Page 125 - English Grammar - IX-X

The is used before a noun, whenever we want to particularise that noun.

For example:
• The oranges I bought yesterday were very sweet.

When a noun is mentioned for the first time, we use a or an before it (for it could be any).
However, when it is mentioned again, we use the (for it has now become particular).
For example:

• Neha presented me a beautiful hand-made card on my birthday. The card was beautifully
decorated with a floral fabric.

The is used with adjectives of the superlative degree.

For example:
• Shyam is the tallest person in our office.
The is used before the name of a person or a thing whose identity is known to everyone.

For example:
• The Prime Minister hoisted the National Flag.

The is used before the names of:
• the ranges of mountains and hills: the Himalayas, the Aravali Hills, the Alps.
• groups of islands: the Andamans, the Bahamas, the West Indies.

• rivers: the Nile, the Yamuna, the Krishna.
• gulfs, canals, seas, oceans: the Persian Gulf, the Panama Canal, the Atlantic Ocean.
• well-known buildings: the Empire State Building, the Red Fort, the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

• holy books: the Bible, the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita.
• newspapers: the New York Times, the Guardian, the Times of India.
• trains, ships, aeroplanes, rockets: the Rajdhani Express, the Titanic, the Kalinga.
• cardinal directions: the north, the south, the west.

• inventions: the telescope, the microscope, the calculator.
• countries, if the name contains a common noun: the United States of America, the
United Kingdom (states, kingdoms are common nouns).
• the whole families: the Tagores, the Smiths, the Kapoors.

• musical instruments: the piano, the violin, the clarinet.

Omission of Articles
Generally, no article is used before a proper noun. Therefore, no article is used before the
names of:
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