the
definite
adv
ðə definite
1 used to show that you are talking about a particular thing or person that has already been mentioned, is already known about, or is the only one 〔用于表示你正在谈论一个已经提到过、已经知道、或者是唯一存在的人或物〕
The audience clapped and cheered.
观众鼓掌欢呼。
I ordered a pizza and salad. The pizza was nice but the salad was disgusting.
我点了比萨饼和色拉。比萨饼很好吃，但色拉却令人倒胃口。
the tallest building in the world
世界上最高的建筑物
sailing across the Pacific
穿越太平洋航行
The Prime Minister has intervened personally.
总理亲自出面干预。
Elections will be held later in the year (=this year) .
选举将在今年晚些时候举行。
How are all the family (=your family) ?
家里人都好吗？
2 used before nouns referring to actions and changes when they are followed by ‘of’ 〔用于名词前，指某种行为或变化，名词后跟 of〕
the growth of the steel industry
钢铁业的发展
the arrival of our guests
我们客人的到来
3 used when you are about to make it clear which person or thing you mean 〔用于明确所指的人或物〕
That’s the school that Terry went to.
那就是特里上过的学校。
She laughed at the birthday card from Myra.
她看着迈拉送的生日贺卡笑了。
4 used before the name of a family in the plural to refer to all the members of that family 〔用于姓氏复数形式之前，指这家人的所有成员〕
The Johnsons had lived in this house for many years.
约翰逊一家住在这房子里有很多年了。
5 used to refer to something that everyone knows because it is part of our natural environment or part of daily life 〔用来指自然界或日常生活中大家都知道的某事〕
What was the weather like? I looked out into the darkness. Sometimes the traffic kept her awake at night. The shops open at 9 o’clock.
天气如何？ 我向外望着这漆黑的一片。 有时晚上她被来往的车辆吵得睡不着觉。 商店九点开始营业。
What was the weather like?
天气如何？
I looked out into the darkness. Sometimes the traffic kept her awake at night. The shops open at 9 o’clock.
我向外望着这漆黑的一片。 有时晚上她被来往的车辆吵得睡不着觉。 商店九点开始营业。
I looked out into the darkness.
我向外望着这漆黑的一片。
Sometimes the traffic kept her awake at night.
有时晚上她被来往的车辆吵得睡不着觉。
The shops open at 9 o’clock.
商店九点开始营业。
6 used before a singular noun to refer to a type of institution, shop, system etc 〔用于单数名词前，指某类机构、商店、系统等〕
You used to buy them from the chemist.
你过去经常在药店买这些东西。
I heard it on the radio.
我是在收音机里听说这件事的。
I’ll put it in the mail for you today.
我今天就把它给你邮寄过去。
7 used to refer to a part of someone’s body 〔用来指某人身体的某一部位
Lieutenant Taylor was wounded in the knee.
泰勒中尉膝盖受伤。
How’s the ankle? Is it still hurting?
脚腕怎样了？还痛吗？
8 used before an adjective to make it into a plural noun when you are referring to all the people that the adjective describes 〔用在形容词前构成复数名词，指某一类人〕
She devoted her life to helping the poor.
她毕生致力于帮助穷人。
a school for the deaf
聋人学校
wars between the English and the French
英法之间的战争
9 used before an adjective to make it into a noun when you are referring to the particular kind of situation or thing that the adjective describes 〔用在形容词前构成复数名词，指某一类情况〕
Come on now, that’s asking for the impossible.
好了，你在要求不可能的事情。
fantasy movies that make the unreal seem real
把虚幻演成真实的幻想片
10 used before a singular noun when you are referring to a particular type of thing or person in a general way 〔用于单数名词前，表示泛指某类人或物〕
The tiger is without doubt the most magnificent of the big cats.
老虎无疑是大型猫科动物中最威武的。
The computer has changed everyone’s lives in so many ways.
计算机从许多方面改变了每个人的生活。
complicated dances like the tango
诸如探戈之类的复杂舞蹈
11 11. a. used to refer to a period of time, especially a period of ten or a 100 years b. used to mention a date 〔用于指日期〕 BrE
fashions of the 60s
六十年代的时尚
the great novelists of the 1900s
二十世纪伟大的小说家
She remembers the war years.
她还记得那个战争年代。
In the thirties unemployment was widespread.
三十年代失业现象很普遍。
the 3rd of November
十一月三日
March the 21st
BrE 【英】 三月二十一日
Shall we meet on the twelfth?
我们十二号见面好吗？
12 enough of something for a particular purpose 〔指特定用途的事物〕足够，恰好
I haven’t the time to talk just now.
我现在没有时间谈话。
Eric didn’t even have the common sense to send for a doctor.
埃里克甚至连去请大夫的常识都没有。
13 used to say which type of musical instrument someone plays 〔用于表示某人演奏何种乐器〕
Fiona’s learning the flute.
菲奥娜在学吹长笛。
He plays the violin.
他拉小提琴。
14 used to refer to a type of sport or a sports event, especially in ATHLETICS or swimming 〔用于指某项运动或某个运动项目，尤指田径或游泳项目〕
Who won the long jump?
谁赢了跳远比赛？
She swam up and down, practising the crawl.
她来来回回地游，练习自由泳。
15 used before a word or phrase that describes someone or something when you are angry, JEALOUS , surprised etc [口] 〔用于形容某人或某事物的单词或短语前，表示愤怒、嫉妒、吃惊等〕 spoken
He’s stolen my parking space, the bastard!
他偷占了我的停车位，这个混蛋！
I can’t get this carton open, the stupid thing.
我打不开这个纸板盒，这破玩意儿。
‘Jamie’s won a holiday in Hawaii.’ ‘The lucky devil!’
“杰米中了一次去夏威夷度假的机会。”“这家伙真走运！”
16 used to emphasize that the person, place, or thing you are mentioning is the famous one, or the best or most fashionable one. ‘The’ is pronounced strongly or written in a special way 〔重读或以特殊方式书写，表示所指的为知名或重要的人或物〕
‘Elizabeth Taylor was there.’ ‘Not the Elizabeth Taylor, surely?’
“伊丽莎白．泰勒在那儿。”“肯定不是那个伊丽莎白．泰勒，对吧？”
Miami is THE place for girls who like to live life to the full.
迈阿密是喜欢充分享受生活的女孩的乐园。
17 used before the names of certain common illnesses 〔用于某些常见疾病名称前〕
If one of the children got the measles, we all got the measles.
如果一个孩子得了麻疹，我们都会得麻疹。
18 with uncountable or plural nouns to talk about a type of thing rather than specific things the reader or listener already knows about. the不和表示一类事物（而不是特指读者或听者已知的事物）的不可数名词或复数名词连用
We drank tea and ate sandwiches.
我们喝了茶，吃了三明治。
I like music.
我喜欢音乐。
We use computers.
我们使用计算机。
19 with the name of a language. the 不和表示语言的名词连用
Do you speak English?
你会说英语吗？
He understands French well.
他很懂法语。
20
school prison college university hospital
with words for institutions such as , , , , church when you are talking about them in a general way. See also the note at 另见 hospital用法说明
Her son is at school.
她的儿子在念书。
She spent a year in prison.
她在监狱里呆了一年。
Do you go to church?
你去做礼拜吗？
21
at by on in last
with times, days, months, and seasons, especially after , , , and , or before meaning ‘the one before this’. 不要和时间、天、月、季节等连用，尤其不用于 at, by, on 和 in 之后或表示“上一个”的 last 之前
at midnight
在午夜
on Tuesday
在星期二
in May
在五月份
I saw her last week.
我上周见过她。
22 with a date when you write it. But in speech, you say the date as July the 29th. 但在口语中却说 July the 29th。
His birthday is July 29th.
他的生日是 7 月 29 日。
23 with the name of a meal. 不和表示一日三餐的名词连用
Have you had breakfast?
你吃过早饭了吗？
Come round after dinner.
晚饭后过来一下吧。
24
the
with the name of a place, for example a street, town, country, or airport. But some places and countries, and all rivers and oceans, have as part of their name. 但有些地名和国家名，以及所有河流和海洋名称中都有 the
This is Downing Street.
这是唐宁街。
We flew to Boston.
我们飞往波士顿。
They love Japan.
他们喜欢日本。
He’s climbed Qomolangma twice.
他两次登上了珠穆朗玛峰。
the Bronx
布朗克斯区
the Netherlands
荷兰
the UK
英国
the Rockies
落基山脉
the Mississippi
密西西比河
the Atlantic
大西洋
25 when you are talking about something specific or something that the reader or listener already knows about. 谈论特指的事物或是读者或听者已经知道的事物用 the
Did you eat the sandwiches (=the ones we made, mentioned, saw etc earlier) ?
你吃那些三明治了吗？
I didn’t like the music in the film.
我不喜欢那部电影里的音乐。
the computers we use
我们使用的计算机
26 with words for institutions when you are talking about a particular one. the和表示机构的单词连用，表示特指
They go to the school in the village.
他们上的是村里的那所学校。
the church on the corner
拐角的那座教堂
27 with days and seasons when you give more information about which specific one you mean. the和某天或某个季节连用是想进一步说明具体指哪一天或哪个季节
on the Tuesday before Christmas
在圣诞节前的那个星期二
in the summer after I graduated
在我毕业后的那个夏天
28 with nationality words, to mean ‘the people of a particular country’. the和表示国家的名词连用，是指某个国家的人
She loves the French (=the French people) .
她喜欢法国人。
29 to make an adjective into a noun referring to a group of people. the 后加形容词变成名词，指一群人
help for the disadvantaged (=people who are disadvantaged)
对贫困者的帮助
adv
30 used before two COMPARATIVE adjectives or adverbs to show that the degree of one event or situation is related to the degree of another one 〔用于两个形容词或副词的比较级之前，表示两件事或两种情况的相关性〕
The more he eats the fatter he gets.
他吃得越多就越胖。
‘When do you want it?’ ‘The sooner the better.’
“你什么时候想要？”“越快越好。”
31 used before an adjective or adverb to emphasize that something is bigger, better etc than all others, or as big, good etc as it is possible for it to be 〔用于形容词或副词前，强调是最大的、最好的等〕
He likes you the best.
他最喜欢你。
I had the worst headache last night.
我昨晚头痛得厉害极了。