Page 89 - BB_Textbook

Using THE
In English, the use of articles can signal meaning. There are only three articles in English: a, an and the. There are two types of articles: a and an are indefinite (not specific); the is definite (specific). You also need to know when not to use an article. A speaker uses the article the when the speaker and the listener have the same understanding for the noun that follows. This is being specific.
No Article
(a) Where is Thanh? Thanh is in the classroom.
(b) Mai: I have a pen and a pencil. Which should I use on the test?
Nga: You should use the pencil so you can erase if needed.
In (a) the speaker and the listener have the same classroom in mind. The noun is specific so the is used.
In (b), both Mai and Nga have the same pencil in mind, so Nga uses the before pencil.
In (c) the earth has only one sun so the always comes before sun. When the speaker and listener know that sun means the earth’s sun, the sun is used.
In (d) no article is used because sun in this sentence is generalized – some sun of many suns in the universe.
Likewise, in (c) no article is used because this sentence generalizes suns (plural)
– no article is needed for generalizations of plural count and noncount nouns.
In (i), The wind refers to a specific way to generate electricity, whereas in (j) Wind is not specific and is communicating that any wind will generate. But specifically wind generates the electricity in a specific power plant.
(j) My city has two kinds of public transportation. The bus is faster than the ferry.
The is used with three kinds of nouns:
• Singular count nouns (j) • Plural count nouns (k)
• Noncount nouns (l)
(c) Solar power is energy get from the sun.
(d) Another solar system has its own sun.
(e) Other suns have their own planets.
Here are some more examples:
(f) The sky is blue.
(g) The universe is expanding.
(h) The moon effects the ocean tides.
we
(i) The wind can be used to generate electricity.
(j) Wind can be used to generate the electricity at our power plant.
(k) My city has two kinds of public transportation. The buses are faster than the ferries.
(l) When the traffic is heavy, neither buses nor ferries go fast.
(m) Students study English.
(n) The students that go to this high school study English.
(o) Bananas grow in Mekong Delta.
(p) The bananas that grow in the Mekong Delta are delicious.
In (m), students is general: all students – so no article is used. The is not used.
Compare (m) to (n). In (n), the students is used because high school students are specifically referred to.
In (o), bananas in the Mekong Delta are referred to as something that grows generally, so there is no article. The is not used.
Compare (o) to (p). In
(p), the bananas is used because bananas from the Mekong Delta are a specific group of bananas.
BENDING BAMBOO
CLIMATE | CHAPTER 2 89