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

Definite article (the)

Using the for making general statements

In scientific, academic or technical writing, we commonly use the definite article the when we want to point to a class of things rather than to a specific member of the class. We can do this with either a singular countable noun or an adjective :

Teaching has been much affected by the computer.
                                                                                  noun (singular) 

The elderly are not always respected.
      adjective

Using the with a singular noun

In writing of a scientific, academic or technical nature, we use the definite article the when we want to make a generalisation about a whole class of things:

The computer has brought about a real revolution in our society. 

Here we are pointing to all computers (treating computers as a technical innovation). Computer is a singular countable noun, preceded by the definite article the.  

We also use the definite article the + singular noun to point to the social roles people have in certain situations:  

The customer is always right.  
In Chinese society the teacher still has a respected role. 

Here we are pointing to all customers and to all teachers in their social role, not to one specific customer or teacher. We might even point to the circumstances in which such a generalisation applies:

There will always be a role for the teacher in the classroom. 

Here we are pointing to all classrooms as a place for teaching in general, not to one specific classroom. 

Note that for general reference in less formal situations we generally omit the and use a countable plural noun or an uncountable noun , eg Cars have changed our lives (countable plural) or Pollution is a problem around the world (uncountable). 

For information about some of the problems that students have with the in general statements, click here:

For more information on using the definite article the with a singular noun as general reference, see Text types: General Descriptions: Generalising

Using the with an adjective

The structure definite article the + adjective can be used to point to the whole class of people described by the adjective:

Kitty wanted to be a nurse and help the sick. [= sick people]

The adjectives in such expressions behave like plural nouns, so only the plural pronoun they can be used to point back to them:

Kitty wanted to nurse the sick. They needed the help of good nurses. 

Although adjectives may function as Head in a noun group, they keep the form of adjectives and never add the plural marker s, something often done by our student learners:

Sometimes a little pressure from parents is good for the youngs.
Sometimes a little pressure from parents is good for the young.

Other adjectives often used after the definite article the in this way include: blind, dead, deaf, educated, elderly, homeless, living, needy, old, oppressed, powerful, sick, underprivileged, uneducated, unemployed, wealthy, wounded, young. 

Note that the term Head is written with an initial capital letter to remind us that it is a functional term.