when to use the word "the"

[luvmyfam444]

actually not the word but the pronunciation of the word. the (short e) (rhymes with duh and the (long e) rhymes with me....

I was thinking I knew this - but my dd's kindergarten teacher has told her something else - so now I'm curious

 

[eduk8r26]

It just naturally comes out as a "long e" sound when used before words beginning with vowels. Otherwise, it has the "schwa" sound like in "duh" when used before consonants.

 

[Nie0214]

Isn't it when the start of the word sounds like a vowel? I've never really thought about it.

The ("uh"): The United States, the house, the one

The ("thee"): the hour, the apple

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

Huh. I've just used both aloud and realized that I always use "thuh", never really "thee," even when the word is followed immediately by a vowel or consonant. Things you never really think about...

 

[Nie0214]

Yeah, it's also a regional thing. I think technically, in British-English there are two pronunciations.

 

[HsvTeacher]

I agree that it is a regional thing. However, most people use "thee" when the following word begins with a vowel and "thuh" when the following word begins with a consonant.

Examples: "thee" egg, "thee" ostrich, "thuh" car, "thuh" blanket, etc.

 

[*Fantasia*]

I agree that it is a regional thing. However, most people use "thee" when the following word begins with a vowel and "thuh" when the following word begins with a consonant.

Examples: "thee" egg, "thee" ostrich, "thuh" car, "thuh" blanket, etc.

That sounds about right. I mean it would sound funny if you say it like this..
Thuh egg is in thee basket. Thee ball bounced out thee door. Thuh apple taste better than thee grape. Doesn't it sound wrong?

 

[raysnkaysmom]

Isn't it when the start of the word sounds like a vowel? I've never really thought about it.

The ("uh"): The United States, the house, the one

The ("thee"): the hour, the apple

Huh. I've just used both aloud and realized that I always use "thuh", never really "thee," even when the word is followed immediately by a vowel or consonant. Things you never really think about...

yeah...for me..... it's all THUH
lol

 

[luvmyfam444]

ok - that's exactly what I thought I remember learning - but it was in my 1st round of education classes over 10 years ago - so I wanted to double check myself....

THANKS!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

At the most formal level, it is thee for vowels and thuh for consonants and this is strictly enforced in choral singing (as are most rules of diction), for obvious reasons. I learned the rule very young. We were taught to remember it by saying "thee earth. Thuh world."

 

[Buckalew11]

the (vowel) and thuh (consonant) for me also.

 

[Northstar]

Another complication that might explain why the kindergarten teacher is asking for just one of the two pronunciations: when children learn to read, they have enough trouble working with the word they're decoding, and so they can't really be expected to glance at the next word to decide whether to pronounce "thee" or "thuh."

It's a real sign of emerging reading fluency when children start to read out loud "thee earth," because it means they've got some attention to spare for looking ahead and anticipating the vowel. They can't do it at first. One word, one pronunciation for beginning readers.