定冠詞的用法:

    (1)在單數的普通名詞前加the表該名詞之全體總稱。

      i. The cow is a useful animal. (牛是有用的動物。)

        (= A cow is a useful animal.)

        (= Cows are useful animals.)

      ii. This book will prove of great value to the Chinese student.

        (= This book will prove of great value to a Chinese student. )

        (這本書對中國學生確實是有益處的。)

      例外:man, woman 代表全體時不加冠詞。

            Man for the field; woman for the hearth.  (男主外,女主內。)

    (2)前面以提到的名詞,再度提到時前面加the

      i. I want a boy and a maid. The boy must be able to speak English.

       (我需要一個下男和一個下女。該男孩必須會講英文。)

      ii. There was once a man. The man had a hen. The hen gave him a gold egg every day.

        (從前有個人。這個人有隻母雞。這母雞每天為他生個金蛋。)

    (3)由於上下文的關係,某名詞所指的東西以非常明顯或已有了一定的範圍時,該名詞前面應加the

      i. Please hand me the key on the desk. (請把桌上的鑰匙遞給我。)

      ii. I don’t want to talk to the man who insulted me in public.

        (我不要同公開污辱我的人講話。)

    (4)the用在單數普通名詞、複數普通名詞、物質名詞、抽象名詞之前有限定的 (特定的) 作用

      i. She is the teacher whom I mentioned to you yesterday. 

(她就是我昨天跟你提起的那位老師。)

      ii. Most of the books on the shelf are novels.

(架子上大部分的書是小說。)

      iii. The water in the well is not good to drink.

        (那井裡的水不能喝。)

      iiii. The honesty of my servant is beyond doubt.

         (我傭人的誠實不容置疑。)

      註:物質名詞若不加限制時不用加the

         Tea is better than coffee. (茶比咖啡好。)

         The tea produced in Taiwan is well-known all over the world.

         (台灣產的茶全世界有名。)

    (5)the用在某些單數普通名詞之前以表抽象概念

      i, The pen is mightier that the sword. (筆伐勝過劍誅。)

      ii. Pan Chao gave up the pen for the sword. (班超投筆從戎。)

      iii. What is learned in the cradle is carried to the grave. (幼年所學終生不忘。)

    (6)用在專有名詞之前有下面幾種情況:

      A. 用在人名或地名之前指和那人或該地相似的人或地指某時的某人或某地。

        i. He is the Edison of today. (他是當代的愛迪生。)

        ii. Taipei is the New York of Taiwan. (台北是臺灣的紐約。)

        iii. When he came back, he was not the Tom we had known ten years before.

          (當他回來時,他不再是我們十年前所認識的那個湯姆了。)

        iiii. He found Shanghai was not the Shanghai he had then known.

          (他發現上海不再是他當年所曉得的那樣的上海了。)

      B. 用在姓氏的複數前指其全家人。

        i. The Chen will move to the country. (陳家人要搬到鄉下去。)

        ii. My father forbade me to play with the Wangs.

(我父親禁止我同王家的小孩玩。)

      C. 用於全體國民前:the Chinese (中國人民)the American (美國人民)

        i. The Chinese are a peace-loving people. (中國人是愛好和平的民族。)

      D. 其他雜項:

        a. 用在海洋、河流、港灣名詞前

          the Pacific Ocean   太平洋

          the Gulf of Mexico  墨西哥灣 

          the Red Sea        紅海

        b. 山脈、群島、半島

          the Scandinavian Peninsula  斯堪的那維亞半島

          the Himalayas            喜馬拉雅山脈

          the Philippines            菲律賓群島

    孤島與獨山不是複數形的專有名詞,前面就不用冠詞

Mt. Ali        阿里山

Taiwan (Island) 台灣島

        c. 經典、書籍、報章、雜誌等

          the Central Daily News 中央日報

          the Holy Bible        聖經

          the Koran            可蘭經

        d. 朝代及說明政治體制的國家名稱

          the Chin Dynasty           清朝

          the United States of American 美利堅合眾國

        e. 公共建築、機關、劇院、公路、鐵路、航線等名稱

          the Ministry of Education 教育部

          the Empire Stare Building 帝國大廈

          the Grand Hotel         圓山飯店

          the Taipei Theater       台北戲院

          the Central Highway     中央公路

    (7)用在宇宙間獨一無二的體體名詞之前

      the Sky   天空       the North Pole 北極      the equator  赤道

      the moon  月亮       the sun       太陽      the universe 宇宙

      the earth   地球       the world     世界

    (8)用在方向,方位等名詞前

      the east                 the past     過去            

      the south               the future    將來             

      the right                the west     西            

    (9)表示單位的名詞前要加the

      i. Meat is sold by the catty.        肉是論斤賣的。

      ii. Gasoline is sold by the gallon.    汽油是論加侖賣。

      iii. I have hired the cay by the hour.  我已按小時租車。

    (10)樂器的名稱前要加the

       She plays the piano (the violin, the flute). [她彈鋼琴(拉提琴、吹笛)]

    (11)語言名詞之後有language 時,要有the

       Your knowledge of the English language is insufficient. (你的英文知識不夠。)

    (12) the 形容詞 = 人的集合名詞

                        人的單數名詞

                        抽象名詞

       i. Only the brave deserves the fair. (唯有勇者才配得到佳人。)

       ii. The learned are apt to despise the ignorant.

         (有學識的人往往青是無知的人。)

    (13)在最高級的形容詞或序數前面要加the,或其他限制語

       i. This is the most delicious cake I had ever eaten.

(這是我所吃過最好吃的蛋糕。)

       ii. Taiwan is the best place to live in.  (台灣是最好的居住地方。)

       iii. This may be my best work.  (這可能是我最佳的作品。)

     註:相當於最高形容詞的字,如firstlastsameonlyuniquemainchief等字之前也要加the

i.           Who was the first man to land on the moon? (誰是登陸月求的第一人?)

       ii. This may be the last chance. (這可能是最後的機會。)

       iii. He is the only man for the Job. (他是這個職位的最佳人選。)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  參考資料:

                      劉毅 (1997)。文法寶典。台北 : 學習。