Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Shinae]

Hi,

I have been grappling with this "the" thing and need your help.

Why do we need or why can we do without the "thes" here?

1. Give the assignment to others.
2. Give the assignment to the others.
3. Give the assignment to others in the classroom.
4. Give the assignment to the others in the classroom.

Thank you in advance

[ebb]

"The" is the defintive article in English. You use it to identify, in general, a particular object (the bed in which Washington slept before crossing the Delaware River to ambush the enemy).

The usage becomes a bit trickier when the object of "the" is plural (the seven hills of Rome, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, the rules of grammar). But the principle is the same.

Omitting the "the" effectively changes the meaning to refer to "some" others, not a particular defined set of "others."

Thus: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is correct .. there is no particular set of "others" that the speaker has in mind.

"Share your candy with the others" assumes that the "others" are known and identifiable. Mom might say this at the child's birthday party, to enjoin little Timmy to share with his guests. "Share your candy with others" is a general direction to the child: share your candy with other people -- be nice.

The meanings vary in your sentences, and thus any one might be correct, depending on your intent.
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