[Vocabulary] Internet users

[yi-ing]

Hello everybody.
This is my first post here.

I am writing to ask a question regarding the following text. We always specific 'Internet' with article 'the'. But the following text is different here:

Recent statistics show that 75 percent of Internet users around the world use social networking sites to some extent.


Regard Yi-Ling

 

[teechar]

Hello everybody.
This is my first post here.

I am writing to ask a question regarding the following text. We always [STRIKE]specific[/STRIKE] the definite article with 'Internet'. [STRIKE]with article 'the'.[/STRIKE] But the following text is different here:

Recent statistics show that 75 percent of Internet users around the world use social networking sites to some extent.


Regard Yi-Ling

Hello Yi-Ling, and welcome to the forum.

The text you quoted is correct. We say "the internet" but "internet users". There is no need for the definite article when "internet" is being used as an adjective (unless we are referring to something specific.

For example,
1- Internet routers and switches did not exist 30 years ago.

2- The internet routers and switches used in this country adhere to international standards.

Note also that some people capitalize the word "internet" but the trend is not to.

 

[yi-ing]

There is no need for the definite article when "internet" is being used as an adjective (unless we are referring to something specific.

Can we expand mentioned rule for all nouns that must have an article, For example, "the sun', "the world", etc. ?

 

[Rover_KE]

There's no hard and fast rule.

For example, 'the sun' has a perfectly good adjective derived from it, so we don't say 'sun flares', but 'solar flares'.

However, whilst 'the world' has an associated adjective - as in 'all my worldly goods' - it's not an appropriate alternative to use in the phrase 'world peace'.

 

[Tdol]

Can we expand mentioned rule for all nouns that must have an article

Always be careful when trying to synthesise an absolute rule from a single example. Rules are full of holes and exceptions.