| 词组 | the |
| 释义 | the The is called the indefinite article. You use the at the beginning of a noun group to refer to someone or something that has already been mentioned or that is already known to the hearer or reader. A man and a woman were struggling up the dune. The man wore shorts, a T-shirt, and basketball sneakers. The woman wore a print dress. You add a qualifier, such as a prepositional phrase or a relative clause, when you need to indicate which person or thing you are talking about. I've no idea about the geography of Scotland. The book that I recommended now costs over three pounds. You use the with a singular noun to refer to something of which there is only one. They all sat in the sun. The sky was a brilliant blue. The air was warm. ◊ types of thing or person You can use the with the singular form of a count noun when you want to make a general statement about all things of a particular type. The computer allows us to deal with a lot of data very quickly. My father's favourite flower is the rose. Note that you can make a similar statement using a plural form. If you do this, you do not use the. It is then that computers will have their most important social effects. If you like roses, go out in the garden. Similarly, you do not use the with an uncount noun when it is used with a general meaning. For example, if you are talking about pollution in general, you say 'Pollution is a serious problem'. You do not say 'The pollution is a serious problem'. ...victims of crime. Alcoholism causes disease and death. You can use the with words such as 'rich', 'poor', 'young', 'old', or 'unemployed' to refer to all people of a particular type. Only the rich could afford his firm's products. They were discussing the problem of the unemployed. Note that when you use one of these words like this, you do not add '-s' or '-es' to it. You do not talk, for example, about 'the unemployeds'. ◊ nationalities You can use the with some nationality adjectives to refer to the people who live in a particular country, or to a group of people who come from that country. They will be increasingly dependent on the support of the French. The Spanish claimed that the money had not been paid. For more information about this use, see entry at ↑ ◊ systems and services You use the with a singular count noun to refer to a system or service. I don't like using the phone. How long does it take on the train? ◊ musical instruments You usually use the with the name of a musical instrument when you are talking about someone's ability to play it. You play the guitar, I see. However, rock and jazz musicians omit the the. ...the night spot where John played guitar. ◊ professions The is sometimes used at the beginning of a noun group in which you mention a well-known person's profession as well as their name. For example, you can talk about 'the singer Jill Gomez'. ...the Russian poet Yevtushenko. If the person has two professions, you can mention both of them. For example, you can talk about 'the pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim'. Note that you only use the once; you do not say 'the pianist and the conductor Daniel Barenboim'. ...the Irish writer and critic Maeve Binchy. Journalists and broadcasters sometimes omit the the. ...writer and critic William Gass. ◊ institutions You do not usually use the between a preposition and a word like 'church', 'college', 'home', 'hospital', 'prison', 'school', or 'university'. Will we see you in church tomorrow? I was at school with her. For more information about this use, see separate entries at these words. ◊ meals You do not usually use the in front of the names of meals. I open the mail immediately after breakfast. I haven't had dinner yet. See entry at ↑ ◊ used instead of a possessive You sometimes use the instead of a possessive determiner, particularly when you are talking about something being done to a part of a person's body. She hit him smartly and swiftly on the head. He took her by the arm and began drawing her firmly but gently away. For more information about this use, see entry at ↑ ◊ used with superlatives and comparatives You usually use the in front of superlative adjectives. ...the smallest church in England. You do not usually use the in front of superlative adverbs. ...the language they know best. You do not usually use the in front of comparative adjectives or adverbs. The model will probably be smaller. I wish we could get it done quicker. However, there are a few exceptions to this. For more information, see entries at ↑ |
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