Are there any special times I should use the?
1 Tick the correct sentence in each pair
a In the USA this situation is totally different b In USA this situation is totally different -> a is correct
a The table shows number of people working in Britain in 1976. b The table shows the number of people working in Britain in 1976. -> b
We use the - with countries or places where the name refers to a group of islands or states: the United States, the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates, the UK. - with superlatives: the best, the longest, the highest - with cardinal numbers: the first, the second, the third - when there is only one in the world: the environment, the internet, the sun - to refer to the only one in this particular are: the government, the police, the river - in the phrase: the same as
We don’t use the - With the single country or place: America, England, China - to talk about something in general. We use the plural if we are talking about something in general; we use the to identify one specific example. Compare: People with reading difficulties often have problem with numbers. The number eight is considered lucky in some countries.
2 Correct the mistake below
Your hairstyle is not same as mine ->
Your hairstyle is not the same as mine.
3 Complete the sentences below using the words in brackets. Decide whether or not to use the, or whether to use the plural.
- The main advantage of the internet is that it gives us access to information from all over the world. (internet)
- My father has fished in rivers all over Australia. (river)
- Life in America is very different from life in my country. (America)
- According to the graph, the number of people moving into the city each year has more than doubled.
- The total figure for 1976 was the same as the total figure for 1982.
- Obesity is much more common in the USA than in my country.
- The graph shows that the greatest increase occurred in 1999.
- The moon travels around the earth at a speed of 3,700 kilometers per hour. (moon, earth)