Grammar: Word classes: Determiners: Referring to specific people, things, etc

Definite article (the)

Using the for general statements: Student problems

Students tend to have two problems with general statements: using singular countable nouns without the definite article the, and overusing those in place of the definite article the. 

Using singular countable nouns with the

Students often use singular countable nouns without the definite article the when they are making general statements:

The most common way to make a general statement is to use a plural countable noun without the definite article the:

A less common and quite formal way is found in scientific, academic or technical writing, which is to use a singular countable noun with the definite article the:

This is because the computer has become very popular recently. Over 3,000 kinds of animals are in danger of extinction. The panda is a good case in point.

Students commonly use those when making general statements with plural countable nouns when they should not use a determiner at all: 

	We can be happy if we have good relationships with our friends and family, good health, love, etc. Those rich people may not have love even though they have money.
	We can be happy if we have good relationships with our friends and family, good health, love etc. Rich people may not have love even though they have money.

In this example, those actually points to rich people as if they had been mentioned before, ie as if the writer were pointing to a number of specific rich people. While it is possible to use those under certain conditions, it is best avoided in the context of making general statements.