Next – The Next

[Humble]

Hi, folks,
I’d like to know which is correct:
a. Next time you do it you’ll be punished.
b. The next time you do it you’ll be punished.
When do we omit article before next?
Tnx.

[Tdol]

In the examples, you could use it with or without the article. Putting the article in could allow the speaker to place more emphasis on the word 'next' to add some extra power.