"THE"

[amirvakili111]

When do you add "the" in the sentence and when do you have to take it out?

The cat ate the mouse
We fixed the floor by laying down bricks
We fixed the floor by laying down the bricks?

etc... (these are not the best examples.. I just made them up)

I have seen some tough ones on gmat practice exams.

[JonathanSchneider]

The word "the" is called the "definite article" in grammar. Think about that first word: "definite." Now think about the root word of that word: "define." Basically, the word "the" makes the noun in question a specific noun.

The difference between "bricks" and "the bricks" is that the latter refers to specific bricks. So, if you mean to say that you are laying down a specific (probably aforementioned) pile of bricks, you'll probably use the word "the." If you just mean bricks in general, you will just say "bricks."