🔥 THE RULES! When do we use “THE” in English? (And when DON’T we?)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มิ.ย. 2024
- When do we need to use the word "THE" in English? And when must we NOT use it? And what are the rules?... Watch this video to find out!
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► CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro: When to use the word THE in English
00:18 Pronunciation of the word THE
1:15 When don't we use the word THE in English
5:59 Common mistakes with THE
7:30 When we need to use the word THE
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► TRANSCRIPTION
So much confusion. Most of my students use "the" when they shouldn't use "the" and don't use "the" when they should use "the". So how do we know when to use it?
Before I give you some rules on when to use the and when not to use the in English, I want to tell you about two different ways we can pronounce this simple word. First, we have the, and there is also the pronunciation the. Now it all depends what the next word begins with. If the next word begins with a vowel, we say the. The elephant, the octopus, the owl. But if the next word begins with a consonant, we use the pronunciation the. The building, the table, the boy, the girl.
Okay, I got over 100 questions about the when I asked you about it on TH-cam. So let's start with the first one, the big one. When don't we use the.
Meals like breakfast, lunch and dinner? Have you had lunch yet? Do you want to go out for dinner tomorrow night? I have breakfast at 8am. When we're talking about meals, we don't use the word the.
Compass directions. When we're talking about directions, we don't use the word the like birds fly south for the winter. It's the direction that they are going. However, when we're talking about a particular region, then we use the word the. For example, I am from the north of England. They pronounce some words differently in the south.
Proper Nouns What is a proper noun? A proper noun is something like a name of a person, a city, a month, a day, things that we normally use a capital letter for in English. And we don't use the word the for those. My English teacher is Greg, not the Greg. I bought it on Amazon. I didn't buy it on the Amazon. Greg bought it on Amazon and it will be delivered on Tuesday. No the in any of those situations. Why did I use Amazon as an example there? Well, keep watching and you'll find out why later in the video.
Languages. Do you speak English? What's your level of English? I speak Spanish fluently. I would love to learn Greek. With languages we don't use the. Okay. We have some very common words that we talk about every day. They are bed, home and work. And these don't have the word that. I go to work at 9am. I get home at 5pm, I go to bed at 11pm. Are you at home? No, I'm at work. I wish I was in bed. ... [... Due to character limit, the rest of this transcription is unavailable]
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Hi folks 👋🏻 Leave a comment using one of the rules in today’s lesson ⤵️
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With "bed" and "prison", " "hospital" there are examples where you must use "the" - the blanket is on the bed, and etc
Sir Greg how can I download this book .
@@MuhammadShahid-xd4ry Go here: book.englishquickfix.com/, enter your email address, and you'll receive it via email (check your spam / trash folder if you don't see it!)
Thank you 👍
Hi sir Greg. Im just confused with the " I wish i was in bed".. Should we really use "IN" for bed?
"In THE hospital" is correct in American English. The British usage sounds extremely odd to Americans.
Yeah in the US any building gets "the"
@@Trifler500 Except for when we say somebody is "in prison" or "in jail"
@@Firguy
In prison or in jail doesn’t get “the” because prison and jail refer to more of a state of being than specific location. Jailed, imprisoned. But say you were referring to a “jail house” or a “state prison” then you would say in the jail house or in the prison. But you can’t say stuff like factoried or buildinged because those are places not states of being. Hope that makes sense.
@@Firguy True, but if we're talking about a specific prison or jail we do sometimes add "the"
@@Firguy In the slammer. In hell, not in the hell.
In America we always use "the" with university and hospital. (A dialectal difference here.) In all the other examples given, American and UK usage are identical.
Yeah I was going to say the same thing. You can't say its incorrect when it technically isn't. It may not be how people speak British English but it is correct in regards to American English.
I was thinking the same thing. 'In hospital' sounds wrong to me upon first hearing.
Yes, in North America, this advice sounds very strange. I live in Canada, and the building across the street from me is "the hospital" -- not "hospital". Therefore I would be "in the hospital" if I was a patient there.
that explains why it sounded strange to me at first
@@stevecarson4162 Probably from Scots influence , I suspect. We'd say " he's at the school" when we mean he's old enough to be attending school. " you'll get the jile ( jail) for that " meaning you'll get sent to jail for doing that. See the Billy Conolly song " If It Wisnae Fur Wer Wellies" , where he sings " you'd be in the hospital or infirmaree".
I’ve been teaching ESL for 17 years. When teaching something like “in hospital” versus “in the hospital” you should always acknowledge the difference between different accents or dialects. Characterizing a dialectic variation as “wrong” because it’s not your native dialect is just setting up students for confusion later if they encounter it in a different context.
Absolutely! Saying a dialectical variation or accent variation is "wrong" is also a characteristic of prescriptivism, which is generally looked down upon as being close-minded by most modern linguist anyways. Language shifts and changes, both due to distance and time. If we all spoke "correctly", we'd still be speaking Old English.
Also an ESL teacher and completely agree.
Thank you! We all aren't going around speaking in Shakespeare's English, so obviously language changes, dialects diverge, and no one dialect is objectively "correct."
I generally agree that you should take account of regional variations but I can't think of an example of how that applies to "hospital" and "in the hospital". Do you know a country/region where it doesn't apply?
@@grahamjohn3198 In the United States, we almost always put "the" in from of the word hospital. It would be exceedingly rare to hear anyone born and raised here to say, "in hospital". Actually, the same could be said about the example given for "university" as well.
Hi Greg, great lesson! I'm 73 and I'm writing from Tuscany Italy. I'm trying to improve my low english level. You speak slowly and clearly so that everyone can understand. You're a great teacher! Thanks a lot
'English', not 'english'. I'm trying to improve my poor level of English... or low level of English proficiency.
Why do you need to improve your English at that age
Grande!!!!!
The only exceptions I use in my American dialect are "in the hospital" (sick) vs. "at the hospital" (visiting), and most speakers I know, including myself, drop the definite article before instruments ("I play piano, She's great at playing guitar, etc.).
As far as I'm taught, the definitive article simply means you are referring to a definitive thing (hence the name). Saying "I'm in the hospital" refers to "the" specific hospital you are in/referring to. Conversely, saying you play "the" piano wouldn't make sense as you can (presumably) play all pianos roughly as well. Though I think there are people who use "the" with instruments too, for instance, "she plays the piano and he's our drummer," which in this case you refer to the specific piano in the band
Americans in general don't use "Thee"
American English isn't a dialect of anything. It's just American English.
@@dirremoire are you an american, perchance?
@@dirremoire American English is a dialect of English. Any location-based variation of a language is a dialect, regardless of its speaker population or status in society.
Several people have mentioned that in the U.S. we say "the hospital," but another distinction is not only would we say someone is "in the hospital" if they were a patient, we would say "*at* the hospital" if they were working there or visiting there. We don't typically say someone is in university, we say they're in college, and they go to (which very well may be a university). Some universities have "The" in their name, some do not, but if the first word of the institution's name is "University" we will put a "The" in front of it when referring to it, e.g. I went to the University of Michigan. If I referred to its abbreviated form, I'd say "I went to U of M," not "I went to the U of M." To make things more confusing, here in Minnesota, the University of Minnesota is referred to as "the U." The thing is, these distinctions can be regional. Different states refer to Interstate Highways in different ways. In California, they'll say, "Take the I-5 north out of Los Angeles." In Michigan, we'd say, "I took I-75 south when I drove to Florida." In Minnesota, not only do we omit "the" from the name of the Interstate highway, we skip saying the "I." I took 94 east to go to St. Paul." No one's going to misunderstand you, though!
A very useful and well explained lesson! Thanks Greg!
Interesting. As an American and an Anglophile I've often wondered why the Brits say don't use "the" with university or hospital. You've helped me understand this. It still of course sounds very strange to an American ear, but at least I now know why.
As US, we commonly use 'the' for cases of 'hospital' and 'university' in either of the examples.
Great video again. Thanks a lot, Greg. I've shared the video with my students right away, who are really confused about the topic. 😊
I give a big thumbs up to you. Because the articles are existing confusion to most of us. You have cleared up any doubt or confusion about it. I appreciate that. Cheers!
The great lesson!!! Thanks a lot, Greg!
Very useful video, I always struggled with the usage of "the".
Thank you very much for this class.
Pretty concise and precise. Thank you. 🙏🏻
blanquita me gustas...
Thanks for the fast feedback!! Cheers and keep making those great videos!!
Extraordinary information, I must listen the lesson for several times to understand the gist of it! Thank you, again and again, that the information that you have delivered to us!
Glad you enjoyed it, Engin! 😀
Greg, you are excellent! Thanks for this video!
Your lesson is impressive and so helpful. Thanks.
Thank you Greg,
very good explanation.
thank you🙂. Your lesons is awesome
Very useful! Thanks A lot Greg
😁😁so many things to remember! Thank you Greg😊
Thanks a lot for this very-very useful lesson!!!
Very useful explanation. Thanks.
Thank you so much Greg...you are a great teacher!
Thank you Greg for the lesson.
You are the best teacher! Thank you.
I just downloaded your book! You are a gifted teacher, thank you so much for your lessons 🙏
Wonderful. Teacher Greg is THE best!
Hi Greg, very good explained !! What you are explaining in your videos is a very good thing becase, not many teachers give this very specific topic
Just keep in mind he's wrong in the US.
No doubt, how useful and practical this lesson is, Greg. Thank you.
I wish that your daughter get recover, and both of you come back home very soon.
Useful video!Thanks!
Super clearly explained!
Excellently explained 👌. Thank you sir 🙏
Thanks for your useful video,mate.
Hi Greg
Tks for this video on the usage of "THE". It's quite simple and very informative. Looking forward to having such videos in the near future.
Bi from Ananthram until the next video
Sir, you are a great teacher I have ever met on TH-cam! Thumb up!
Great lesson, thanks a lot.
I'm so thankful for this lesson
I found it very educative and informative. You are, indeed, a graat teacher.
This lesson was very helpful, thank you very ,very much 😀 🙏🙏🙏🌹
Oh my gosh!!! Thanks a lot about your great lesson my amazing teacher keep up the good work!!!! I have understood more from your lessons
I like your teaching. Professional and clear.
Texas English Speaker here: We say: He's in the hospital. (He's sick, etc) She's at the hospital. (She's visiting someone, or she works there and is currently there.) We also say: I'm going to the grocery store. But: I'm at Kroger. OR I'm at Walmart. (exception: some people in East Texas say I'm at the Walmart. OR I'm at Walmarts.)
Extremely useful thank you
Very useful video. I wish I have seen it earlier. Thank you so much
Great lesson!😊
Thanks for the good clarification Greg. I had no idea how much difference there is in the phrase with the use of THE - 'in THE hospital' and 'in hospital'. Thank you!
Also please keep in mind that this is British English. He’s not taking into consideration other Englishs like American, Canadian, South African, Australian, etc English. I know at least American English uses “in the hospital.” An American English teacher would consider it wrong to say “in hospital” in school. Most adults would assume your British though, I think.
@@Sophie-dd5xr That's because American English isn't even important. It's just a mutation. It shouldn't be used as THE standard for students to learn English. English comes from England. End of. Get over it
And if you don't like it, stop speaking mutated English. Start speaking native American. At the end of the day, that's the native language of the lands you freely roam. English is just an invasion force
@@marioluigi9599 That’s like saying Spain Spanish is the best model even though there are more Spanish speakers in the US than Spain, let alone the millions more in the central and south Americas whose dialects and accents are closer to each other than Spain Spanish.
What a prick-ish way to think about things. No dialect is better than the other. Knowing the differences in pronunciation and grammar between dialects is key. You’re the one who seems to think there is one superior language dialect which is honestly a heap of bologna.
@@Sophie-dd5xr Of course the Spain Spanish is better. And that's the one that should be taught. If we followed your advice, we'd all be talking in a stupid indian accent because of the billions of Indians in India who speak English. YEAHHHHH, no thanks. I'm thankfully not as libbed out as you are.
@@marioluigi9599 My opinion has nothing to do with political party. That says a lot about you actually. How much you don’t understand about language… I’m a language teacher. My degrees are in education and language. You’re opinions are so wrong, it’s saddening. I hope to god you’re not an educator.
Hey Greg. What the great video of yours. The video helped me in the understanding of the English language. You are a best.
Thanks ! you're THE teacher !
You are fantastic!
I wish you good health for your baby, I'm so very sorry. I will pray for her! A strong strong hug!
I’m from the USA and I never say in hospital. If you’re in the hospital you have a health problem. If you’re at the hospital, you’re visiting.
You're the best teacher Greg👍👏.
Thank you for these important explanation.
Thanks bro gotta clear understanding now on how to use these words.
Very good lesson Thanks you!
Awesome video Greg
Keep it up
Thanks for your sharing
Interesting and useful lesson, great video i thank you a lot teacher Greg 👍
You’re welcome, Nadiya 😀
Very good explanation.
I loved this lesson, it’ll help me to improve to communicate better.
Thanks Greg, very useful information as I'm very confused using the word "THE"
Thank you, Greg!
You’re welcome! 😀
Hi Greg! I am a taiwanese student trying to improve my English skills recently. Thanks for sharing these useful knowledge so that I can speak more natively.
HI Greg!!! I am from Argentina. I studied English for a long time. In any case, your classes are very useful to me. I can always improve and learn something new.
I hope I have not made any mistake, I don't want to use translators.😂Thanks.
It's always better to use your brain and make mistakes than to use a translator! 😀
@@EnglishWithGreg Hi Greg!!! I completely agree with you, I 'm using my brain. I made a joke about using a translator... I swear!!! 😄Thanks!!!!
@@isabelsilviaelola562 Your English is very good. Would you mind a couple friendly suggestions from a native speaker? In your introduction, I would have said "I *have* studied English" since the present perfect suggests that your studies have not completely ended. And second, I think the plural "mistakes" fits that sentence better. I hope you find that helpful--I only offer it as a friend, so I hope you are not offended.
@@ajs11201 Hi!!! Your suggestions are very helpful to me. They don´t bother me at all. I am trying to improve my English. Thanks!!!
@@isabelsilviaelola562
I'm ao glad. Thanks for your friendly reply.
👏thaaank you!👌
Very well explained
Hi Greg,
I really enjoy watching you clear and precise explanations about grammar challenges.
I wish you all the best.
Miodrag
Thank you! 🙂
Great one
Thanks a lot.This video is very informative and helpfull.This subject seems simple bit very confusing.Your explanation is so precious for to understand.👍👍👍👍
Excellent!
Good job!
What a wonderful explanation! Thank you so much. No matter how much I study, sometimes I still throw them at random 😂😂😂
Thanks!
Awesome teacher
Thank you for your free books, i learned a lot of things in your books. Thank you
Thank you. I have subscribed.
Thanks my best teacher
Great,Great👍 İ understund the very very much. Thanks
Helpful lesson! In addition, it would be good to see why we need to use 'the'
Спасибо, thank you
We like your lessons,,you speak clear and slowly ,that is good for learners,,,,,thanks.
Thank you 😊
Wow 😮 I have never heard such captivating and understandable explanation about "the"🎉 Thanks a lot, Greg ❤
Very nice video...!👏👏 Greetings from Brazil...!!
Thank you.
Adoooooro Greg!
Thanks alot
After a few videos.. I'm sold lol.. I subscribe
Thank you
Thanks
Fantastic .
Some exceptions- you can say “I go to the bed in the corner of the room and sit.” Or “once I get to the home of my brother’s family.” Or “I go to the work meeting at 9 a.m.” because those are all instances where one needs “the” to indicate that it is something specific being referred to. You kind of touched on that with the banana thing but the rule can be applied to a lot of the “words you can’t use the with” so, maybe this makes it a little more clear.
Also, at least in the USA, we would use the word “the” with school- “the school has a new policy.” “He left the school at 3 p.m.” in the situation you mention it would not be used, but I think that is the exception and not the rule, at least in the USA
Another exception is the percent rule. This one is more idiomatic, but a lot of times you hear people make reference to “the one percent,” meaning rich people.
A lot of other people mentioned how weird it would be to hear someone in the USA say “I’m in hospital” and that’s probably why a lot of native English speakers such as myself clicked on this video.
Yup. 'In hospital' sounds very strange to me. 'In school' is the only time I can think of where we drop the 'the' (if you are a student), but keeping the 'the' is fine too.
Well, it looks like there are contexts where (almost?) all "wrong" cases are correct.
You're right for the most part, but the reason we use "the" in "I go (I'm going?) to the work meeting" is because in this sentence, "work" is an adjective describing the type of meeting. However you could say "the work" as a noun when referring to a specific job, project or time/labour used, for example "the work I did last week".
You are the best 💕
Nice video!
Man you are a good teacher
That's just what I need.