definite article!

[okay19]

for gods sake what kind of teachers r u as not to know the meaning of definite article? if u really dont, question must be what kind of language is this?

[Anglika]

Originally Posted by okay19

for gods sake what kind of teachers r u as not to know the meaning of definite article? if u really dont, question must be what kind of language is this?

You are rather hasty!

We are perfectly aware of the meaning of the definite article.

What we are finding a little difficult is understanding your exact question. Frankly, it really will help both you and us if you use capital letters at the start of sentences, spaces after punctuation, and "I", not "i". Your posts will become much more readable.

The use of articles - whether definite or indefinite - is flexible. There are times when they must be used, usually when something specific is cited:

I went to the shops yesterday
It was a dreadful mistake.

There are times when they are not needed, usually when talking about something in general:

Shops are open all week.
He gets all his information from books.


You could look here for more guidance: http://www.usingenglish.com/glossary...e-article.html

[okay19]

Ok! İ Gİve Up!

[timothyb]

From :
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/Determiners2a.cfm




See number 4.

DEFINITE ARTICLE

THE

Articles in English are invariable. That is, they do not change according to the gender or number of the noun they refer to, e.g. the boy, the woman, the children

'The'is used:
1. to refer to something which has already been mentioned.

Example: An elephant and a mouse fell in love.The mouselovedthe elephant'slong trunk,andthe elephantlovedthe mouse'stiny nose.

2. when both the speaker and listener know what is being talked about, even if it has not been mentioned before.

Example: 'Where's the bathroom?'
'It's on the first floor.'

3. in sentences or clauses where we define or identify a particular person or object:

Examples: The man who wrote this book is famous.
'Which car did you scratch?' 'The red one.
My house is the one with a blue door.'

4. to refer to objects we regard as unique:

Examples: the sun, the moon, the world

5. before superlatives and ordinal numbers: (see Adjectives)

Examples: the highest building, the first page, the last chapter.

6. with adjectives, to refer to a whole group of people:

Examples: the Japanese (see Nouns - Nationalities), the old

7. with names of geographical areas and oceans:

Examples: the Caribbean, the Sahara, the Atlantic

8. with decades, or groups of years:
Example: she grew up in the seventies

[IvanV]

Originally Posted by RonBee

I am not sure why we use the definite article ("the") with the sun and the moon. Maybe because it is a particular sun (ours) and a particular moon (ours), but I am not sure.

It's one and only! We use the definite article to refer to objects we regard as unique...

I'm off to bed...

[RonBee]

I am sure you are right , IvanV.

[JJM Ballantyne]

It might be useful to remember that there are in fact two definite articles in English just as there are two indefinite articles - and for much the same purpose.

Although spelled the same, there is a the (thuh) used before consonant sounds and a the (thee) used before vowel sounds and sometimes for emphasis:

THE (thuh)

she saw the man walking his dog

THE (thee)

she saw the old man walking his dog

They make THE best chili in Texas!

[ScotsMaggie]

The definite article 'the' is used when you are referring to one specific object. In the case of the sun and the moon, we have only one of each, therefore they are always referred to as the sun and the moon.

If you were referring to stars, for example, saying 'the star' would mean you meant one particular star, such as the Star of Bethlehem, or the star of the movie. In both of these cases, there are many other stars, both in the sky and in movies.

I cannot offer an explanation for The Hill Valley. Only the people who gave it that odd name could do that!

[David L.]

ok keep your help for yourself!
u anglikans!

Is this to pass with no comment by a moderator?

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by David L.

ok keep your help for yourself!
u anglikans!

Is this to pass with no comment by a moderator?

Actually, I did comment (though not directly). See: http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/as...e-patient.html

Sometimes the less said about something the better. (There have been numerous questions about the definite article ("the") and numerous responses to those questions.)

~R