the
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
How often you will meet it
Rank 1 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 12,552,547 times across 155,370 chapters — 5.967% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 100 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
determiner
- used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
the in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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The artist is the creator of beautiful things.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 1
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But the pain, whatever it was, was only momentary.
Christian's Mistake · Dinah Maria Mulock Craik · Chapter 1
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Author of "The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come," "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine," Etc.
The Heart of the Hills · John, Jr. Fox · Chapter 1
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The girl and her chaperon had been deposited early in the desirable second-story window in Durfee, looking down on the tree.
The Courage of the Commonplace · Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews · Chapter 1
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The love of mimetic representation, either as a participant or as a spectator, is an ineradicable instinct of childhood and adolescence.
The White Christmas and other Merry · Walter Ben Hare · Chapter 1