'Nature' or 'The Nature'? Which One Is Correct? | Mastering Grammar

(Last Updated: 24 January 2025)

Nature or The Nature: Which One Is Correct?

In English, whether we use the definite article the before nature depends on the meaning of nature we wish to convey. When nature is used to refer to the natural world as a whole, encompassing all plants, animals, landscapes, and other features and phenomena that are not created by humans, we do not use the before it:

✅ Nature is full of beauty and wonder.
❌ The nature is full of beauty and wonder.

✅ I find peace when I am surrounded by nature.
❌ I find peace when I am surrounded by the nature.

✅ We must do everything we can to preserve nature.
❌ We must do everything we can to preserve the nature.

✅ We should take time to appreciate the beauties of nature.
❌ We should take time to appreciate the beauties of the nature.

✅ Nature provides us with all the resources we need to survive.
❌ The nature provides us with all the resources we need to survive.

In other contexts, the use of the before nature is possible. The nature is typically used when specifying the inherent qualities or the essence of an object, concept, or person, and it is often followed by the preposition of:

✅ The documentary explores the nature of happiness.

✅ Understanding the nature of electromagnetic forces requires advanced physics.

✅ We need to understand the nature of the problem before we can solve it.

✅ The changing nature of society has led to new family dynamics, with more emphasis on flexible work arrangements.

✅ It is the nature of humans to strive for betterment, constantly seeking ways to improve their lives and the world around them.

The entry for the noun nature (sense 1) in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Source: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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Examples from the Media

There will always be something alluring about the great outdoors. Maybe it's a primal urge. Maybe it's a reaction to this modern life. Whatever it is, travellers will always want to get outside and enjoy what nature has to offer, will always glory in the feeling of being amid forests, mountains, oceans and beaches. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2018)

Davies says: 'If you are a stressed office worker, and you spend five or ten minutes of your day walking in nature, slowing down, looking at things in detail and feeling that atmosphere of being out in the woodlands – it brings your heart rate down.' —Daily Mail (2019)

Youth who had spent time in nature at younger ages were 20 per cent more likely to do it in their free time as teens. Most kids with experience in outdoor programs had done them through schools or on field trips. —Toronto Star (2012)

As nonbinary teenagers push for driver's licenses that reflect their identity, a fraught debate over the nature of gender has arrived in the nation's statehouses. —The New York Times (2019)

The Waitangi Tribunal has voiced its deep concern, saying that if the Bill were to be enacted, it would fundamentally change the nature of the partnership between the Crown and Māori by "substituting existing Treaty principles for a set of propositions which bear no resemblance to the text or spirit of the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi". —Otago Daily Times (2024)

Real-World Examples of Misuse

1. Do not use the definite article the when referring to nature as the natural world or environment.
2. Visitor centre is a common term used to describe a facility that provides information and services to tourists or guests. The singular form visitor is typically used in this context, rather than the plural visitors. This observation is supported by data from Google Ngram Viewer.