The – Earlier Mention
Referring to an already known noun
the puzzle piece
1) Known by Earlier Mention
| FIRST MENTION – A |
|---|
Use a when first mentioning a noun. |
This is a piece of
a puzzle. |
| SECOND MENTION – THE |
|---|
Use the when mentioning the noun again. |
The piece fits into the top of a
puzzle. |
The – Earlier Mention
By Another Name
2) Mentioned by Another Name (synonym)
| FIRST MENTION – A |
|---|
The first time a noun is mentioned, use a. |
This is a piece of a puzzle. |
| SECOND MENTION – THE |
|---|
The next time the noun is mentioned, even if by another name, use the. |
The part fits into the top of the
puzzle. |
The
Summary
Summary for Using The
| LINK | MEANS OF IDENTIFICATION | CONTEXTUAL EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
Page focus |
The noun is identified by: |
The is used as part of a larger context or understanding. |
|
1) by earlier, second mention |
This is a puzzle piece. The piece fits into a puzzle. |
|
2) by another name (synonym) |
This is a puzzle piece. The parts are rather small. (a piece = a part) |
3) as an expected part of a larger item |
This is a puzzle. The pieces are inside the box. |
|
4) by a phrase or clause after it |
The part on top is here. / The part that I am holding is a corner. |
|
5) by both knowing or seeing it |
Hand me the piece. (We both know / see which one.) |
|
6) by its uniqueness (It is the only one.) |
Hand me the last piece. |
this page
Practice 1
The – Second Mention
Read
An app called Jigsaw by M2H allows you to make a puzzle on your iPad or tablet. ___ app opens and shows a wooden tabletop. ___ tabletop is filled with puzzle pieces. You can arrange them to see their shapes. Then, you can drag a puzzle piece to its place. If __ piece fits correctly, it stays. You can preview ___ puzzle picture or discover ___ picture as you put the pieces together.
The puzzles have ___ easy level (24 pieces) and ___ complex level (96 pieces). You can choose ___ level of difficulty that you like. You can also add __ picture of your own. ___ picture will become a new puzzle that you can send to friends. This is __ great way to pass time and amuse yourself. You can buy __ app in the Apple App Store.
app (n.) – a small application for a smartphone, tablet, or other portable device on iOS or Android.
complex (adj.) – having many details (difficult)
fit (v.) – be the correct size or shape
level (n.) – the amount or degree of something, compared to another amount or degree (classes, skill levels, achievement, difficulty)
preview (v.) – view before doing something (starting the puzzle)
tabletop – desk top, the surface of the table
wooden (adj) – made of wood (from a tree)
Select and complete
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.