GRAMMAR POINT

 

 

DEFINITE ARTICLE THE

 

 

I.Pronounciation

 

The article The is pronounced “de” before a consonant; the door and it is pronounced “di”  before vowel; the open door.

 

When the h in begining[ph1]  of the noun is not pronounced, The is pronounced “di” ; the hour.

 

When u and eu are pronounced “you”, The is pronounced “de”; the university, the Europeans.

 

II.Value of “The”

 

    - We use The to speak about something known.

 

Example: Where did you put the remote control, Tim?

               Où as-tu mis la télécommande, Tim?

à Tim knows there is a remote in the room.

 

- We use The to speak about known concepts in the culture of everyone.

 

Examples: The sun- the earth- the world- the war- the mass media- the future.

 

We also use The before human groups known: The English.

 

- As “Le” in french, The can be used to express something general. The noun used is singular.

 

Example: When I see Fido, I really wonder if the dog is really a faithful animal.

               Quand je vois Fido, je me demande vraiment si le chien est vraiment un animal fidèle.

 

III.The or Ø article?

 

-          The articles “Le/la/les” in french are translated by The when they indicate a particular element; they are translated by Ø article when they indicate a something general.

 

Something general

Particular element

They prefer Ø money to Ø love.

Ils préférent l’argent à l’amour.

Where did you put the money?

Où as-tu mis l’argent?

The love I once felt for them has vanished.

L’amour que j’éprouvais autrefois pour eux s’est éteint.

 

 

-          We don’t use The before names of countries, except if they include a common noun ( states, kingdom, republic).

 

Examples: the United States/ the Republic of Ireland.

 

-          We find The before some names of places.

 

Examples: The Thames (the river Thames, la Tamise) / the Atlantic (l’Atlantique) / the Alps (les Alpes).

 

But not before the names of streets, buildings, parks.

 

Examples: Ø Regent Street, Ø Heathrow Airport, Ø Hyde Park.

 

IV.Exercises

 

Choose The or Ø in the following sentences:

 

1. Since...Chernobyl disaster... nuclear power has been questioned in many countries.

2. ...charity begins at ...home.

3.Kodiak is ... home of famous brown bears.

4. William Clinton was elected ...President in 1996.

5. ...new president swore on...Bible to respect ...Constitution.

6. ...Norman soldiers who arrived in...England in 1066 were followed soon by a flood of  ... Latin documents, offering a growing band of...scholars...access to... wisdom that had been accumulating on...continent since...fall of...Roman Empire.

7.... love of...money is...root of all evil. (St Paul)

8....riches grow in...Hell. (John Milton)

9.... honesty is incompatible with ... amassing of a large fortune. (Mahatma Gandhi)

10. He deserves ... money he earns.

 [ph1]beginning