the determiner (PARTICULAR)
A1 used before nouns to refer to particular things or people that have already been talked about or are already known or that are in a situation where it is clear what is happening:
A1 used before some nouns that refer to place when you want to mention that type of place, without showing exactly which example of the place you mean:
A1 used to refer to things or people when only one exists at any one time:
A2 used before superlatives and other words, such as "first" or "only" or numbers showing something's position in a list, to refer to only one thing or person:
› used to say that the particular person or thing being mentioned is the best, most famous, etc. In this use, "the" is usually given strong pronunciation:
› used before some adjectives to turn the adjectives into nouns that refer to one particular person or thing described by the adjective:
› used before some adjectives to turn the adjectives into nouns that refer to people or things in general that can be described by the adjective:
› used before a singular noun to refer to all the things or people represented by that noun:
› used before some nouns referring to musical instruments or dances to mean the type of instrument or dance in general:
B2 used before each of two comparative adjectives or adverbs when you want to show how one amount gets bigger or smaller in relation to the other:
› used before comparative adjectives or adverbs when you want to show that someone or something has become more or less of a particular state:
› used for emphasis when you are expressing a strong opinion about someone or something:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
the determiner (YOUR)
B1 used instead of a possessive adjective such as your, her, or my:
More examples
- She took me by the hand and led me into the cave.
- She grabbed the cat by the tail - which was a rather stupid thing to do!
- "Cheer up, " she said and chucked the little girl under the chin.
- They cracked him over the head with a baseball bat.
- Always remember to bend at the knees when you're picking up anything heavy.
the determiner (ENOUGH)
› enough:
More examples
- I can't do fiddly jobs like that - I don't have the patience.
- She never seems to have the time to sit down and talk any more.
- I'd love to do a parachute jump, but I can't pluck up the courage.
- If we can raise the money, I'd like to get the treatment done privately.
- He hardly had the strength to lift his head off the pillow.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
