Using "THE" before name of a person

Question

As per my understanding we could use THE keyword before the names of great personalities like abraham lincoln, alexander, etc. Now-s-days, I here quite a few persons saying... I met the John; As per my conversation with the Jamie, etc. Just wondering, is this right to use THE keyword before names ?

thanks in advance.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Hello, mudabbir - and welcome to English Forums.

No - somehow you have understood the rule completely backward. We do NOT put 'the' before proper names. Anyone you find saying 'I met the Jamie' is not a native speaker.

Mudabbir · Answer

thanks a lot Mister Micawber.  [Y]

Anonymous · Answer

I've recently read a short review of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, where the following sentence is employed: "Dickens' atmospheric novella follows THE miserly, penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge who views Christmas as 'humbug'."

How would you explain the usage of 'the' in this sentence? Correct me if I'm wrong, but to me it's quite obvious that here the word 'the' determines the proper name, Ebenezer Scrooge.

Mister Micawber · Answer

It is describing the 'type/kind' of Scrooge—a miserly, penny-pinching one. This is a kind of 'reclassification' that also happens with uncountable nouns ('the radiant beauty of Rome'). You will not see it happen with an unmodified proper noun— (X) 'the Ebenezer Scrooge'—except in the case of two people with the same name:

Sec: Ebenezer Scrooge is here to see you, sir.
Boss: What? The fictional Dickens character?!
Sec: No, sir, the Ebenezer Scrooge who is his unfortunate namesake. One of our regional salesmen.

These are legitimate but limited uses of the article with proper names.

Using "THE" before name of a person

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