Untitled

The is used with plural countable nouns when the speaker or writer considers it obviouswhich particular persons or things are meant.e.g. The stars are shining brightly.The roses are blooming.We have put the children to bed.I was sitting on the front steps .These sentences give examples of the use of the to refer to things which areparticularly important to the speaker or writer. The expression the stars usually refersto the stars which can be seen from the part of the earth where one lives. Theexpression the roses might refer to roses in one·s own garden, or to roses in which onefeels a particular interest. The children might refer to one·s own children or to childrenfor whom one is responsible. The front steps might refer to the front steps of one·s ownhouse.c. Names of nationalitiesThe is sometimes used with the name of a nationality in order to make a generalstatement about the people of that nationality. A plural verb must be used in such astatement.When the name of a nationality ends in the sound of ch, s, sh or z, the name of thenationality must usually be preceded by the.NationalityFrenchIrishExampleThe French are famous for their fine wines.The Irish are known as poets and songwriters.When the name of a nationality does not end in the sound of ch, s, sh or z, the letter smust be added to the end of the name when it is used in a general statement. Names ofnationalities to which s has been added are often used without being preceded by the.NationalityArgenti ni anCanadianExampleArgentinians li ke to eat beef.Canadians have a tradition of playing hockey.d. Adjectives referring to classes of peopleAdjectives such as rich and poor can be used with the in order to refer to a group ofpeople as a class. A plural verb must be used.e.g. The blind attend special schools.The poor do not own their own homes.The rich often married for money.In the above examples, the blind has the meaning of blind people, the poor has themeaning of poor people, and the rich has the meaning of rich people.The following table summarizes the most important uses of the determiners a, an, andthe with singular and plural countable nouns.The absence of a determiner and the use of A, An and The before countable nouns