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eferred to have not been mentioned previously. The second time these nouns are used,they are preceded by the, since the things referred to have already been mentioned.See Exercise 2.b. Referring to something when it is considered obvious what is meantThe is used with uncountable nouns when the speaker or writer considers it obviouswhich particular thing is meant.e.g. The weather is fi ne.The butter is hard.The music is too loud.The expression the weather usually refers to the local weather. The expression thebutter could refer to butter which one plans to use, and the expression the music couldrefer to music which is playing nearby.The is often used before uncountable nouns followed by descriptive phrases, since suchphrases tend to make it clear to which particular things the uncountable nouns arereferring.e.g. The warmth of the sun causes water to evaporate.The coal mined in Germany is used in making steel.The milk which they produce is marketed locally.In the first sentence, the is used with the uncountable noun warmth, since the phraseof the sun specifies what warmth is meant. In the second sentence, the is used withthe uncountable noun coal, since the phrase mined in Germany specifies whichparticular coal is meant. In the third sentence, the is used with the uncountable nounmilk, since the phrase which they produce makes it clear which particular milk ismeant.As shown in the following table, the absence of a determiner and the use of the beforeuncountable nouns follows a pattern similar to the absence of a determiner and the useof the before plural countable nouns.The absence of a determiner and the use of The before uncountable nounsUseMaking a general statementSomething not mentioned beforeSomething mentioned beforeWhen it is obvious what is meantUncountable Nounsno determinerno determinerthethe3. The use of uncountable nouns to refer to individual thingsUncountable nouns can be used to refer to individual things by being preceded by acountable noun and the word of. For example:Uncountable NouninformationReferring to an Individual Thinga piece of information