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The Definite Article: When to use “the” with abstract nouns in English
The definite article (the) confuses many English learners. It can be difficult to know when the needs to be used with abstract nouns like “love” and “happiness”. In other situations, it might be unclear if the noun is abstract or not. In this advanced English grammar lesson, we will review some of the situations and figure out how to use this important grammatical tool.
Quiz
Test your understanding of this English lesson
Test your understanding of the English lesson by answering these questions. You will get the answers and your score at the end of the quiz.Levels
Lesson Topics
113 COMMENTS
I’ve got 7/10. Articles are difficult theme for me.
They’re difficult for most people. Keep working at it Bitaly :)
Thank you for the lesson and for the quiz! 8 out of 10 )) I made a mistake in the eighth question. I agree that the first sentence is correct, but I think the second one should be started without articles because in this case “foot” is an abstract thing like an idea. Could you explain what’s wrong please…
Hi Rybko,
We are discussing a specific (definite ) “part of the body”, so need to have a definite article (the foot). In other words, which part? the foot.
Does this help?
amazing and perfect result thanks to the teacher and a little luck.
Hi Adam, in the third quiz question we cannot use the with “societies” despite the fact that it is qualified with qualifying relative pronoun “that. ” I mean if we use the, it is considered as wrong answer. However, in your video on articles 5:32, you said that we have to use the with “societies” because this word is qualified with the qualifying relative pronoun “that.” Could you please explain the difference? I don’t get it!
Hi Sam,
We are not specifying which societies, meaning that all societies that do this are more likely to….
The understood idea of ‘all’ in this case replaces the need for the definite article.
Does this make sense?
Hello….I’d like to brush my speaking up. Is there anyone else who is interested in speaking to me on a regular basis?
My whatsapp number is +8801812788727.
Thank you.
Rasho.
I’ve got 8 out of 10 so as I’m not satisfied with my result???
8 is pretty good Kate. Keep working at it and the 10 will come soon enough :)
Excellent! Love these kinds of exercises.Thank you
very much. Got 8 out of 10.
Nice lesson as usual, Adam.
Could you make a video about when to use “all” instead of “all of”, “some” instead of “some of”, “whole” instead of “whole of”, “none” instead “none of”, “each” instead of “each of” and so on…?
I think you’ve explained that use “of” if a object pronoun follows it in one of your vidoes. But I’ve seen people use “of” following a noun that isn’t an object pronouns. I assume there are some exceptions. Thank you.
Hi Danny360,
It’s not only about object pronouns. The preposition of needs an object, so that might be what you mean.
Some people like jazz. (general people)
Some of the people who took the survey said they like jazz. (a definite number of people).
I’ll make a video to make this more clear.
I got 7 out of 10. I understand the grammar this lesson taught us. Anyway, I’d like to ask a question. Is there a lesson that explains the usage of “in, at, on”. They are always confusing when I use them for time or place expressions. I always thank Adam for the best lessons each time.
Hi Insoo Yeo,
Put those prepositions in the search box on the site and you will see a few lessons about this.
The effort you make preparing your lessons is priceless.
Thanks a lot Adam ;)
PS: I do not agree on the answer to question number 3. According to your explanation, the noun is followed by the qualifier “that”, so it needs THE before.
Sir, in 1st question I have a doubt.In 1st question it say about only child then why not we use “the” ? Please explain, I want to clear my doubt.
We are not
Thank you Knopfler,
We are not specifying which societies, meaning that ALL societies that do this are more likely to….
The understood idea of ‘all’ in this case replaces the need for the definite article.
Does this make sense?
Absolutely! Now it´s clearer. Thanks for your reply Adam!!
I really think this thing about the “THE” thing is a great food to THE brain…
PS Adam thank a lot for THE “the”lesson.. I’ll do my BEST to use the ‘the’ correctly.
WOOW I have got 9/10, so I think now I understand much more than few minutes ago. thank you teacher
from Somalia
Thank you, Adam, for your clear explanations, however, i got 9/10 and do not understand the third sentence in the quiz. Could you explain why we use it without the definite article.!
I’ve got the same mistake as yours, and I don’t understand why Adam omit ”the”
Hi Lanssa,
Hi Lanssa,
We are not specifying which societies, meaning that ALL societies that do this are more likely to….
The understood idea of ‘all’ in this case replaces the need for the definite article.
Does this make sense?
7. It would be very difficult for anyone to complain that they have __________ happiness in life.
too good
too
not enough
too much
too many
Hi teacher Adam. I really appreciate you, you are a good teacher
in the question above, I’ve choice not enough, but its correct answer was too much ..
I really don’t understand how come complain on too much happiness
Hi Fahd,
‘very difficult to complain’ basically means can’t complain. So not enough you can complain about. Too much can’t complain.
Does this help?
Hi!! Thanks for the explanation! Just a question in question number 3 from the test I got it wrong. I thought it was talking about an specific society (the one that thrive during difficult economic times…) but then I got why I had it wrong.
Tricky one heheheh
Hi Tookah,,
Actually, it’s all societies that thrive… ;)
Hi Adam, I’ve got 9/10, the only mistake that I had was in the third sentence, why can’t we definte it? knowing there is an an identifying adjective clause !
Everybody make mistakes even an excellent teacher as Adam. This comment is for question number 3. Great video.
Thanks for the lesson! This notorious “the” :D
“societies that thrive during difficult economic times” – why no “the” required before “society”? I got it as a mistake, although I thought that “that thrive …” is a qualification.
Good afternoon Adam! My name is Severino Ramos, I am frm Brazil. Your English classes are interesting. I like them so much. Thank you very much. Goodbye.
Thanks for the great lesson and quiz. I’ve got 9/10. Somehow answer 3 turned out incorrect although I think we should say “The societies that thrive…” because these societies are defined by the next words.
I love you class but i need to improve my listening. Thank you Adam. you are THE best.
Thanks for the lesson,I have do better next time.
Adam, thank you so much for this excellent lesson. In some idioms, article “the” is used before the names, while in others it does not. Is there any trick to using or not using “the” in idioms? I would be very happy if you explain.
Hi HD,
Can you give me an example?
I got 6 out of 10…..thanks for the lesson
Thank you! :)
Teacher thanks for your tips, you are EXCELLENT teacher.
hey I do not understand number 3 isn’t the specific how come we can’t use (the)
Hi ADAM. On the 3th question why can’t we use “the”?Aren’t societies that thrive during difficult economic times qualified references? It seems specific.Thank you for teaching.
Perfect, as usual.
Hello,Adam!Thank you for the lesson. The same problem with the 3rd question. Could you,please, explain why there is no article needed
Excellent. Just one point: orcas are not whales, they are dolphins.
Hi mr Adam
Moderator, I’m not certain about what I’ve written in my comment. Could you take off it so that I can try again?
Thanks in advance
Sure, I’ll delete it!
Hi Adam, thanks for sharing the great video. The is one of the most difficult parts to learn English. Although there exist some comments, I also wonder why Quseinton #3 doesn’t need “The”. It looks like the word “societies” is specified by the following phrase. Looking forward to your feedback:) Many thanks!
I got 9/10, thanks so much Adam, it was a very helpful lesson.
I had been thinking about that 3d question for a while, so I’ve rewatched the moment with ‘technology’ and ‘the technology’. I am not sure, but I guess the trick lies into comparing the content of the sentence with the present state of events. I will explain. Adam compared nowadays technology with the future technology. Obviously, they will be very different.Therefore, he put the definite article. However, if we compare nowadays societies and the ‘societies that thrive during difficult economic times’ those two terms are not that different, since many societies currently do thrive during difficult economic times. I don’t know whether it makes any sense, but it is the only logical explanation I could find.
Thank you Adam. I have learned a lot about abstract nouns and about the usage of ‘the’ before it.
Yeah, I also have a question about the 3rd task.
That’s shown how bad my grammar skill. I need help. Thank for me to sign up for free.
Teacher thanks for your class, you helped me a lot because I had some doubts about it.
If ‘The lion’ happens to represent a collective noun there, would we not put ‘are’ instead of ‘is’?
Hi John,
It’s still a singular subject, so it has to agree with the singular verb.
Thank you so much, Mr Adam
i’ve got 9
It was an amazing quiz, but I am not satisfied with my result
Not clear yet but I got 7/10. I’ve got to read and find samples according to Adam’s definition.
I’ve got 3/10. I am not satisfied with my result
Articles are difficult theme for me.
6/10 ((( articles are complecated
Hi Everybody. It seems question 3 was a bit tricky:
We are not specifying which societies, meaning that ALL societies that do this are more likely to….
The understood idea of ‘all’ in this case replaces the need for the definite article.
I’ll make sure to make this more clear in another video.
I have got 7 of 1o :) Thank you for lesson.
I have got 9 of 10
I haven’t watched a video so only 4/10
After watching the video it got little bit better: 7/10. Thank you for the lesson
I have some sentences about ‘the’ :
People can do anything they want
the red apple was eating by my mom
Hi Adam. Got 8 out of 10. I would like to ask you a question: If “society” is an abstract noun, then why pluralize it (societies)? Thank you in advance.
Good question Jhermarkemir,
Keep in mind that society can also refer to a specific culture and/or community.
Europeans consider themselves different from Americans or Africans. Thus there is a European society, an American society, etc.
Does this help?
indefinite article may be one of the hardest parts of English grammar.
Sometimes the Standard of ‘general’ and ‘specifc’can be very ambiguous, especially when you are not sure whether certain noun is specified in the context above.
And there is no similar rules in other languages!
I think using ‘general and specific’ to explain the two sentences isn’t appropriate .
1.Modern technology is changing society.
‘Modern technology’ can be seen as specific, because it’s neither ‘past technology’, nor ‘future technology’, so as the rule said we should use ‘the’ in front of the ‘Modern technology’
2.The technology of the future will change the societies that embrace it.
I think ‘The technology of the future’ and ‘future technology’ are the same thing.(correct me if I’m wrong） So why the former use ‘the’ and the latter doesn’t? This can’t be explained by general and specific. And I think it’s more about habits.
we tend to use ‘the XXX of…’ or ‘the xxx that …’
Hi elevation,
Some qualifiers do the work of the article.
Modern identifies which technology, so we don’t need the extra identifier (the).
The modern technology used in the medical field is different than that used in aerospace industries.
In this case there two different types of modern tech, so modern is not enough and we need the extra identifier.
Does this make sense?
thanks a lot
Thank you. I need to learn more.
Hello , why shouldn’t use THE in 3rd question .
7/10 It was rather a difficult lesson.
That is an informative lesson … Thank you Mr.Adam
Hi sir i got 9 out of ten sir
but still want to improve my englilsh bettre
I finished ESL level 6, I also got the Hiset test but I have never learned this before. So I only got 4/10 :(. But anyway, I like your video so much :).
Thanks for the great lesson!
thanks a lot Mr. Adam
I’ve got a question. I’m quite used to the idea of saying “the lion” when you’re speaking generally. However, some textbooks (Understanding and using English grammar by Azar and Hagen comes to mind) say that when you’re speaking generally you can either use the zero article with plural nouns or the article a/an when you use a singular noun.
The examples they use are:
Bananas are yellow.
A banana is yellow.
Here are some examples from other textbooks:
Children like to play.
A child likes to play.
Dogs are loyal.
A dog is a loyal animal.
How do I reconcile these examples?
Lions are dangerous.
The lion is a dangerous animal.
A lion is a dangerous animal
…
Nevermind. As I was flipping through Azar’s book I found this:
The is sometimes used with a singular generic count noun. “Generic the” is commonly used with: *species of animals; *inventions; *musical instruments
Examples:
The blue whale is the largest mammal on earth.
Who invented the wheel? The telephone? The airplaine?
I’d like to learn to play the piano. Do you play the guitar?
Maybe you can include this in your next vid about articles.
Thank you for the video, it was immensely helpful!
9 out of 10! Thank you Adam!
Sorry?I don’t really understand why the third Question need to use “the”.
The lesson had mentioned that if use “that”after the word ,then the word will become specific?
7\10
Thank you very much about that lessom !
It can certainly be confusing
I got full score! ? :D
Thanks a lot,Mr.Adam
Happy New Year!
Greetings from Kazakhstan 27 Dec2o21
Hello, I got 8/10, the mistakes are questions number 3 and 9. I understood the 3rd one, but 9, what is the difference between those two sentences? like the first one being general and the second one being about one person?
thanks in advance, and Happy new year!
I get 6/10 is it Okey?
I must do this quiz again.
Thanks, Adam.
I feel embarrassed about my score.
I’ve got 8\10.
8/10…There should be “The” in nr3 !!adjective clause!!
Hi Mr. Adam! I’m Rocky Xuan Tran from Windsor, Ontario in Canada and new to engVid! I’ve got 1/10… So Mr. Adam, could you please explain to me why there’s NO “the” in these “the whale, the dog, the modern, love, happiness, lions and more”? Thank you for an advance!
Thank you so much. I got 9/10
I got 8 of 10
7/10! Not bad! But I was confused by this lesson also. I need to watch the video one more time!
thank you @Adam, it was very useful video. I am slowly learning it.
I think I get it, although 7/10, now I know where I made a mistake, excellent lesson, and test as well. Of course, it needs more practice
10/10 I AM SO PROUD OF MYSELF,THANKS ALOT SIR.
I have a question, there is the sentence in my homework: “Although we might hate … business of … sport, we don’t mind individual sportspeople earning more than 200,000$ a week”
before I watched this video, I used no article for the first gap and THE article for the second one, but now as I understood it should be vice versa: The business of sport. Is it correct?
Thank you Adam for the class. It was really helpful.
Thank you
8/10 (thank you teacher)
Adam, thank you so much!
8/10
One point:
3. “__ societies that thrive during difficult economic times..” – we can see “that” here and you mentioned in your episode that we need to use “the” in this case – specific type of society. Am I wrong?
Thanks a lot! :)
Thank you, Adam.
Hi. Thanks for the YouTube video. I got 6/10, which means it’s not good.
My problem was/is? with the questions number 1,4,7, and 8. I know the word humanity is abstract because of its “ity” ( suffixes) but we’re only talking about “climate change” isn’t specific subject? And the question number 9, at the end of both sentences we can see “the human body ” I don’t know why we’ve used “the” before human here. I’ll be appreciated if you help me out.
modern tecnology since there are other kinds of tecnology is not qualified?
Thank you. I got 6 of 10.
3. _______ societies that thrive during difficult economic times are more likely to have a high-quality education system.
The
— (nothing needed)
general reference
Is it correct?
8/10 thx