Ordinals with 'The' — The First, The Last, The Next — English Grammar Exercises
She's a student at art school. The rich. The French. The 1950s. Seven special rules, one focused practice set.
Ordinal Numbers and the Definite Article
Ordinal numbers — first, second, third, fourth — and related sequencing words such as last, next, only, previous, following always take the definite article the when used attributively. The semantic reason is clear: an ordinal identifies a unique position within a sequence, making the noun it modifies inherently specific and identifiable. 'The first person to finish' picks out one specific individual from the set; 'the last day of the holiday' refers to one specific day. Because the noun is by definition identifiable, the is the only possible article choice.
Ordinal Numbers
Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon.
This is the third time I've called you today.
She was the second person to finish the exam.
Sequencing Words
Words that position a noun in a sequence behave identically:
I'll take the next available seat.
She was the only student to pass.
He caught the following train instead.
Ordinals in Names and Titles
Ordinals in proper names and titles also use 'the', though in speech the article sometimes contracts with the name:
Henry the Eighth
the Second World War
Common Mistakes
✗ It was a last day of the holiday. → ✓ It was the last day of the holiday.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we say 'the rich' and 'the French' without a noun?
'The + adjective' is a grammatical structure that refers to the entire group of people described by that adjective. 'The rich' = rich people in general; 'the French' = French people. The verb that follows is always plural: 'The rich are getting richer', not 'The rich is getting richer'. This pattern works with qualities (the young, the elderly, the poor, the homeless), states (the injured, the unemployed, the disabled), and nationality adjectives (the British, the Spanish, the Japanese).
Why do we use 'the' with musical instruments — 'play the piano' — but not with sports?
English uses 'the' with musical instruments when referring to playing them as an activity: play the guitar, play the violin, learn the flute. The convention treats the instrument as a generic representative of its type rather than a specific object. Sports and games use zero article: play tennis, play chess, go swimming. The two rules are parallel opposites and must be memorised separately.
What is the difference between 'go to school' and 'go to the school'?
Institutional nouns — school, hospital, prison, church, university, bed — drop the article when used for their primary purpose. 'Go to school' means attending as a student; 'go to the school' means visiting the physical building for any other reason (as a parent, a plumber, a visitor). The same distinction applies throughout: 'in hospital' (as a patient) vs 'at the hospital' (visiting someone), 'in prison' (as a prisoner) vs 'visiting the prison'.
Why do decades and ordinal numbers always use 'the'?
Both decades and ordinals identify a unique or specific position, which triggers the definite article. 'The 1960s' refers to one specific ten-year period within history — it is not one of many possible 1960s. Similarly, 'the first', 'the second', and 'the last' point to a unique position in a sequence. You cannot say 'a first time I did this' when referring to the specific incident — it must be 'the first time'.