Using articles II: the.

Articles show whether we are talking about things that are known both to the speaker and to the listener (“definitive”), or that are not known to them both (“indefinite”). The articles in English grammar are “the” and “a/an”. There are two indefinite articles in the English language, “a” and “an”.

The definite article (“the”) is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular. It signals that the noun is definite, that is known to both the speaker and the listener, such as let’s go to the cinema and he is the best dad in the world.

On the contrary, the article is not used when we are talking about things or people in general, as I love cosmetics, doctors are more likely to be depressed, and dogs are smarter than cats. The is not used with non-countable nouns (cheese, life, coffee) referring to something in a general sense. For example, I hate cheese, life is very short, and coffee is very popular in Japan.

Do not use ’the':

• Names of streets (Oxford Street is one of the most prominent shopping destinations in the entire world, Main Street), roads (Airport Road is the main road to the airport), squares (Times Square), parks (Central Park), cities (New York, London), towns, or states (Texas, Alaska).
• Names of countries and continents, such as France, Spain, Italy, Asia, or Africa. Of course, there are some exceptions, e.g., the USA, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the People’s Republic of China.

• Names of islands, lakes, and bays, such as Madagascar, Ireland, Lake Jackson, Lake Eyre, Lake Michigan, etc. There are some exceptions, too. For example, the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes, and the Canary Islands.

• Names of mountains like Mount Everest, Mauna Kea, or Mont Blanc, but do use it for mountain ranges, such as the Andes and the Rockies.

• Both/All: Both men and women can get gonorrhoea. All men are created equal.

• Common expressions: I go to bed at 8:45 every day. Americans are going back to work. He is at school. She is in prison. Teens are leaving school without adequate qualifications.

• Names of languages (English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world), nationalities ending in ‘s’ (Americans are not prepared for U.S. involvement in Syria), sports (American football is the most popular sport in the United States), days of the week (See you on Monday), illnesses (e.g., I have a cold, Flu is highly contagious), academic subjects (Maths is very useful and is found everywhere in everyday life), and meals (What did you have for supper?).

Use ’the':

• Names of rivers (e.g., the Nile, The Amazon), oceans (e.g., The Atlantic Ocean, The Pacific Ocean), and seas (e.g., The Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea).
  
• Deserts (the Sahara Desert), forests (the Black Forest), gulfs (the Bay of Bengal), and peninsulas (the Iberian Peninsula, the Arabian Peninsula).

• Points on the globe (the South Pole), geographical areas, and physical environments (the Middle East, the West, the Asia-Pacific region, the town, the beach).
• Inventions (the telephone, the personal computer), animal species (the dog is man’s best friend, the lion is the king of the jungle), different forms of entertainment (I listen to the radio, I go to the cinema), and musical instruments (I play the violin, she plays the cello like she was born with one in her hands).

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