“My neighbor caught the dog in their yard this morning.” Use the in a sentence when you’re referring to something that’s known to your audience. An indefinite article refers to an unspecific noun. The is a definite article, or a word that refers to a specific noun. “That’s the person I was telling you about.”Īrticles are a part of speech used to identify nouns, and like nouns, there are two types of articles: definite articles and indefinite articles. While the word the has multiple meanings as a definite article, the connection between them is that they refer to a specific person, place, or thing known or implied to be known by the reader or listener. There are eight parts of speech in English: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, and articles. The can also be used as an adverb to modify a verb, an adjective, or a group of words.
When it comes before a noun to refer to a specific something or to create a proper noun, it’s a definite article. The can be one of two parts of speech, depending on how it’s used. Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly What part of speech is the?