How to Use The - Articles in English Grammar

怎样使用The — 英语语法冠词

Hi, I’m Justin.

嗨，我是Justin。

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

欢迎来到Oxford Online English！

In this lesson, you can learn about using the.

在本节课里，您可以学到 怎么使用“the”。

What language do you speak?

您说什么语言？

If your language has a word like the, then the isn’t too difficult.

如果您的语言有一个像“the”一样的 单词，那么，“the”不会太难。

There are some small differences, but you don’t have to think about it too much.

有一些小的差异，但是您不必 考虑它太多。

However, if you speak a language which doesn’t have a word like the, then learning how to

然而，如果您讲的语言里没有像 “the”那样的单词，那么，学习

use the is a nightmare!

怎么使用“the”会是一个梦魇！

This lesson is made more for people whose native language doesn’t have a word like

本节课更多是为了那些母语里没有 一个像“the”那样的单词的学生们，

the, although we hope that speakers of all languages will find it helpful.

尽管我们希望讲任何语言的人 会发现它是有帮助的。

Learning about articles and the is the only grammar topic I’ve seen which regularly

学习冠词和“the”是唯一的我 见过的有规律地让

makes students angry.

学生们愤怒的语法主题。

Any time I have to teach someone about articles, I know they’re going to go through an angry

每当我不得不教学生们冠词的 时候，我知道他们会经历

stage.

一个愤怒的阶段。

Why is this?

这是为什么？

It’s because there are hundreds of rules about using the.

那是因为有上百个使用 “the”的规则。

Every rule has exceptions (of course, it’s English!)

每个规则都有例外 (当然，那是英语！)

Sometimes, the rules overlap and you don’t know which one to use.

有时， 规则重叠，您不知道要 使用哪一个。

We’re not going to try to cover all of the rules in this class.

我们不会在本节课里要试着 涵盖所有的规则。

If you really want a headache, you can find a grammar book and try to read and learn all

如果您真的想要头痛，您可以 找一本语法书，并试着阅读和

of them.

学习他们所有的。

Instead of giving you rules which you can read in a grammar book, we’re going to give

取代给您可以在一本语法里 读到的规则，我们会给您一些

you some practical tips that we’ve used with students and which work.

我们与学生们一起使用的实用诀窍。

You’ll see six tips and one simple technique you can use in your written English.

您会看到您可以在您的英语写作里 使用的六个诀窍和一个简单的技术。

These tips and tricks are easy to remember and use; you won’t need to study for hours

这些诀窍和技巧是容易去记住和 使用的；您不需要学几个小时

or memorise lots of complex rules.

或记忆大量复杂的规则。

Watch the video to the end, and you can start using these ideas today.

看视屏到结束，您今天可以 开始使用这些点子。

Let’s start with a general question: what does the mean?

我们从一个一般的问题开始： “the”意思是什么？

Have you ever thought about this?

您曾经想过这个吗？

What does the mean?

“the”意思是什么？

What does it do?

它做什么用？

If I say to you:

如果我对您说：

Show me the book.

Show me the book.

What does the mean?

“the”意思是什么？

Why do I say the book and not a book?

为什么我说the book而不是a book？

The in this sentence shows that you—the listener—know which book I’m talking about.

在这个句子里的“The”告诉您 — 听者 — 知道我在谈论的那一本书。

It shows that I’m talking about a specific book, and I know you know which one I mean.

那表明我在谈论一本特定的书，我 知道您了解我意思的那一本书。

That’s what the means: it shows that you’re talking about something specific.

那就是“the”意思是：它表明 您在谈论某些特定的事情。

You can think of the as a ‘pointing’ word, like this or that.

您可以考虑“the”作为一个 “指定的”单词，像是这个或那个。

When you use the before a noun, you’re ‘pointing’ to a specific thing and saying, ‘that one’.

当您在一个名词前面使用“the”，您在“指定” 一个特定的事情和说法，“that one”。

So that’s the basic meaning of the.

所以，那是“the”的基本意思。

Keep this in mind, because it’s useful to remember these basic points if things get

记住这一点，因为如果事情变 混淆了，那是对记住这些基本的

confusing.

重点是有用的。

Let’s see how you can use these ideas.

我们看看您怎么能使用这些原则。

Let’s start with some examples:

我们从一些例子开始：

Can you open the window, please?

Can you open the window, please?

Is that the woman you were telling me about?

Is that the woman you were telling me about?

The Taj Mahal is really worth going to see.

The Taj Mahal is really worth going to see.

When you look at these sentences, they look completely different, right?

当您看到这些句子，它们看 起来完全不同，对吗？

But there is a connection.

但是，有一个连接。

Can you see the connection?

您可以看到连接吗？

Think about why you use the in these sentences.

考虑为什么您在这些句子里使用“the”。

If I’m talking to you, in all of these three situations, you know which one I mean.

如果在所有这三个情形下，我正在 和您交谈，您知道我意思是哪一个。

For example, if you say, Can you open the window, please, then we’re in the same room,

例如，如果您说，“Can you open the window, please”，那么我们在同一个房间里，

and it will be obvious which window you mean.

您意思哪一扇窗户那是显而易见的。

Sure, there are many windows in the world, but if we’re in the same room, then we know

当然，在世界上有很多窗户， 但是，如果我们在相同的房间里，

which window you’re talking about.

那么，我们知道您正在谈论哪一扇窗户。

You can see the same idea in these sentences:

您可以在这些句子里看到相同的意思：

Where’s the bathroom?

Where’s the bathroom?

I’m going to the shop.

I’m going to the shop.

In both of these cases, we use the because it’s obvious which one you mean.

在这两件事里，我们使用“the”因为 您意思是哪一个是显而易见的。

If you’re at someone’s house, and you ask, Where’s the bathroom, we know which

如果您在某人的住宅里，您问， “Where’s the bathroom”

bathroom you mean: the bathroom in the house where you are/

我们知道您意思是哪一个厕所： 您所在/住宅里的厕所。

If you say, I’m going to the shop, again you mean that whoever you’re talking to

如果您说，“ I’m going to the shop”。同样，您意思是与您交谈的

will understand which shop you mean.

任何人都会明白您指的是哪家商店。

Probably, you mean the local shop—one you go to often.

有可能，您意思是当地的 商店 — 一间您常去的商店。

Let’s look at our second sentence.

我们再看看我们的第二个句子。

If I ask you, Is that the woman you were telling me about, you know who I mean.

如果我问您，“Is that the woman you were telling me about”。您知道我意思是谁。

But here, the reason is different.

但是，在这里，理由是不同的。

You know who I mean because we were talking about her before.

您知道我意思是指谁是因为我们 之前有在谈论她。

You were telling me about her.

您有和我谈过她。

So, this is our second idea.

所以，这是我们的第二个原则。

You can use the if the person you’re talking to will remember which one you mean.

如果您正在交谈的人会记住您意思 是哪一个，您可以使用“the”。

Here are a couple more examples of this:

这里还有这样的一对例子：

What did you think of the film?

What did you think of the film?

Do you remember the hotel we stayed at in Berlin?

Do you remember the hotel we stayed at in Berlin?

In both of these examples, you’re referring to some kind of shared experience.

在这两个例子里，您在指某种 类型的分享的经验。

What did you think of the film?

What did you think of the film?

--> Why do you use the?

--> 为什么您使用“the”？

Because you’re either talking about a film we saw together, or a film we’ve talked

因为您要么在谈论一部我们曾经 一起看过的电影，要么在谈论

about before.

一部我们之前曾经谈论过的电影。

Either way, when you ask this, you use the because the person you’re talking to will

无论哪种方式，在您问这个时， 因为正在与您交谈的那个人会知道您

know which film you mean.

意思的那部电影，所以，您使用“the”。

Do you remember the hotel we stayed at in Berlin?

Do you remember the hotel we stayed at in Berlin?

--> We both stayed at the same hotel, so you know which hotel I mean.

--> 我们两个曾经待在同一家酒店， 所以，您知道我意思是哪一家酒店。

Okay, let’s come back to our third original sentence.

好了，我们回到我们的第 三个原文句子。

If you say, The Taj Mahal is really worth going to see, why do you use the?

如果您说，“The Taj Mahal is really worth going to see”，为什么您使用“the”？

It’s because there’s only one Taj Mahal.

那是因为只有一个Taj Mahal。

We know which one you mean, because there’s only one!

我们知道您意思是哪一个， 因为只有一个！

Let’s see some more examples of this idea:

我们看看这个原则的更多例子：

The moon is so beautiful tonight!

The moon is so beautiful tonight!

It was the happiest day of my life.

It was the happiest day of my life.

In both of these examples, you use the because you’re talking about one of something.

在这两个例子里，您使用“the”， 因为您在谈论某些事情里的一个。

The person you’re talking to will know which one you mean, because the thing you’re talking

您正在交谈的人会知道您意思 是哪一个，因为您在谈论的

about is unique.

事情是唯一的。

The Earth only has one moon, so we say the moon.

地球只有一个月亮，所以我们说 “the”moon。

You can have many happy days in your life, but only one can be the happiest, so you say

在您的生命中可以有很多快乐的 日子，但是，只有一天可以是最

the happiest day of my life.

快乐的，所以，您说“the happiest day of my life”。

So, you’ve seen three important ideas about using the in this section:

所以，在本单元，您看到了三个 使用“the”的重要用法：

Use the for things around you, where it’s obvious which thing you mean.

把“the”用于与您有关的、 很明显您意思是什么的事情。

Use the to refer to shared experiences—things you’ve talked about before or done together.

使用“the”来指代分享的经验 — 你们 之前一起谈论过的或者做过的事情。

Use the when something is unique.

在某些事情是唯一的时候使用“the”。

These are practical, general ideas which will help you to use the correctly in English.

这些是会帮助您来正确地使用英文 “the”的实用、一般的用法。

Next, let’s look at another simple rule that can help you.

接下来，我们看看能帮助您的 另一个简单的规则。

Here’s a good rule you can use, especially in your written English.

这是您可以用的一个好规则， 特别是在您的英语书写上。

If a noun is singular and countable, it needs some kind of determiner.

如果一个名词是单数并可数的， 那需要某种限定词。

A singular, countable noun can’t stand by itself.

一个单数可数的名词不能独自存在。

Okay, this isn’t specifically about using the, because a determiner could be something

好，这不是特别地与使用“ the”有关，因为一个限定词可以是某些

else, maybe a or this or that, or something else.

别的，也许是a，或者this， 或者that，或者某些其他的。

But, it’s often helpful if you’re trying to decide whether to use the or not.

但是，如果您在试图决定用还是 不用，那常常是有用的。

Let’s look at an example:

我们来看一个例子：

Manager told us more about plan for New Year’s party.

Manager told us more about plan for New Year’s party.

Maybe you can already see that this sentence doesn’t look right.

也许您已经能够看到这个 句子看起来不正确。

Let’s apply our rule.

我们来应用我们的规则。

Can you remember it?

您可以记得它吗？

If a noun is singular and countable, then it needs some kind of determiner, like the,

如果一个名词是单数和可数的，那么它需要 某些限定词，像是the、

a, this, that, and so on.

a、this、that，等等。

So, look at our sentence.

所以，看看我们的句子。

How many nouns are there?

有多少名词？

The first noun is manager.

第一个名词是manager。

Is this singular?

这是单数吗？

Yes.

是的。

Is it countable?

它是可数的吗？

Let’s see: one manager, two managers, three managers…

我们看看：one manager, two managers, three managers…

Yes, it’s countable.

是的，那是可数的。

So, it needs a determiner.

所以，那需要一个限定词。

It can’t stand by itself.

它不能独立存在。

Probably, whoever says this sentence knows which manager they’re talking about.

有可能，任何说这个句子的人 都知道他们在谈论哪一个经理。

That means we can use the.

那意味着我们能使用the。

What about plan?

那plan呢？

Is it singular?

那是单数吗？

Is it countable?

那是可数的吗？

Yes, and yes, so again, it can’t stay like it is.

是单数，是可数的，所以，同样， 它不能像那样独立存在。

Here, we say that the manager told us more.

在这里，我们说经理告诉我们更多。

That means you already knew something about this plan.

那意味着您已经知道关于这个 计划的某些事情。

That means you can use the.

那意味着您可以使用the。

You know which plan the manager is talking about.

您知道经理正在谈论的 那个计划。

What about New Year’s party?

那新年晚会呢？

Is it singular?

那是单数吗？

Is it countable?

那是可数的吗？

Yes, and yes.

是单数，是可数的。

So, you need something.

所以，您需要某些事情。

How many New Year’s parties can there be each year?

每一年可以有多少新年晚会？

I mean, technically, you could have more than one.

我意思是，技术性地， 您可以有不止一个。

But generally, one company will just have one New Year’s party.

但是，一般来说，一个公司 只会有一个新年晚会。

If there’s just one, then you know which one the manager’s talking about.

如果只有一个，那么，您知道经理 在谈的是哪一个。

So again, you can use the.

所以，同样，您可以使用“the”。

The manager told us more about the plan for the New Year's party.

The manager told us more about the plan for the New Year's party.

Let’s do one more example:

我们再来做一个例子：

Government should do more to help elderly people.

Government should do more to help elderly people.

Think about this sentence.

考虑这个句子。

Where are the nouns?

名词在哪里？

Do they need determiners or articles?

它们需要限定词或冠词吗？

Let’s use our test.

我们来使用我们的测试。

The first noun is government.

第一个名词是government。

Is it singular?

它是单数吗？

Yes.

是的。

Is it countable?

它是可数的吗？

One government, two governments…

One government, two governments…

Yes, it is.

是的，它是的。

So it needs a determiner.

那么，它需要一个限定词。

Should we use the, or something else?

我们要使用“the”，或者是某些其他的？

There are many governments in the world, but whenever you talk about the government, you

世界上有很多governments，但是， 每当您谈论the government时，

mean ‘the government in your country.’

您的意思是“the government in your country.”

So, it’s clear which government you mean.

所以，您意思里的government 是清楚的。

That means you can use the: There’s one more noun: elderly people.

那意味着您可以使用“the”： 还有一个名词： elderly people.

Is it singular?

它是单数吗？

No.

不是。

So, it doesn’t need a determiner.

那么，它不需要一个限定词。

It can stand by itself.

它可以独立存在。

However, just because it doesn’t need one doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have one.

然而，只是因为它不需要一个 限定词，并不意味着它不应该有一个。

You still need to think: should you say the elderly people?

您仍然需要考虑：您怎么说老人？

Here, you’re talking about elderly people in general.

在这里，您一般在谈论年纪大的人。

When you talk about things in general, you don’t use the.

当您在谈论普遍的事情时， 您不使用“the”。

So the sentence is now correct.

所以，句子现在是正确的。

The government should do more to help elderly people.

The government should do more to help elderly people.

The test that you’ve seen in this section isn’t a magic spell.

您在本单元中看到的 测试不是魔法拼写。

You still need to think about where to use the or not.

您仍然要考虑在哪里使用“the”或不用。

However, it’s simple and it does help.

然而，那是简单的并确实有用。

Use this in your written English and you will make fewer mistakes with the.

在您的书面英语里使用这个，您会 犯几个“the”的错误。.

Trust me—we’ve seen this work for many students.

相信我 — 我们从很多学生 那里看到这个。

Okay, so now you’ve seen some simple but important ideas to help you decide when to

好，所以，现在您看到一些简单的， 但是重要的意见来帮助您

use the.

决定什么时候使用“the”。

But, part of using the correctly is knowing when not to use the.

但是，正确地使用“the”的一部分 是知道何时不使用“the”。

So, let’s talk about that!

所以，我们来谈那个。

We just mentioned one case where you shouldn’t use the.

我们刚刚提及了一个您不必使用 “the”的事例。

Do you remember?

您记得吗？

Don’t use the if you’re talking about things in general.

如果您在谈论普遍的事情， 不使用“the”。

For example:

例如：

Greek food is both healthy and tasty.

Greek food is both healthy and tasty.

--> You’re talking about all Greek food, in general.

--> 一般来说，您在谈论所有的 希腊食物。

I hate shopping for clothes.

I hate shopping for clothes.

--> I hate shopping for all clothes, all the time.

--> 我一直都讨厌买任何衣服。

I’m not talking about some specific clothes.

我没有在谈论一些特定的衣服。

Football is more popular than basketball in most countries.

Football is more popular than basketball in most countries.

--> Again, everything here is general.

--> 同样，在这里的每一件事情是普遍的。

You’re talking about football in general, basketball in general, and countries in general.

您在谈论普遍的足球、普遍的 篮球和普遍的国家。

Nothing is specific here.

在这里没有任何事情是特定的。

So that’s your first important rule.

所以，那是您的第一个重要的规则。

Don’t use the if you’re talking about things in general.

如果您在谈论普遍的事情， 不要使用“the”。

This is a really solid rule.

这是真正的固定规则。

It works well, so you should definitely remember it.

它很有用，所以，您应当绝对记得它。

There’s another useful point here: don’t use the with most names.

在这里有另一个很重要的重点： 不要在大多数的名称使用“the”。

When we say ‘names’, we mean nouns that you’d write with a capital letter.

当我们说“名称”时，我们意思是您 用一个大写字母写的名词。

This works most of the time.

这在大部分情况下是适用的。

There are a lot of exceptions, but if you remember, ‘don’t use the with names’,

有大量的例外，即使您记得 “不在名称使用the”，

you’ll be right more often than not.

您会常常是正确的。

Obviously, if you know the detailed rules, then that’s better.

很显然，如果您知道详细的规则， 那么，那更好。

However, if you’re in a situation where you don’t know whether to use the or not,

然而，如果您处于不知道要使用 “the”或不用的情形下，

then use this rule.

那么，使用这一规则。

It works most of the time.

它在大部分情况下是有效的。

So, this means: don’t use the with people’s names:

所以，这意味着不要在人名使用“the“：

I met Jamie.

I met Jamie.

Don’t use the with names of cities or countries:

不要在城市和国家的名称使用”the“：

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden.

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden.

Don’t use the with names of streets or other city features:

不要在街道或其他城市特色名称使用”the“：

Queen’s Park is near Broad Street.

Queen’s Park is near Broad Street.

Don’t use the with the names of schools, companies, universities or other institutions:

不要在学校、公司、大学或其他 机构的名称使用”the“：

Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft.

Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft.

I know what some of you are thinking…

我知道您在想的一些事情…

What about The United States?

那The United States呢？

What about the Hilton?

the Hilton呢？

What about…?

那…？

Yes, of course there are exceptions.

是的，当然，有例外。

There are exceptions to everything!

每件事情都有例外！

That’s not the point.

那不是重点。

Remember what we’re trying to do here: this is a simple trick that you can carry in your

记住在这里我们在做什么：这是 一个简单的、您可以记住的

head and which is easy to use.

并容易使用的技巧。

It will work most of the time.

它会在大部分情形下适用。

There’s one more simple tip here: don’t use the with another determiner.

在这里还有一个简单的窍门：不要 搭配另一个限定词使用“the”。

Determiners include this, that, these, those, possessive adjectives like my, your, his,

限定词包括this、that、these、those， 所有格形容词像是my、your、his，

or her as well as quantifiers like many, much, a lot of, each, every, and so on.

或是her，以及量词像是many、much、 a lot of、each、every，等等。

So you can’t use the in examples like:

所以，您不能在像是这些例子里使用“the”：

I like this one more than that one.

I like this one more than that one.

Is this your bag or is it hers?

Is this your bag or is it hers?

I want to spend lots of time with every person here.

I want to spend lots of time with every person here.

Okay, quick review:

好了，快速复习：

- Don’t use the if you’re talking about things in general.

- 如果您在谈论普遍的事情， 不要使用“the”。

- Don’t use the with most names (but remember there are many exceptions to this).

- 不要在大部分的名称使用“the” (但是，记住这点有很多例外)。

- Don’t use the with another determiner.

- 不要搭配另一个限定词使用“the”。

From this lesson, you’ve got six rules: three rules about when to use the, and three

从本节课，您学到了六个规则： 三个关于什么时候使用“the”的规则，

rules about when not to use the.

以及三个什么时候不使用“the”的规则。

You also saw a simple test to check if a noun needs an article or not: is the noun singular?

您也看到了一个简单的测试来检查 一个名词是否需要一个冠词：

Is it countable?

名词是单数吗？它是可数的吗？

If yes and yes, it needs a determiner, possibly the.

如果是单数并可数的，它需要一个 限定词，有可能是“the”。

If you find it difficult to use the correctly, take these six rules and this test, and try

如果您觉得正确地使用“the”是难的， 接受这六个规则和这个测试，

using them.

并运用它们。

We hope these tips are simple enough that you can remember them and start using them

我们希望这些技巧足够简单到 您可以记住并现在

right now.

使用它们。

If you do, you will use the more accurately, and you will make fewer mistakes.

如果您做了，您会更准确地使用“the”， 您会更少犯错。

Remember, these tips have helped many of our students, and they can help you, too!

记住，这些技巧帮助了我们的 很多学生，它们也可以帮助您！

Also, if you want more practice, check out the full version of this lesson on our website:

同样，如果您想要更多的练习，在 我们的网站上查看本节课的完整版本：

Oxford Online English dot com.

Oxford Online English dot com.

There’s also a quiz to help you practice using the.

也有一个随堂小测验来帮助您 练习使用“the”。

Thanks for watching!

感谢观看！