Question

Explain in your own words why the use of the definite article the is most appropriate in the following sentences. Do this exercise with a classmate.
1. We can have a games period because the maths teacher has not come today.
2. A sparrow flew into my room and sat on my desk. The little bird looked exhausted 3. I didn't like the restaurant, the music was so loud that it was difficult to talk.
4. My mother is angry because I accidentally broke the antique vase.
5. You cannot start on today's homework until you have completed the homework that was set yesterday.​

Answer 1

1. We can have a games period because the maths teacher has not come today. In this sentence the is used instead of a or an because ‘maths teacher’ is a particular person.
2. A sparrow flew into my room and sat on my desk. The little bird looked exhausted. The little bird refers to that particular sparrow that come into the speaker’s room and sat on his/her desk.
3. I didn’t like the restaurant, the music was so loud that it was difficult to talk. Here, the first the refers to the restaurant and the second the refers the music.
4. My mother is angry because I accidentally broke the antique vase. The antique vase is chooses because it refers to that particular vase that was broken.
5. You cannot start in today’s homework until you have completed the homework that was set yesterday. The here refers the homework.