Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[syoshioka99]

Could you tell me the difference between "space" and "the universe"?

I think both mean the same thing, but I am not sure why "space" is used without "the" and "the universe" with "the".

Example

The United States launced a spaceship into space.

The universe is so big that we can never hope to understand it completely.

s y

[asterix]

I would say that space is the near vacuum that extends between all the planets and stars and all the other celestial bodies.
Space is the area in which the universe exists.
Actually the universe, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is all the existing matter and space considered as a whole: the cosmos.

[syoshioka99]

I do understand the difference between space and the universe, but I do not understand why "the" is used in front of "universe" as in the universe, but not used in front of "space"???

S

[Lorikeet]

"The" is used with "universe" because there is one universe, and everyone knows what you are referring to. In the same way, we speak about "the sun" because we have one sun, and we all know what we are referring to. If you lived on a planet with two suns, you wouldn't be able to use "the". If you were to say something with "the space" it would mean a certain space. For example: I had a little room in my suitcase, but I couldn't fit my shoes into the space.