The Use of the Definite Article with Class Nouns

The definite article is used both with singular and plural nouns.

Class nouns are used with the definite article:

1. When the speaker mentions a noun for the second time:

For lunch I had a sandwich and an apple.The sandwich wasn’t very nice.

2. When the speaker and the hearer know what particular object is meant. No special indication is necessary:

What do you think of the table? (= the table we are looking at)

How did you like the play?

3. When the speaker uses an attribute pointing out a particular object:

This is the house that Jack built.

4. When the situation itself makes the object definite and when the speaker wants to talk about something that is associated with an earlier item:

The wedding looked dismal. The bride was too old and the bride­groom was too young.

I went to the window again to try to smash the glass. (the glass in the window)

5. When the noun denotes the object or group of objects, which is unique or considered to be unique.

Here are some words, which belong to this group:

the devil the earth the equator the moon

the north pole the planets the pope the sky

the solar system the south pole the stars the sun

the universe the world

The sun was getting warmer.

6. With nouns used in a generic sense. A noun becomes a composite image (збірний образ) of the class and is used to talk about the general features and characteristics of a class of things:

The telephone was invented in the 19th century.

The tragedy and the comedy first appeared in Greece.

Note. Groups of nouns which are used generically: names of animals, plants, professions and occupations, collective nouns denoting social groups, scientific terms, etc.:

The verb is a part of speech.

The noun people is used with the definite article when the idea of collectivity is emphasized (meaning “all the persons forming a state”). When this noun means “persons, human beings in general” it has no article:

The Ukrainian people are very hospitable.

People often believe in fairy tails.

A noun used in a generic sense should not be confused with a noun used in a general sense:

The	1. The lion is a wild animal. 2. Conan Doyle is a master of the detective story.	Theemphasizes the class itself, without regard for concrete representatives of the class.
A	1. A lion is a wild animal. 2. A detective story helps to while away the time.	Aemphasizes an individual representative of a class. It has the sense of any or every.
No article	1. Lions are wild animals. 2. Detective stories are very popular with people.	The plural form without an article emphasizes all the representatives of this class

7. When nouns are modified by adjectives in the superlative degree and by ordinal numerals:

Mary had the softest voice in the class.

8. With nouns in word-groups the first component of which is some, many, none, most and the second a noun with the prepo­sition of. Often, of the makes

the situation specific:

Most of the students looked both angry and uncomfortable.

9. When nouns are modified by adjectives which are used to identify unique things:

I began the last section of the book.

Here is a list of adjectives, which are used in this way:

following last main

next only opposite present

principal right same sole

ultimate usual wrong

Note 1. The indefinite article can be used before “ only ” when it is used in the expressions “only child”, “only son”, and “only daughter”.

I was an only child.

Note 2. “ Next ” and “ last ” are commonly used in time expressions without the.

I’m flying next week. I saw them last month.

10. With substantivized adjectives and participles.

A combination of the definite article and substantivized adjective can be used to refer to all the people with that characteristic. “The poor” means people who are poor.

Many adjectives can be used in this way; here are some common ones:

aged blind brave dead deaf disabled

educated elderly free handicapped homeless hungry

injured living needy old oppressed poor

powerful rich sick starving strong uneducated

unemployed weak wealthy wounded young

Note. They behave like nouns in the plural and are followed by a plural verb:

The aged have many problems with health.

11. With collective nouns denoting social groups:

The workers have nothing to lose.

12. With nationality words when referring to nations or racial groups:

The Chinese have their own version of this proverb.

It seems to me that the British are too often their own worst critics.

When separate representative are meant the definite article is not used.

Italians are good singers.

Note. These words always begin with a capital letter; and they are followed by the plural form of a verb even if they do not look plural.

13. At the beginning of stories, in titles of stories and novels.

“The Enemy”, “The Letter”.

This is a stylistic device. The author indicates in this way that the reader will shortly be told more about these things.

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