There are many special cases for using articles.
Unique People or Things
Unique means that there is only one. With unique objects or people, you use the definite article:
- The sun.
- The moon.
- The Tesla '48.
- The Pope.
- The equator.
Nouns are unique when you use superlative adjectives.
- She is the smartest person I know.
- It was the biggest mistake of my life.
Proper Nouns
We use the with the following proper nouns:
Names of:
- Oceans
- the Pacific, the Indian Ocean
- Seas
- the Red Sea, the Black Sea
- Rivers
- the Nile, the Fraser River
- Hotels
- the Four Seasons, the Holiday Inn
- Theatres
- the Moulin Rouge, the Vogue
- Museums
- the Louvre, the Hermitage
- Newspapers
- the Sun, the Globe and Mail
- Groups of islands
- the Virgin Islands, the Canary Islands
- Mountain ranges
- the Alps, the Rockies
We do not use an article with the following proper nouns:
Names of:
- Countries
- France, China, Mexico
- Exceptions - countries with Union, United, Kingdom, or Republic in the name
- Cities
- Spokane, Paris
- Streets
- Robson Street, 5th Avenue
- Languages
- English, Chinese
- Lakes
- Lake Baikal, Green Lake
- Stations
- Grand Central, Burrard Station
- Parks
- Central Park, Stanley Park
- Individual islands
- Jeju Island, Ambergris Caye
- Individual mountains
- Mt. Fuji, Crystal Mountain
Special Cases
We use the with an adjective to make a general noun:
- the young (all young people)
- the rich (all rich people)
- the homeless (all homeless people)
For inventions, we use an article with a singular noun to speak in general:
- The computer has completely changed communication.
- The mechanical clock was first invented in China.
We use an article to talk about systems of transportation:
- He takes the bus to school every day.
- The subway closes at 2 o'clock in the morning.
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.