correct to use the definite article "the" with Company Name + Group denominations, like "the ExxonMobil Group", "the Total Group", "the General Motors Group"? Or is it better without, like "ExxonMobil Group", "Total Group", "General Motors…
DiPiKappa
- 43