The clock

[moseen]

Hello everyone!
I don't know why the "clock" in fragment below has the "the", please help me for understanding that.

With particular points on the clock.

 

[emsr2d2]

Is it "clock" or "lock"?

 

[Matthew Wai]

It was quoted from Cambridge Dictionary. The OP should have posted the link.

 

[moseen]

Is it "clock" or "lock"?

It is clock, excuse me.
Reference: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/at-on-and-in-time.

 

[teechar]

Hello everyone!
I don't know why the "clock" in the fragment below has [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] "the". Please help me [STRIKE]for[/STRIKE] (to) understand it. [STRIKE]ing that.[/STRIKE]

With particular points on the clock.

It's a reference to the 24-hour clock we use in everyday life.

 

[moseen]

It's a reference to the 24-hour clock we use in everyday life.

Why does it have "the"?

 

[teechar]

Which one?

 

[moseen]

Which one?

Clock.

 

[Matthew Wai]

'The' is used before 'clock' because it refers to a specific type of clock—the 24-hour clock.

 

[moseen]

'The' is used before 'clock' because it refers to a specific type of clock—the 24-hour clock.

But we only have one type clock.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Have you ever seen a digital clock?

 

[teechar]

But we only have one type of clock.

That would also mean "the" is justified.

 

[moseen]

Yes, I have seen.

 

[moseen]

That would also mean "the" is justified.

I see. Because we have only (the) one type clack we should use "the" for it.

 

[emsr2d2]

I see. Because we have only [STRIKE](the)[/STRIKE] one type of clock, we should use "the" for it.

It's not because "we have" only one type of clock. It's because the sentence refers to only one type of clock.

 

[teechar]

Yes, I see. [STRIKE]have seen.[/STRIKE]

I see. Because we have only [STRIKE](the)[/STRIKE] one type of [STRIKE]clack[/STRIKE] clock, we should use "the" for it.

Yes, and even though in some varieties of English it may sound closer to "clack" (which is a word that has a different meaning), believe me that it is most definitely and unequivocally "clock".

 

[emsr2d2]

It's not because "we have" only one type of clock. It's because the sentence refers to only one type of clock.

Teacher: There are four clocks in this room. Please point to the digital clock.
Student: There is the digital clock.
Teacher: Well done. Can you point to the wall clock?
Student: Yes, there's the wall clock.
Teacher: Well done. How many clocks did you point to?
Student: I pointed to two clocks.

 

[moseen]

Where do the words 'digital' and '24-hour' appear in the given reference?

I want to know that, I think it has nothing to do with the type of clock

 

[moseen]

The point is, they don't. In any case your question has been answered. Any old clock will do.

I don't understand your meaning.

 

[Sue01]

In addition to the above, in English we use the definite article when we are talking about something that there is only one of, and that people generally know about. So we refer to 'the sun', 'the moon', 'the earth', 'the River Nile', and so on. I think that in the example quoted by the OP, 'the clock' is used because generally (at least in the English speaking world), there is one concept of time and of telling the time, even though there may be variants (analogue, digital etc). The assumption is that most people know about how we tell the time.