article+ members of the family

[astaf]

Could you please explain or give a link to a general rule of article usage with members of the family . Here are 2 examples :


At 8 o'clock father puts on his coat and goes to work .

The mother asks the boy to help her .

Whats the difference ? Why do we use article in the second sentence and dont use in the first ?

Thank you

 

[2006]

Could you please explain or give a link to a general rule of article usage with members of the family . Here are 2 examples :


At 8 o'clock father puts on his coat and goes to work . The writer is talking about his/her father.
The writer could have said 'At 8 o'clock my father puts......'

The mother asks the boy to help her. It's not the writer's mother; it may or not be the boy's mother.
It's an unidentified but specific mother that the writer is talking about.
Thank you

Does that help some?

 

[astaf]

It sheds some light on the matter. Thanks a lot.