Everything to know about “THE” (Part 3)
How to use “THE”
- Use THE before famous buildings and well-known works of art.
Eg: Did you go to Paris just to see the Eiffel Tower?
I should have seen the Mona Lisa.
- Use THE with adjectives that refer to specific groups of people
Eg: There have been recent calls to tax the rich.
The Spanish settled here in 1695.
- Use THE before family names, when referred to as a group
Eg: The McAllisters moved last year.
We had dinner with the Smiths last night.
- Use THE with specific times
Eg: We will celebrate Leo’s birthday on the 25th.
Can you come in the morning?
- Use THE to talk about time periods
Eg: My great- grandmother was born in the 1800s.
I wish I had lived in the 16th century.
- Use THE to say something about all the things referred to by a singular countable noun
Eg: The wolf is a dangerous animal.
My cousin plays the violin.
- Use THE before organisations
Eg: She works for the US Postal Service.
The World Health Organization just mentioned something about that.
- Use THE when talking about hotels, restaurants and pubs
Eg: Don’t stay at the Ritz Carlton; you should stay at the Hilton.
Let’s have a few pints at the Ship and Shovel.
Note: We don’t use the when the name of an establishment starts with a name.
Eg: We should head down to Froggy’s Tavern. (correct)
We should head down to the Froggy’s Tavern. (incorrect)
- Use THE with newspapers
Eg: Mandy told me to read this article from the Guardian.
We haven’t read the review in the Times yet.