Another question about the use of "the".

Question

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away"Why is "the" used? Aren't we talking about any doctor, not a specific doctor?

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Idiomatically we say "the doctor." I have to go to the doctor. I have an appointment with the doctor. You should go to the doctor about that.

Yoong Liat · Answer

Grammar GeekIdiomatically we say "the doctor." I have to go to the doctor. I have an appointment with the doctor. You should go to the doctor about that.

Hi Barbara

I'm going to see a doctor.

I'm going to see the doctor.

I believe both the sentences are correct with different meanings. Am I correct?

Many thanks.

CalifJim · Answer

the is used with anything that is customary in one's life. In that case the simply indicates the one usually associated with the relevant person.

the doctor, the post office, the bus, the store, the office, the dentist, the kitchen

We're having the kitchen painted. (our kitchen)
My car broke down. I'll have to take the bus. (that bus in this city which can take me to work)
I have an appointment with the dentist next Tuesday. (my dentist)
Can you drop this off at the post office for me? (the customary post office for this geographical area)
Dang! You left the documents at the office. (that office where you work)

CJ

Yoong Liat · Answer

Hi CJ

I am going to see a dentist next Tuesday implies seeing a dentist who is not my regular dentist.

I am going to see the dentist next Tuesday means I'm going to see my regular dentist.

Am I correct?

Many thanks.

Pur · Answer

We use "the" coz here doctor is used in general sense.

We use the when something is referred in general. e.g "The dog is a faithful animal." Here the the the dog means whole class of dogs.

Again if we used a or an in doctor it will become singular. So we used "the" for referring the class of doctor in general sense.

Am I right.

Hoa Thai · Answer

Yoong LiatI'm going to see a doctor.

I'm going to see the doctor.

I believe both the sentences are correct with different meanings. Am I correct?

Hi Yoong Liat,

I have seen Western movies showing small communities with one type of services (one doctor, one church, one post-office, etc...). Thus, the would be the right article to use as everyone knew who / what one were talking about. Perhaps, constant use becomes idiomatic. As these communities became larger, there were more of similar services, but people do expect the listeners to telepathically share the definitive nature of the (e.g., when a wife told her husband to seek help from the doctor, they have a similar image in mind).

Today, if we use a in the place of the, I think people would accept its non-specificity. Therefore, both sentences are okay for different implications. Am I sharing what you are thinking?

Best wishes,
Hoa Thai

Yoong Liat · Answer

Hi Hoa Thai

I think what you said is not exactly what I perceive.

In my country, there are many doctors. There are about eight doctors near my house, within walking distance. So, I've a choice of doctors. I can see any one of the doctors because I'm seldom sick, so I don't stick to one doctor. Hence, I'll say, "I'll see a doctor" since I don't see any one of the doctors regularly.

However, if my neighbour often sees a particular doctor because he's often sick and he finds him good, he'll see this doctor all the time whenever he's sick. So, he, IMO, will have to say "I'm going to see the doctor."

Regards

Neeraj Jain · Answer

I believe that in the sentence below:

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away"

We are referring to a specific doctor, family doctor I guess.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Actually, it doesn't seem like any of you read what CJ and I wrote.

CalifJim · Answer

Hi CJ
I am going to see a dentist next Tuesday implies seeing a dentist who is not my regular dentist.

I am going to see the dentist next Tuesday means I'm going to see my regular dentist.

Am I correct?

That's how I would interpret those sentences, yes. Of course, once you've selected a dentist that you want to continue to see, you don't say the first sentence anymore! In fact, in the minds of some people, knowing that you have a dental appointment next Tuesday already implies that you've chosen your dentist, so for people who reason that way, the second sentence is still the preferred sentence, even if the dentist isn't really completely "your regular dentist" -- yet!

What's an even more idiomatic use of a dentist is this one:

My tooth is killing me. I'm going to have to see a dentist. (Said by someone who doesn't have a regular dentist and who has not yet made an appointment with any dentist.)

And here again, just to show you how stubbornly some of these idioms stick in the minds of native speakers, some speakers (I'm not one of them) in the very same situation (no regular dentist and no appointment) would still say:

My tooth is killing me. I'm going to have to see the dentist.

In the last case there is no one in the universe who qualifies as the dentist, and yet that expression is used! Perhaps the speaker is referring to the dentist still to be chosen?

CJ

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