Definite articles
We use articles in lots of our sentences. We use articles to say that we are going to the bank, the store, or the beach. If you want to talk about the news or the weather, you’ll probably need an article. There are two types of articles, but definite articles are the ones that like to talk specifics. In English, only a single word has the honor to be referred to as the only definite article that we use. Can you figure out what the word is? The answer might be easier than you think. Before we solve the mystery, let’s learn more about what a definite article even is.
An article is a word that typically identifies a part of a speech as a noun (or noun equivalent) without describing it. A definite article is an article that indicates that a noun refers to a specific thing or to something that has been identified previously.
In English, there is only one definite article: the word the. To give an example of how we use the, look at the following sentences:
The second sentence uses the to refer to a specific pack of wolves whose identity was revealed in the previous sentence. By using the, we indicate that only this specific group of wolves sounded sad.
In English, the only definite article is the. The is one of the most commonly used words, so you will find it and use it in many sentences.
The following sentences show just some examples of how we use the to refer to specific things:
As a definite article, the word the is used to refer to specific things/groups or to particular things/groups that have been already identified. The is also used to refer to something that is unique, meaning only one of it exists.
