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The three articles — a, an, the — are a kind of adjective. “The” is called a definite article because it usually precedes a specific or previously mentioned noun. “A” and “an” are called indefinite articles because they are used to refer to something in a less specific manner (an unspecified countable noun).
Specific References
The is used with specific nouns. The is required when the noun it refers to represents something that is one of a kind:
The moon circles the earth.
The is required when the noun it refers to represents something abstract:
The United States has encouraged the use of the private automobile as opposed to the use of public transit.
Generic references
We can refer to something in a general way by using any of the three articles. We can do the same thing by omitting the article altogether.
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A beagle makes a great hunting dog and family companion.
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An aardvark is an interesting animal.
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The golden retriever is a marvelous pet for children.
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Irish setters are not the highly intelligent animals they used to be.
Proper nouns
We use the definite article with certain kinds of proper nouns:
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Geographical places: the West or the Sahara
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Pluralized names: the Netherlands, the Bahamas
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Public institutions/facilities/groups: the University College of the Fraser Valley or the Hyatt
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Newspapers: the Globe and Mail
Abstract nouns
Abstract nouns can be used with or without articles:
No articles
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