The meaning of THE is —used as a function word to indicate that a following noun or noun equivalent is definite or has been previously specified by context or by circumstance.

The and that are common developments from the same Old English system. Old English had a definite article se (in the masculine gender), sēo (feminine), and þæt (neuter). In Middle English, these had all merged into þe, the ancestor of the Modern English word the.

The Hill is a top US political website, read by the White House and more lawmakers than any other site -- vital for policy, politics and election campaigns.

THE definition: 1. used before nouns to refer to particular things or people that have already been talked about or…. Learn more.

Hello LearnEnglish Team, I could not understand the difference between "Whales are in danger of becoming extinct" and "The whale is in danger of becoming extinct".. Also, I would like to do the difference between these three sentences:

6 days ago · The downy woodpecker can be found in the same environments as the hairy woodpecker.; Used with the plural of a surname to indicate the entire family. The Bushes have held political office for several decades and the Kennedys longer.

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