[Grammar] "Construction has begun"

[Pepperoni Papaya]

Hello there,

Please help me with the following problem:
"Construction has begun on first of five structures scheduled to open in the spring."
Why is there no need to place "the" before the word "Construction"?
If I put an extra "the" there then will it make the sentence wrong?

Thanks in advance.

 

[White Hat]

You'll need to place the definite article in some other spots in this sentence:

Construction has begun on the first of the five structures scheduled to open in the spring.

There is no need to place an article in front of "construction" as it implies "work". There is no definiteness about "construction" as yet.

 

[SoothingDave]

You could add a "the" at the beginning, but it is not normally done. You do need one before "first."

"Construction has begun on the first of five structures..."

 

[White Hat]

You could add a "the" at the beginning, but it is not normally done. You do need one before "first."

"Construction has begun on the first of five structures..."

What about the article before "five structures"? Do both the speaker/writer and the listener/reader know which structures are meant? Or will just the first article do?

 

[SoothingDave]

It sounds right to me the way I put it. I know in some cases you would use a second "the," but I don't have a good explanation for when.