Villagers are now waiting for the rain to come so that the rice will grow.
Why is it the rain in this sentence, not rain without the definite article? We are talking about rain in general to come, not any specific rain, then why are we using the definite article here?
We are talking about rain in general to come, not any specific rain, then why are we using the definite article here?
On the contrary, this sentence is talking about some specific rain, not rain in general. The specific rain is probably a seasonal rain which is expected to come at a predictable time, or a specific weather system such as a low pressure circulation which has been forecast to arrive and to produce rain.
The sentence is also possible without an article. Then the sense of a specific expected rain is lost.
The speaker is identifying which rain the villagers are waiting for. The rain that arrives at a more or less specific period of time.
If the rain doesn't fall at the expected time, the crop will inevitably suffer.
