Uses

Examples

1. Before plural nouns:

My friends are students.

2. Before abstract nouns except when they are used in a particular sense:

Men fear death.

but: The death of the Prime Minister left his party without a leader.

3. After a noun in the possessive case, or a possessive adjective:

the boy’s uncle = the uncle of the boy

It is my (blue) book = The (blue) book is mine.

4. Before names of meals:

The Scots have porridge for breakfast.

but: The wedding breakfast was held in her father’s house.

5. Before names of games:

He plays golf.

6. Before parts of the body and articles of clothing, as these normally prefer a possessive adjective:

Raise your right hand.

He took off his coat.

7. When home is used alone, i.e. is not preceded or followed by a descriptive word or phrase:

He is at home. He went home.

I arrived home after dark.

I sent him home.

8. Before the nouns: bed, church, court, hospital, prison, school/college/university, when these places are visited or used for their primary purpose. We can be/get back from school/college/university. We can leave school, leave hospital, be released from prison.

But: When these places are visited or used for other reasons the is necessary.

We go: to bed to sleep; to church to pray; to court as litigants; to hospital as patients; to prison as prisoners; to school/college/university to study; similarly we can be: in bed, sleeping or resting; at church as worshippers; in hospital as patients; at school as students.

Sometimes he goes to the prison to give lectures.

9. work = place of work.

He is at work.

He’s on his way to work.

10. We go to sea as sailors. To be at sea = to be on a voyage (as passengers or crew). But to go to or be at the sea = to go to or be at the seaside. We can also live by/ near the sea.