How to Use The - Articles in English Grammar

怎樣使用The — 英文文法冠詞

Hi, I’m Justin.

嗨，我是Justin。

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

歡迎來到Oxford Online English！

In this lesson, you can learn about using the.

在本節課裡，您可以學到 怎麼使用“the”。

What language do you speak?

您講什麼語言？

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

如果您的語言有一個像“the”一樣的 單字，那麼，“the”不會太難。

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

有一些小的差異，但是，您不必 考慮它太多。

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

然而，如果您講的語言裡沒有像 “the”那樣的單字，那麼，學習

use the is a nightmare!

怎麼使用“the”會是一個夢魘！

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

本節課更多是為了那些母語裡沒有 一個像“the”那樣的單字的學生們，

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

儘管我們希望講任何語言的人 會發現它是有幫助的。

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

學習冠詞和“the”是唯一我 見過的有規律令

makes students angry.

學生們憤怒的文法主題。

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

每當我不得不教學生們冠詞的 時候，我知道他們會經歷

stage.

一個憤怒的階段。

Why is this?

這是為什麼？

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

那是因為有上百個使用 “the”的規則。

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

每個規則都有例外。 (當然，那是英文！)

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

有時，規則重疊，您不知道要 使用哪一個。

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

我們不會在本節課裡要試著 涵蓋所有的規則。

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

如果您真的想要頭疼，您可以 找一本文法書，並試著閱讀和

of them.

學習它們所有的。

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

取代給您可以在一本文法裡 讀到的規則，我們會給您一些

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

我們與學生們一起使用的實用訣竅。

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

您會看到您可以在您的英文寫作裡 使用的六個訣竅和一個簡單的技術。

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

這些訣竅和技巧是容易去記住和 使用的；您不需要學幾個小時

or memorise lots of complex rules.

或記憶大量複雜的規則。

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

看影片到結束，您今天可以 開始使用這些規則。

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

我們從一個一般的問題開始： “the”意思是什麼？

Have you ever thought about this?

您曾經想過這個嗎？

What does the mean?

“the”意思是什麼？

What does it do?

它做什麼用？

If I say to you:

如果我對您說：

Show me the book.

Show me the book.

What does the mean?

“the”意思是什麼？

Why do I say the book and not a book?

為什麼我說the book而不是a book？

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

在這個句子裡的“The”告訴您 — 聽者 — 知道我在談論哪一本書。

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

那表明我在談論一本特定的書，我 知道您了解我指的那一本書。

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

那就是“the”意思是：它表明 您在談論某些特定的事情。

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

您可以考慮“the”作為一個 “指定的”單字，像是這個或那個。

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

當您在一個名詞前面使用“the”，您在“指定” 一個特定的事情和說法，“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

記住這一點，因為如果事情變 混淆了，那對記住這些基本的

confusing.

重點是有用的。

Let’s see how you can use these ideas.

我們看看您怎麼能使用這些原則。

Let’s start with some examples:

我們從一些例子開始：

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?

當您看到這些句子，它們看 起來完全不同，對嗎？

But there is a connection.

但是，有一個連接。

Can you see the connection?

您可以看到連接嗎？

Think about why you use the in these sentences.

考慮為什麼您在這些句子裡使用“the”。

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

如果在所有這三個情形之下，我正在 和您交談，您知道我意思是指哪一個。

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

例如，如果您說，“Can you open the window, please”，那麼，我們在同一個房間裡，

and it will be obvious which window you mean.

您意思是指哪一扇窗戶是顯而易見的。

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

當然，在世界上有很多窗戶， 但是，如果我們在相同的房間裡，

which window you’re talking about.

那麼，我們知道您在談論哪一扇窗戶。

You can see the same idea in these sentences:

您可以在這些句子裡看到相同的意思：

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.

在這兩件事情裡，我們使用“the”因為 您意思是指哪一個是顯而易見的。

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裡，您問， “Where’s the bathroom”

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

我們知道您意思是指哪一個廁所： 您所在住宅裡的廁所。

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

如果您說，“ I’m going to the shop”。同樣，您意思是與您交談的

will understand which shop you mean.

任何人都會明白您指的是哪家商店。

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

有可能，您意思是當地的 商店 — 一間您常去的商店。

Let’s look at our second sentence.

我們再看看我們的第二個句子。

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

如果我問您，“Is that the woman you were telling me about”。您知道我意思是指誰。

But here, the reason is different.

但是，在這裡，理由是不同的。

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

您知道我意思是指誰是因為我們 之前有在談論她。

You were telling me about her.

您有和我談過她。

So, this is our second idea.

所以，這是我們的第二個原則。

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

如果正在與您交談的人會記住您意思 是指哪一個，您可以使用“the”。

Here are a couple more examples of this:

這裡還有這樣的一對例子：

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.

在這兩個例子裡，您在指某種 類型的分享經驗。

What did you think of the film?

What did you think of the film?

--> Why do you use the?

--> 為什麼您使用“the”？

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

因為您要麼在談論一部我們曾經 一起看過的電影，要麼在談論

about before.

一部我們之前曾經談論過的電影。

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

無論哪種方式，在您問這個時， 因為正在與您交談的那個人會知道您

know which film you mean.

意思指的那部電影，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.

--> 我們兩個曾經待在同一家酒店， 所以，您知道我意思是指哪一家酒店。

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

好了，我們回答我們的第 三個原文句子。

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

如果您說，“The Taj Mahal is really worth going to see”，為什麼您使用“the”？

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

那是因為只有一個Taj Mahal。

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

我們知道您意思是指哪一個， 因為只有一個！

Let’s see some more examples of this idea:

我們看看這個原則的更多例子：

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.

在這兩個例子裡，您使用“the”， 因為您在談論某些事情裡的一個。

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

您正在交談的人會知道您意思 是指哪一個，因為您在談論的

about is unique.

事情是唯一的。

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

地球只有一個月亮，所以我們說 “the moon“。

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

在您的一生中有很多快樂的 日子，但是，只有一天可以是最

the happiest day of my life.

快樂的，所以，您說“the happiest day of my life”。

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

所以，在本單元，您看到了三個 使用“the”的重要用法：

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

把“the”用於與您有關的、 很明顯您意思是指什麼的事情。

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

使用“the”來指代分享的經驗 — 你們 之前一起談論過的或者做過的事情。

Use the when something is unique.

在某些事情是唯一的時候使用“the”。

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

這些是幫助您來正確地使用英文 “the”的實用、一般用法。

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

接下來，我們看看能幫助您的 另一個簡單的規則。

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

這是您可以用的一個好規則， 特別是在您的英文書寫上。

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

如果一個名詞是單數並可數的， 那需要某種限定詞。

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

一個單數並可數的名詞不能獨自存在。

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

好，這不是特別地與使用“ the”有關，因為一個限定詞可以是某些

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

別的，也許是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，如果您在試圖決定用還是 不用，那常常是有用的。

Let’s look at an example:

我們來看一個例子：

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.

也許您已經能夠看到這個 句子看起來不正確。

Let’s apply our rule.

我們來應用我們的規則。

Can you remember it?

您可以記得它嗎？

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

如果一個名詞是單數和可數的，那麼，它需要 某些限定詞，像是the、

a, this, that, and so on.

a、this、that，等等。

So, look at our sentence.

所以，看看我們的句子。

How many nouns are there?

有多少名詞？

The first noun is manager.

第一個名詞是manager。

Is this singular?

這是單數嗎？

Yes.

是的。

Is it countable?

它是可數的嗎？

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

我們看看：one manager, two managers, three managers…

Yes, it’s countable.

是的，那是可數的。

So, it needs a determiner.

所以，那需要一個限定詞。

It can’t stand by itself.

它不能獨立存在。

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

有可能，任何說這個句子的人 都知道他們在談論哪一個經理。

That means we can use the.

那意味著我們能使用the。

What about plan?

那plan呢？

Is it singular?

那是單數嗎？

Is it countable?

那是可數的嗎？

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

是單數，是可數的，所以，同樣， 它不能像那樣獨立存在。

Here, we say that the manager told us more.

在這裡，我們說經理告訴我們更多。

That means you already knew something about this plan.

那意味著您已經知道關於這個 計劃的某些事情。

That means you can use the.

那意味著您可以使用the。

You know which plan the manager is talking about.

您知道經理正在談論的 那個計劃。

What about New Year’s party?

那新年慶呢？

Is it singular?

那是單數嗎？

Is it countable?

那是可數的嗎？

Yes, and yes.

是單數，是可數的。

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慶？

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

我意思是，技術性地， 您可以有不止一個。

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

但是，一般來說，一間公司 只會有一個新年慶。

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

如果只有一個，那麼，您知道經理 在談的是哪一個。

So again, you can use the.

所以，同樣，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:

我們再來做個例子：

Government should do more to help elderly people.

Government should do more to help elderly people.

Think about this sentence.

考慮這個句子。

Where are the nouns?

名詞在哪裡？

Do they need determiners or articles?

它們需要限定詞或冠詞嗎？

Let’s use our test.

我們來使用我們的測試。

The first noun is government.

第一個名詞是government。

Is it singular?

它是單數嗎？

Yes.

是的。

Is it countable?

它是可數的嗎？

One government, two governments…

One government, two governments…

Yes, it is.

是的，它是的。

So it needs a determiner.

那麼，它需要一個限定詞。

Should we use the, or something else?

我們要使用“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， 每當您談論the government時，

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，您意思裡的government 是清楚的。

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

那意味著您可以使用“the”： 還有一個名詞：elderly people.

Is it singular?

它是單數嗎？

No.

不是。

So, it doesn’t need a determiner.

那麼，它不需要一個限定詞。

It can stand by itself.

它可以獨立存在。

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

然而，只是英文它不需要一個 限定詞，並不意味著它不應該有一個。

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

您仍然要考慮：您怎麼來講老人？

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

在這裡，您一般在談論年齡很大的人。

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

當您在談論普遍的事情時， 您不使用“the”。

So the sentence is now correct.

所以，句子現在是正確的。

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.

您在本單元裡看到的 測試不是魔法拼寫。

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

您仍然要考慮在哪裡使用“the”或不用。

However, it’s simple and it does help.

然而，那是簡單的並確實有用的。

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

在您的書面英文裡使用這個，您會 犯幾個“the”的錯誤。.

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

相信我 — 我們從很多學生 那裡看到這個。

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

好，所以，現在您看到一些簡單的， 但是，重要的意見來幫助您

use the.

決定您什麼時候使用“the”。

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

但是，正確地使用“the”的一部分 是知道何時不使用“the”。

So, let’s talk about that!

所以，我們來談那個。

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

我們剛剛提及了一個您不必使用 “the”的事例。

Do you remember?

您記得嗎？

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

如果您在談論普遍的事情， 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.

--> 一般來說，您在談論所有的 希臘食物。

I hate shopping for clothes.

I hate shopping for clothes.

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

--> 我一直都討厭買任何衣服。

I’m not talking about some specific clothes.

我沒有在談論一些特定的衣服。

Football is more popular than basketball in most countries.

Football is more popular than basketball in most countries.

--> Again, everything here is general.

--> 同樣，在這裡的每一件事情都是普遍的。

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

您在談論普遍的足球、普遍的 籃球和普遍的國家。

Nothing is specific here.

在這裡沒有任何事情是特定的。

So that’s your first important rule.

所以，那是您的第一個重要的規則。

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

如果您在談論普遍的事情， 不要使用“the”。

This is a really solid rule.

這是真正的固定規則。

It works well, so you should definitely remember it.

它很有用，所以，您應當絕對要記得它。

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

在這裡有另一個很重要的重點： 不要在大多數的名稱使用“the”。

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

當我們說“名稱”時，我們意思是您 用一個大寫字母寫的名詞。

This works most of the time.

這在大部分情形下是適用的。

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

有大量的例外，即使您記得 “不在名稱使用the”，

you’ll be right more often than not.

您常常會是正確的。

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

很顯然，如果您知道詳細的規則， 那麼，那更好。

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

然而，如果您處於不知道是否要使用 “the”的情形下，

then use this rule.

那麼，使用這一規則。

It works most of the time.

它在大部分情形下是有效的。

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

所以，這意味著不要在人名使用“the“：

I met Jamie.

I met Jamie.

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

不要在城市和國家的名稱使用”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稱使用”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:

不要在學校、公司、大學或其他 機構的名稱使用”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，當然，有例外。

There are exceptions to everything!

每件事情都有例外！

That’s not the point.

那不是重點。

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

記住在這裡我們在做什麼：这是 一个简单的、您可以记住的

head and which is easy to use.

並容易使用的技巧。

It will work most of the time.

它會在大部分情形下適用。

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

在這裡還有一個簡單的竅門：不要 搭配另一個限定詞使用“the”。

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

限定詞包括this、that、these、those， 所有格形容詞像是my、your、his，

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

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

So you can’t use the in examples like:

所以，您不能在像是這些例子裡使用“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，快速複習：

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

- 如果您在談論普遍的事情， 不要使用“the”。

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

- 不要在大部分的名稱使用“the” (但是，記住這點有很多例外)。

- Don’t use the with another determiner.

- 不要搭配另一個限定詞使用“the”。

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

從本節課，您學到了六個規則： 三個關於什麼時候使用“the”的規則，

rules about when not to use the.

以及三個什麼時候不使用“the”的規則。

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

您也看到了一個簡單的測試要檢查 一個名詞是否需要一個冠詞：

Is it countable?

名詞是單數嗎？它是可數的嗎？

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

如果是單數並且是可數的，它需要一個 限定詞，有可能是“the”。

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

如果您覺得正確地使用“the”是難的， 接受這六個規則和這個測試，

using them.

並運用他們。

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

我們希望這些技巧足夠簡單到 您可以記住並且現在

right now.

使用它們。

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

如果您做了，您會更準確地使用“the”， 您會更少犯錯。

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

記住，這些技巧幫助了我們的 很多學生，它們也可以幫助您！

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

同樣，如果您想要更多的練習，在 我們的網站上查看本節課的完整版本：

Oxford Online English dot com.

Oxford Online English dot com.

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

也有一個隨堂小測驗來幫助您 練習使用“the”。

Thanks for watching!

感謝觀看！