In England, I had a professor ask why I’d used the word “the” as opposed to “an” for an article for the object “hot chocolate”. Are you emphasizing a particular hot chocolate? Is there something special about this hot chocolate? I just kind of stared at her. I hadn’t even realized what article I’d used. I hadn’t even thought through why I’d used that article. Yet, there she was asking me so intensely about my short story that she questioned the word “the”. I felt honored and inadequate.
Maybe this is initially a British thing, but ever since then I have been acutely aware of how the word “the” affects a noun. It is an emphasizing article. It sets apart subsequent words as individual objects or objectives. It is so easy to forget this when writing, especially when you are writing extensive pieces. But “the” stands out.
So what other common words/things are used as an emphasizer that we are overlooking? What is your “the” in life?