A question about "the". Thanks.

Question

Dear all,I have one question about the article “the”. Could you help me with it,? Thank you very much.I know”the” should be put before beginning because it sounds correct. From the beginning of my career or since the beginning of the last year. But I don’t know how to explain it in terms of grammar rules.The expedition had problems from the beginning. Burke had no experience in the outback. The men who went with Burke fought and would not follow orders.Thanks again.

Dimsumexpress · Accepted Answer

I see "the" as being used correctly in all accounts.[Y]

CalifJim · Answer

adonis1013I know”the” should be put before beginning because it sounds correct. From the beginning of my career or since the beginning of the last year. But I don’t know how to explain it in terms of grammar rules.

the is used when the speaker conceives of the referent of the accompanying noun as identifiable from the information given. In the case of the beginning, it's almost always the beginning of something, whether that something is stated explicitly or not, so it's never a question of anyone's asking "Which beginning?" That information is always already known or assumed to be known.

You can, however, have a beginning, which is less specific, and has a meaning close to 'a little something to start with'.

I took a look at your sketches for your new novel. It's not much, but it's a beginning.

CJ

A question about "the". Thanks.

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