English Experts

No ultimo post de gramática (THE – Usos III), nós aprendemos três regras básicas de como se utilizar o artigo THE. Hoje vamos aprender quando omiti-lo.

Regra 1 – quando falamos de forma geral sobre coisas, pessoas ou idéias abstratas. Example:

- Poverty is one of the scourges of the 21st Century
- The poverty I witnessed in the inner city slums was indescribable.

Regra 2 – quando estamos falando sobre paises, continentes, cidades, ruas, edifícios, lagos e montanhas. Example:

- ‘Genoa is in Northern Italy.’
- ‘Valencia is in Southern Spain.’
- ‘They are both in Europe.’

Regra 3 – quando falamos sobre transporte, comida, meses, estações do ano. Example:

- I’m going by car, but Andy’s going by train.
- Next Friday is the last day of term. In August the school is closed.’

Só para finalizar vamos revisar algumas situações que podem causar problemas. Veja a forma correta de utilizá-las:

Coisas únicas: the earth, the sun, the moon, but Earth;

Lugares: France, Central Park, San Francisco, Mount Vesuvius, McDonald’s, but the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Sahara, The Hague, the Statue of Liberty;

Oceanos, rios, mares e lagos: the Pacific, the Amazon, the Mediterranean, the Great Lakes, but Lake Superior;

Doenças e enfermidades: a cold, a headache, the flu, but pneumonia, cancer;

Destino: to go to the store, to go to the post office, to go to the bank, to go to school, to go to church, to go to bed, to go home;

Locais: at home, in bed, in school, in college;

Expressões de tempo: in the morning, in the evening, (but at night), all the time, most of the time (but sometimes, in time, on time);

The correct use of the articles (a/an and the) is one of the most difficult points in English grammar.

That’s all folks.

Hugs.

Fontes:
The definite article, ‘the’
Grammar Articles (PDF File)