Sekirov Dictionary

the

/ðiː/

article 16
adverb 3
preposition 1
pronoun 1
phrases 20

article16

The definite grammatical article that shows that the noun phrase that immediately follows it is definitely identifiable...
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showing that a person or thing has already been mentioned, used before a noun
- You live on Main Street, don't you? You know, you should tell the mayor the street needs cleaning.
- The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.
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showing that a noun means one particular person or thing, and that words following it say which one
- I’m reading the book Mary reviewed. (Compare I’m reading a book Mary reviewed.)
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Used before a noun designating something considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.
- No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
- God save the Queen!
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Used before a noun phrase beginning with superlative or comparative adjective or an ordinal number, indicating that the noun refers to a single item.
- That was the juiciest apple pie ever.
- May the better man win.
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Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive.
- That apple pie was the best.
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Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar.
- No one in the whole country had seen it before.
- I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.
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Used with the plural of a surname to indicate the entire family.
- The Bushes have held political office for several decades and the Kennedys longer.
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Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective.
- One doesn't choose the color of one's chess pieces; the white are assigned to the player who moves first.
Used before a demonym ending in -ish or -ese to refer to people of a given country collectively.
Used in many idiomatic expressions and proverbs to refer to common objects, roles, or situations connected with something definite, in the manner of an analogy.
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Used before a body part, a family member, a pet (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun.
- A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)
- (informal) How's the wife? (= "How is your wife?")
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Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class.
- The downy woodpecker can be found in the same environments as the hairy woodpecker.
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When stressed, indicates that it describes something which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention.
- That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery.
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When stressed, used before the name of a famous person, to distinguish said person from a hypothetical lesser-known person with the same name.
- "My name," he said, "is Hercule Poirot." "Not," the Commissary stammered, "not the Hercule Poirot?" — 1928
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(informal) Precedes a familiar nickname or other term of address.
- How's the Sal today?

adverb3

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With a comparative or with more and a verb phrase, establishes a correlation with one or more other such comparatives.
- The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.
- The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children.
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Beyond all others.
- We went the furthest under her leadership.
- They trusted him the most.
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With a comparative, and often with for it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated with none.
- It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
- It was a difficult time, and I’m {none - not any} the wiser for it.

preposition1

For each; per.

pronoun1

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Early Modern form of thee.
- Festus sayde with a lowde voyce: Paul / thou arte besides thy silfe. Moche learnynge hath made the mad. — 1526

Phrases with the

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