Definite Article - Examples and Definition of Definite Article

Definition of Definite Article
The definite article “the” in grammar is a determiner that introduces or refers to a specific noun, or specifies the given noun. However, an indefinite article is contrary the precise article, as it does now not specify anything. For example, “It is tempting, if the simplest tool you have is a hammer, to treat the entirety as if it had been a nail” (The Psychology of Science: A Reconnaissance, by means of Abraham Maslow). In this sentence, specific article “the” appears before the singular noun “device,” and specifying it. However, the indefinite article “a” simplest tells that there may be one hammer.

Common Use of Definite Article
“May I go to the college?”
“I saw him inside the school. The boy become weeping.”
“The rose has stunning smell.”
She is the excellent student.
He is the first man to win Oscar award.
In these not unusual examples, all precise articles have been used to specify the following nouns, consisting of “college,” “boy,” “rose,” “fantastic student,” and “first guy,” respectively.

Characteristics of the Definite Article
The exact article can be used with various varieties of noun to shape a whole lot of meanings.

Singular, countable noun – Used earlier than a novel noun, something that can be counted, the precise article specifies which one is being referred to. For example, “The thief has run away.”
Plural, countable noun – It can be used before a plural countable noun, while the noun is specific, now not general. For instance, “Police officials killed three of the robbers.”
Uncountable noun – It can be used before a noun, that is some thing that can't be counted. For instance, “The sand is blown with the aid of wind.” Sand can't be counted, although its character grains can.
Particular noun – No specific article is used with a selected noun, including “Mr. Washington.” Simply, one can not be called “The Washington.” Nevertheless, a exact article can be used to introduce his own family organization of Mr. Washington: “The Washingtons live down the street.”
Names of nations – It isn't always used with the right names of countries and towns, with few exceptions. Exceptions include: the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands.
Names of bodies of water – The names of some water bodies require specific articles, consisting of the Mississippi, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Indian Ocean, etc. However, there are additional exceptions, including a few lakes (i.E. Lake Michigan), which do no longer use a specific article.
Examples of Definite Articles in Literature
Example #1: Charlotte’s Web (with the aid of E.B. White)
“She closed the carton carefully. First she kissed her father, then she kissed her mother. Then she opened the lid again, lifted the pig out, and held it towards her cheek.”

See the underlined word “the,” that is a particular article, specifying the nouns “carton,” “lid,” and “pig.”

Example #2: A Tale of Two Cities (by Charles Dickens)
“As to this, his herbal and not to be alienated inheritance, the messenger on horseback had precisely the identical possessions as the King, the primary Minister of State, or the richest service provider in London. So with the 3 passengers close up inside the narrow compass of one lumbering vintage mail coach …”

This passage has used the exact articles to specify the nouns “messenger,” “King,” “Minister,” “merchant,” and “countable passengers.” At one place, the specific article is specifying the noun along with superlative adjective “richest.”

Example #3: Definite Article (via Eddie Izzard)
“Horseshoes are lucky. Horses have four bits of fortunate nailed to their feet. They ought to be the luckiest animals within the world. They have to rule the country.”

In these lines, the specific article appears earlier than the superlative adjective “luckiest” and earlier than the noun “country” to specify it.

Example #4: The Old Man and the Sea (by means of Earnest Hemingway)
“In the first 40 days a boy were with him. But after forty days without a fish the boy’s parents had advised him that the antique guy become now surely and ultimately salao … It made the boy sad to peer the old man come in every day …”

In this brief paragraph, Hemingway has used specific articles earlier than ordinal numbers, “first forty days,” and then before the nouns “vintage man,” and “boy.”

Function of Definite Article
The major function of a exact article is to emphasize the noun it is placed earlier than. It specifies a noun that would be an object, a person, a place, or a thing. It comes earlier than a noun or a noun phrase, and also earlier than a superlative adjective, to point out the noun. It implies that a thing cited has already been talked about or redefined. In different words, it clarifies the that means of a noun. It enables the reader to apprehend the noun and its role within the sentence.