USE OF "THE"

The definite article

(1) Used to refer to somebody/something that has already been mentioned or is easily understood.

• There were three questions. The first two were relatively easy but the third one was hard.
• There was an accident here yesterday. A car hit a tree and the driver was killed.
• The heat was getting to be too much for me.
• The nights are getting longer.

(2) Used to refer to somebody/something that is the only, normal or obvious one of their kind.

• The Mona Lisa
• The Nile
• The Queen
• What's the matter?
• The phone rang.
• I patted her on the back.
• How's the (=your) baby?

 (3) Used when explaining which person or thing you mean.

• The house at the end of of the street.
• The people I met there were very friendly.
• It was the best day of my life.
• You're the third person to ask me that.
• Friday the thirteen
• Alexander the Great

(4)  Used to refer to a thing in general rather than a particular example.

• He taught himself to play the violin.
• The dolphin is an intelligent animal.
• They placed the African elephant on their endangered list.
• I heard it on the radio.
• I'm usually out during the day.

(5) Used with adjectives to refer to a thing or a group of people described by the adjective.

• With him, you should always expect the unexpected.
• The unemployed/ the elderly/ the French

(6) Used before the plural of somebody's last name to refer to a whole family or a married couple.

• Don't forget to invite the Jordans.

(7) Enough of something for a particular purpose.

• I wanted it but I didn't have the money.

(8) Used with a unit of measurement to mean 'every'.

• My car does forty miles to the gallon.
• You get paid by the hour.

(9) Used with a unit of time to mean 'the present'.

• Why not have the dish of the day?
• She's flavour of the month with him.

Source(s):

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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Use of the (1)

One of the most difficult problems in English is when the definite article the should be used and when omitted. As you probably know the  is used with nouns when we are speaking about a particular thing or person:

• The man who came here yesterday.
• The house that I live in.
• The earth goes round the sun.

 Omission of the

The  is omitted when we are speaking about certain classes of noun in a general sense. When, however, these nouns are defined or used in a particular way we use the. These classes of noun are as follows:

1. Plural

• Defined: I love the flowers in your garden.
• General: I love flowers.

2. Uncountables:

(i.e. words that you cannot put a number in front of: water, butter etc.)

• Defined: The milk in this cup is warm
• General: Milk is white.
• Defined: The fog in England will prevent us from seeing anything.
• General: Fog doesn't cover England the whole time.

In this last example fog  is used in the sense of a general climatic condition and therefore as an uncountable noun. There are many nouns which can be used as countable or as uncountable nouns, and their meaning can vary accordingly. e.g. light; glass; drink; earth.

• Uncountable: Windows are made of glass.
• Countable: Would you like a glass of whisky?
• Uncountable: The sun gives light.
• Countable: There were many lights in the street.

3. Abstract nouns

• Defined: The life of Mr. Smith is difficult.
• General: Life isn't all business.
• Defined: The love of Mr. Smith is blind.
• General: Love is blind.

4. Meals

The is also omitted before meals when we are not talking about a special meal:

• Defined: I enjoyed the dinner he gave us.
• We had a drink before dinner.

5. Nationality

Notice also that when we refer to a nationality without the word people we can use the article.

• The English love forming queues.

However, when we are speaking of the language we do not use the article:

• He speaks Spanish.
• She only knows Italian.

Use of the (2)

Note the following further uses and omission of the:

1. Names of seasons

When we have a definite season in mind we use the.

• I was here in the spring of 1958.
• Do you remember the autumn we stayed in Italy?

When, however, we speak of seasons in general or as a climate we omit the:

• Summer is my favourite season.
• Spring is here at last!

2. Words like school, church, home, bed, etc.

We used the with these words when we refer to them as a definite place, building or object rather than to the general activity that goes on there.

• The school is very near the church.
• The bed is broken.
• This was the home of George Washington.

If, however, we are more interested in their general or normal use, we omit the:

• I learnt history at school.
• We go to church every Sunday.
• He stays in bed till eleven o'clock every morning.
• That man goes home every evening.

3. Proper names

The is omitted with most proper names and with the names of towns and countries.

• London is a large city.
• India is far from Italy.

However there are certain exceptions to this: the is generally used with the follwoing:

(a) Certain countries

• The United States.
• The Soviet Union.
• The Netherlands.

(b) Rivers

• The Tagus runs through Sapin and Portugal.
• The Rhine is a broad river.

(c) Seas, oceans and lakes

• The Atlantic.
• The Channel.
• The Mediterranean.

(d) Mountain ranges

• The Alps.
• The Himalayas.
• The Pyrenees.

Cheers!

Naeem