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Consider a sentence like:

We also exploit the inappropriate relevants, the inappropriate searches, the inappropriate queries, and the publication-date-based filtering heuristics.

Can we summarize the sentence into the following by using "the" just once?

We also exploit the inappropriate relevants, inappropriate searches, inappropriate queries, and publication-date-based filtering heuristics.

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  • They are special names and are heuristics. We want to use the heuristics.
    – Shayan
    Commented May 7, 2018 at 17:03
  • I guess I copied it wrong. You can say: We also exploit the inappropriate relevants, searches, and queries, as well as the publication-date-based filtering heuristics.
    – Andrew
    Commented May 7, 2018 at 18:24
  • You don't really need the, if you're making some general statement. We also exploit inappropriate relevants, searches, queries, and publication-date-based filtering heuristics. [not sure about the verb exploit here]
    – Lambie
    Commented May 7, 2018 at 21:06

3 Answers 3

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As long as your list follows a parallel structure, then you can remove the (or any other word that is repeated through the entire list) from each item after the first. Your example follows parallel structure, so you can remove the.

A case in which you would not want to remove the would look something like this: "We like the beach, ocean, and swimming." This sentence is wrong because, while we like the beach and the ocean, we are also saying that we like the swimming, which is grammatically improper. In this example, we should rephrase it as:

We like the beach, the ocean, and swimming.

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    A suggestion how to format your answers: I prefer to highlight correct answers rather than incorrect answers, since the eye is drawn to the highlighted sections. At the very least, first provide the correct version, and then (with appropriate warnings) some incorrect variations.
    – Andrew
    Commented May 8, 2018 at 0:15
  • Thank you, I've edited accordingly. Hopefully, this is more clear.
    – LyricWulf
    Commented May 8, 2018 at 1:22
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As long as you use a comma separated list, as you did in your second example, you can remove the word 'the' from every entry in the list as long as it is used in the first entry as shown.

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This is really a question of personal style. You can omit any repeated words in a sentence, as long as it doesn't make the sentence harder to understand. Your second example is fine, but why repeat "inappropriate" three times? Once is enough. Also, the first "the" is optional.

We also exploit (the) inappropriate relevants, searches, and queries, as well as the publication-date-based filtering heuristics.

However, sometimes you want to repeat words for emphasis.

When visiting the courthouse, students must refrain from any disruptive behavior. No loud conversation, no loud laughter, no loud music, no use of cell phones, no unnecessary fidgeting, and no chewing gum.

You should not remove "the" when it is an expected part of the name of a place.

While visiting New York City, we plan to go to the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the United Nations building.

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