Intermediate grammar · Unit 76 · B1

the 4 (the giraffe / the telephone / the old etc.)

Articles and nouns

Use the + singular noun for a whole type of animal, machine or instrument, the + adjective for a group of people, and the + some nationality words for a whole people.

Go to the exercises

A the + singular noun for a whole type

Look at these sentences:

  • The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived.
  • The kettle is the most used appliance in a British kitchen.
  • When was the microwave invented?
  • The pound is the currency of the United Kingdom.

Here the ... does not mean one particular thing. The blue whale means a type of animal, not one whale in particular. We use the in this way to talk about a type of animal, machine, invention, currency and so on.

We do the same with musical instruments: play the piano, learn the violin.

Compare a and the:

a: one example the: the type
I'd love to own a cello ... ... but I can't play the cello.
We saw an owl in the woods. The owl hunts mainly at night.

man without the means human beings in general, the human race: the history of man (not the man).

  • The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived.
  • When was the microwave invented?
  • Can you play the trumpet?
  • The ukulele is easier to learn than people think.
  • We saw an owl in the woods, but the owl is hard to spot in daylight.
  • Fire was one of the first great discoveries of man.

B the old, the rich, the homeless

We use the + adjective (with no noun) to talk about a group of people:
the old the rich the homeless the sick
the elderly the poor the unemployed the injured

the old means old people, the rich means rich people, and so on. These words are plural in meaning, but they never take -s: we say the poor, not 'the poors'.

For one person we need a noun: a rich woman (not 'a rich'), a homeless man (not 'a homeless').

  • Should the rich pay more tax than they do?
  • The council needs to do more for the homeless.
  • The injured were taken to hospital in Halifax.
  • A homeless man was sitting in the doorway of the bank.

C the French, the Chinese, Italians

We use the + a few nationality adjectives ending in -ch or -sh: the French, the Dutch, the British, the English, the Welsh, the Irish, the Spanish. The meaning is plural: the people of that country. We do not say 'a French' or 'an English'. For one person we say a French woman, an Englishman, a Welsh person and so on.

We also use the with nationality words ending in -ese or -ss: the Chinese, the Japanese, the Portuguese, the Swiss. These can also be singular: a Swiss, a Japanese, although a Japanese person sounds more natural.

Other nationality words take a plural -s, usually without the: an Italian, Italians; a Mexican, Mexicans; a Pole, Poles.

In every case, adjective + people also works: French people, Chinese people, Mexican people.

  • The Dutch are famous for cycling everywhere.
  • I sat next to an Irish woman on the plane.
  • The Japanese eat a lot of fish.
  • Italians tend to eat dinner later than we do.
  • Portuguese people are very welcoming.

Exercises

76.1 Answer the questions. Choose the right answer from the box, and remember to use the.

Animals: bat, camel, hedgehog, panda, polar bear, whaleBirds: flamingo, ostrich, puffin, robin, vulture, woodpeckerInventions: light bulb, microwave oven, printing press, radio, smartphone, steam engineCurrencies: euro, franc, krona, pound, rand, yen

  1. Which of the animals is the largest? the whale

    Which of the animals is the largest? The whale.

  2. Which animal lives in the Arctic?

  3. Which of these animals sleeps upside down?

  4. Which of these birds is pink?

  5. Which is the biggest bird in the world?

  6. Which bird makes holes in trees with its beak?

  7. Which of these inventions is the oldest?

  8. Which one is the most recent?

  9. Which one do people use to heat food up quickly?

  10. What is the currency of South Africa?

  11. What is the currency of Japan?

  12. And the currency of Switzerland?

76.2 Put in the or a.

  1. When was the television invented?

    When was the television invented?

  2. Do you play musical instrument?

  3. Ruth plays cello in a string quartet.

  4. There was piano in the corner of the pub, but nobody played it.

  5. I've always wished I could play drums.

  6. Our whole way of life is built around family.

  7. Ellie comes from very big family. She has seven brothers.

  8. smartphone has changed the way people talk to each other.

  9. When was washing machine invented?

  10. Have you got bike?

76.3 Complete these sentences using the + adjective. Choose from the box.

blindhomelessinjuredpoorunemployedyoung

  1. The young are the ones who will have to live with the decisions we make today.

    The young are the ones who will have to live with the decisions we make today.

  2. The charity runs a night shelter for in Bradford.

  3. Guide dogs are trained to help .

  4. After the crash, paramedics treated at the side of the road.

  5. Life is manageable when you have a job, but it is very hard for .

  6. Food prices keep going up, and are always hit hardest.

76.4 What do you call the people of these countries? Write one person (a/an ...) in the first gap and the people in general in the second.

  1. Australia. One person: an Australian. The people in general: Australians.

    Australia. One person: an Australian. The people in general: Australians.

  2. Italy. One person: . The people in general: .

  3. Spain. One person: . The people in general: .

  4. China. One person: . The people in general: .

  5. Switzerland. One person: . The people in general: .

  6. Mexico. One person: . The people in general: .

  7. The Netherlands. One person: . The people in general: .

  8. Wales. One person: . The people in general: .

See also