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The vs Topic - What's the difference?

the | topic |

As an article the

is Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already completely specified.

As an adverb the

is with a comparative or more and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives.

As an adjective topic is

topical.

As a noun topic is

subject; theme; a category or general area of interest.

the

English

Alternative forms

* e (archaic): variant spelling of the . * (archaic) * da, teh, le (informal) * t' (Northern England)

Etymology 1

From (etyl), from (etyl) .

Article

(head)
  • I’m reading the''' book.'' (Compare ''I’m reading '''a book. )
    The''' street in front of your house.'' (Compare '''''A street in Paris. )
    The''' men and women watched '''the''' man give '''the''' birdseed to '''the bird.
  • Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.
  • No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
    God save the Queen!
  • That apple pie was the best.
  • * 1994 , Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom , Abacus 2010, page 536:
  • Stern and God-fearing, the Afrikaner takes his religion seriously.
  • Feed the''' hungry, clothe '''the''' naked, comfort '''the''' afflicted, and afflict '''the comfortable.
  • Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is most usually of concern, or most common or familiar.
  • No one in the whole country had seen it before.
    I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.
  • A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)
  • That is'' the ''hospital to go to for heart surgery.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012
  • , date=May 27 , author=Nathan Rabin , title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992) , work=The Onion AV Club , url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/new-kid-on-the-block,75341/ , page= , passage=“New Kid On The Block” doubles as a terrific showcase for the Sea Captain who, in the grand tradition of Simpsons supporting characters, quickly goes from being a stereotype to an archetype, from being a crusty sea-captain character to the crusty sea-captain character.}}
    Usage notes
    The word the precedes proper nouns in a number of cases, although most proper nouns use no article. There are always exceptions. See also for more information. ; Countries ** As a general rule, country names are not preceded by the . There are a few exceptions, most of which are pluralised: * The Netherlands * The Bahamas * The Solomon Islands * The Maldives * The Seychelles * The Philippines * The Yemen (can also be used without an article) * The Sudan (can also be used without an article) * The Ukraine (article dropped since 1991) * The Lebanon (usually used without the article) ** Names of countries containing specifications like kingdom', '''republic etc are used with ''the : * The United States * The United Kingdom * The United Arab Emirates * The Czech Republic ; Place names ** Some place names use a definite article * All oceans (The Atlantic Ocean, The Pacific Ocean) * All seas (The Red Sea, The Bering Sea, The Caribbean Sea), and straits (The Strait of Magellan, the Bering Strait, The Bosphorus) * All rivers (The Amazon, The Nile, The Mississippi, The Seine, The Yangtze), canals (The Panama Canal, The Suez Canal) and deltas (The Nile Delta, The Orinoco Delta, The Colorado River Delta) * All art galleries (The Tate, The Louvre, The Smithsonian American Art Museum), all museums with the word museum in the name (The National Museum of Natural History, The British Museums) * Most English-language newspapers (The New York Times, The Guardian, The Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal) ; Bands ** Musical bands with a plural name are generally used with the : * The Beatles * The Rolling Stones ; Universities ** University names beginning with the word "University", and some other university names, are used with the : * The University of North Carolina * The Ohio State University * When used before an adjective which is not followed by a noun, it may refer to a group of people for which the adjective is appropriate: ** the Scottish = Scots ** the rich = rich people (considered as a group)
    Derived terms
    * nevertheless * nonetheless * the heck * the hell * the man * the one

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl), from (etyl) .

    Adverb

    (-)
  • With a comparative or more and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives.
  • The''' hotter, '''the better.
    The''' more I think about it, '''the weaker it looks.
    The''' more money donated, '''the''' more books purchased, and '''the more happy children.
    It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it.
  • It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
    It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it.
    I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.

    See also

    * a * an * (slang) da * (slang) de * t’ * that * this *

    Statistics

    *

    topic

    English

    (wikipedia topic)

    Alternative forms

    * topick (obsolete)

    Adjective

  • (l)
  • Noun

    (en noun)
  • Subject; theme; a category or general area of interest.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-03, volume=408, issue=8847, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= The machine of a new soul , passage=The yawning gap in neuroscientists’ understanding of their topic is in the intermediate scale of the brain’s anatomy. Science has a passable knowledge of how individual nerve cells, known as neurons, work. It also knows which visible lobes and ganglia of the brain do what. But how the neurons are organised in these lobes and ganglia remains obscure. Yet this is the level of organisation that does the actual thinking—and is, presumably, the seat of consciousness.}}
  • (Internet) Discussion thread.
  • (obsolete) An argument or reason.
  • * Bishop Wilkins
  • contumacious persons, who are not to be fixed by any principles, whom no topics can work upon
  • (obsolete, medicine) An external local application or remedy, such as a plaster, a blister, etc.
  • (Wiseman)

    Synonyms

    * subject

    Derived terms

    * topical * subtopic * off-topic * topic map

    Anagrams

    * * *