The river is a wonderful sight always.
The rivers are a wonderful sight always.
Rivers are a wonderful sight always.
"The" of "the river" shows the typical image of a river. But I don't understand "the rivers." What is this "the?"
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"By the rivers of Babylon ..." always struck me as odd, but it does mean a definite reference to a set of rivers. You may be thinking about the use of 'the' as a designator of a single item to stand for a whole species (eg 'The English gentleman is no longer seen sporting a bowler hat these days.' In this case, 'the' denotes 'English gentlemen, in general'.– Leon ConradCommented Mar 22, 2014 at 17:11
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Look up the usage of the definite article the in English. This is a fairly standard usage, even if it is a bit old fashioned.– David MCommented Mar 22, 2014 at 17:13
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2 Answers
"Rivers" means all rivers. "The rivers" means a particular group of rivers.
answered Mar 22, 2014 at 16:59
When you speak of "the river", the word "the" means that you presume the person you're speaking to understands which river you mean.
answered Nov 15, 2017 at 4:15
