Using "THE" Before Name Of A Person?

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Using "THE" Before Name Of A Person?

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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.

Jul 04 2011 08:54:31

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thanks a lot Mister Micawber. [Y]

Jul 04 2011 12:42:08

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.

Sep 20 2012 17:50:39

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.

Sep 20 2012 22:16:08

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This is not accurate. You can use “the” before a person’s name in English. Adding “the" when making entirely sure that they're speaking about the right person, rather than somebody else who shares their name. Example: "You met THE Tom Cruise?" Once it's determined that the speakers are thinking of the same person, "the" is dropped thereafter.

Oct 21 2022 22:59:10

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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.
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.
This is not accurate. You can use “the” before a person’s name in English. Adding “the" when making entirely sure that they're speaking about the right person, rather than somebody else who shares their name. Example: "You met THE Tom Cruise?" Once it's determined that the speakers are thinking of the same person, "the" is dropped thereafter.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer · 2011-07-04T8:59

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.

Using "THE" Before Name Of A Person?

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