Study these sentences:
- The giraffe is the tallest of all animals.
- The bicycle is an excellent means of transport.
- When was the telephone invented?
- The dollar is the currency of the United States.
In these examples, the ... does not mean one specific thing.
The giraffe = a specific type of animal, not a specific giraffe.
We use the in this way to talk about a type of animal, machine etc.
In the same way we use
the for musical instruments:
- Can you play the guitar?
- The piano is my favourite instrument.
Compare
a and
the:
- I'd like to have a piano. but I can't play the piano.
- We saw a giraffe at the zoo. but The giraffe is my favourite animal.
Note that we use
man (= human beings in general / the human race) without
the:
- What do you know about the origins of man? (not the man)
The + adjective
We use
the +
adjective (without a noun) to talk about groups of people. For example:
- the young
- the rich
- the sick
- the injured
- the old
- the poor
- the disabled
- the dead
- the elderly
- the homeless
- the unemployed
The young = young people,
the rich = rich people etc. :
- Do you think the rich should pay higher taxes?
- We need to do more to help the homeless.
The young / the rich / the injured etc. are plural in meaning. For example, you cannot say 'a young' or 'the injured' for one person. You must say 'a young person', 'the injured woman' etc.
Note that we say 'the poor' (not the poors), 'the young' (not the youngs) etc.
The + nationality
You can use
the + nationality adjectives that end in -
ch or -
sh (
the French /
the English /
the Spanish etc.). The meaning is 'the people of that country':
- The French are famous for their food. (= the people of France)
The French / the English etc. are plural in meaning. We do not say 'a French / an English'.
You have to say a Frenchman / an Englishwoman etc.
We also use
the + nationality words end ing in -
ese (
the Chinese /
the Sudanese /
the Japanese etc.):
- The Chinese invented printing.
But these words can also be singular (a Chinese, a Japanese etc.).
Note also: a Swiss (singular) and the Swiss (= the people of Switzerland)
With other nationalities, the plural noun ends in -s. For example:
an Italian => Italians; a Mexican => Mexicans; a Turk => Turks
With these words (Italians etc.), we do not normally use the to talk a bout the people in general (see Unit 75).
