Write 'the' where necessary.

1. ______ horses are lovely animals.
2. ______ cheese is in the fridge.
3. "We usually go to ______ Spain for our summer holidays." "Really? We like to stay in England."
4. ______ water is very dirty. You can't swim here.
5. "Where are ______ children?" "They are playing in the garden."

In English, the use of the definite article 'the' depends on whether we are referring to something specific and familiar both to the speaker and the listener, or to a general case. Here's how 'the' can be applied in each sentence:

'Horses are lovely animals.'

In this sentence, 'the' is not needed because we are speaking about horses in general, not any specific group of horses.


'The cheese is in the fridge.'

'The' is needed before 'cheese' to refer specifically to a particular cheese that both the speaker and the listener are aware of. 'The fridge' assumes both parties know which fridge is being referred to.


"We usually go to Spain for our summer holidays."

'The' is not needed before 'Spain' because it is a proper noun, and we typically do not use 'the' with most country names.


'The water is very dirty. You can't swim here.'

'The' is needed before 'water' because it refers to a specific body of water that is known to both the speaker and the listener.


"Where are the children?" "They are playing in the garden."

'The' is needed before 'children' because it refers to a specific group of children that both the speaker and the listener know about.

Answered by RyanHarmon181 | 2025-07-22