Englishfor English speakers
the
Determiner
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Used, instead of a, to reference something specific, already known to exist.
Compare "I read a book." and "I read the book."
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Used with a stress, to show that the word following is special.
Are you the John Smith that I went to school with?
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Used with an adjective that acts like a noun to mean all of the people concerned
The poor are always with us.
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Used with superlatives forms of adjectives and adverbs.
You are the best.
American
Noun
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A person from the United States of America.
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A person from North America or South America.
American
Adjective
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From the United States.
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From North or South America.
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In a style typical of the United States.
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In a style typical of the Americas (North and South America).
president
Noun
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A president is the person in charge of a country.
The president stopped the war.
The president signed the bill into law.
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A president is the leader of a business.
The president of the company stepped down yesterday.