Real Grammar - Susan Conrad, Douglas Biber 2009
The Definite Article
Unit 22 The introduction of technology
What have you learned from your grammar textbook?
The definite article, the, is used before a noun when the speaker and listener both know the specific person or thing that is referred to. The definite article occurs because (1) the noun was already mentioned, (2) the noun refers to a person/thing that is unique, (3) an adjective such as best identifies the noun, or (4) the context makes it clear what the noun refers to.
1. I saw a dog, and behind the dog there was a cat.
3. She won the best prize.
2. The sun is hot today.
4. He went to the library.
What does the corpus show?
A
The definite article sometimes occurs because a referent (person or thing referred to) was already mentioned in a text, but this use accounts for only about 1/4 of all occurrences ot the in conversation and writing. Other reasons for using the definite article include the following:
B
Frequency information. Here is a list of the most common reasons for the use of the definite article in conversation and different types of writing:
Other reasons include idioms and generic reference. In some cases (especially in fiction), the reason for a definite article cannot be analyzed with certainty.
Activities
1 Notice in context: in these excerpts from different academic texts, the use of definite articles is based on each noun being specified by modifiers. Circle the definite articles, underline nouns once, and underline the modifiers twice.
1. From a report about cattle in England.
The east of England had the lowest number of beef herds and the smallest herds.
2. From a book about second language learning.
The main emphasis during the early stages of language learning is on pronunciation.
3. From an article about evolution.
The bend in the lower spine of humans which is responsible for so many back pains exists because our ancestors were quadrupeds, and we have only recently started standing upright.
2 Analyze discourse: Read the report and the conversation. Circle all the definite articles. Above each one, write the number of the reason (R1-R4) for using the definite article. Use the chart in Section A to decide which reason applies. Sometimes more than one reason can apply.
1. Academic writing: Personal report about what it is like to be a student with physical disabilities.
There are issues which still concern me about continuing education for students with disabilities, for example, the fear and ignorance that often surround this condition known as “disability,” and the prejudice and stereotyping of people who do not “fit” into a mythical category commonly known as “normal.”
2. Conversation: Between women who have been friends since high school.
Ramona: I don’t even remember what I did at the graduation party, what did we do?
Alicia: We didn’t do anything.
Ramona: We had fun at the after-party at Angie’s house though.
Alicia: That was the best party! You were only there for a little while, I think.
3 Analyze and edit: Read each excerpt. The boldfaced part contains an error in the use of the definite article. Correct the error and rewrite the boldfaced part on the line.
1. In a restaurant.
Meli: Did we pay already?
Thanh: Not yet. Our bill is here on a table.
2. Sometimes it is not possible to decide when we have a satisfactory answer to a problem, or even when we have a best answer.
3. I will talk about some of problems I would be faced with if I suddenly had to live in a foreign country.
4. First Interstate reported a $59.9 million loss for the two previous quarters, as bank continued to be hurt by bad real estate loans.
4 Practice writing: write an informational paragraph describing some of the experiences that people have when they start learning English. Use definite articles in the ways that are typical for informational writing.
The first time that new learners go to English class, they are often discouraged. The learners ...