word choice - Use of definite article referring to figures and tables


There are tables and figures in a document, uniquely identifiable by their numbers.


We want to refer to them in several places. Which one is preferable in academic English writing and why?





  • In figure 1 ...
    In the figure 1 ...




  • With the help of table 1 ...
    With the help of the table 1 ...




  • Lemma 1 helps ...
    The lemma 1 helps ...






Answer



Do not use an article in such a case. This is a common error made by non-native speakers.


You do not use articles with proper names. For example, you would say "I went to a grocery store", but "I went to Smith's Grocery Store". Numbered figures or tables are generally treated as proper names. So, "See the second figure below" — descriptive, not a proper name; but "See Figure 2 below" — a proper name.


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