Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Teaching Tips & Ideas

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE "THE" - PART 3

The Article THE is used:


- Before family names in the the plural:

e.g. THE Taylors are coming to dinner.

THE Simpsons are moving to California.


- Before proper names when the very name is used as an adjective:

e.g. THE Reagan Administration was quite inefficient.


- Before certain geographical names:

e.g. THE PhilippinesTHE United States

THE United Kingdom - THE Baltic – THE Hague (city) –

THE CaribbeanTHE Artic

THE NetherlandsTHE BahamasTHE West IndiesTHE Balkans


-
IT IS USED (generally) before the names of Rivers, Seas, Oceans, Chain of Mountains:

e.g. THE Thames - THE VolgaTHE DanubeTHE Rhine – THE Amazon

THE NileTHE Pacific – THE Atlantic THE AndesTHE Alps - THE MediterraneanTHE Red Sea.


- IT IS USED when the person or thing that is referred to is obvious within the situation:

e.g. THE milkman was late this morning.

THE Mailman hasn’t been here yet.

Have you seen THE Newspapers?

THE carpenter has done an excellent job.

THE mechanic has fixed my car last night


- With parts of the body and pieces of clothes the

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE is generally used instead of “THE”.

e.g. I hurt MY knee - Take off YOUR coat - She broke HER arm.


- IT IS USED to refer to all members of a class or nationality:

e.g. THE rich get richer and THE poor get poorer.

THE French are famous for their cooking.


- IT IS USED
for inventions in general:

e.g. Who invented THE telephone ?

THE motor car has been with us for almost a century.

THE wheel was the most important invention for all mankind.

THE zip-fastener was a very useful invention.


- IT IS USED before superlatives:

e.g. THE fastest train in the world.

THE most important language.

THE cheapest European automobile.


- And in the idiomatic expressions: ....THE more... THE less...

e.g. THE more I read, THE less I understand.


- IT IS USED to indicate DECADES AND CENTURIES:

e.g. This movement took place in THE 60’s.

This movement took place in THE sixties.

That happened in THE XVI century.

That happened in THE sixteenth century.

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