From: "alexander koryagin"    
      
   F2EP   
   Hi, Roy Witt! How are you?   
   on Thursday, 28 of June, I read your message to alexander koryagin   
   about "Earth or the Earth"   
      
    ak>>>> Quite often I see that people call this planet "Earth", whereas I   
    ak>>>> read it must be called "the Earth". Maybe there is a rule?   
      
    RW> Look up the definition of 'the' in an English dictionary ... there are   
    RW> several ways in which to use the word. One that fits your 'the earth'   
    RW> scenario is:   
      
    RW> The, determiner (article): used preceding titles and certain uniquely   
    RW> specific or proper nouns, such as place names; the United States; the   
    RW> Honourable Edward Brown; the Chairman; the moon, the Earth...   
      
    RW> i.e. Earth is the name (noun) of the planet that you live on.   
    RW>      Mars is the name (noun) of a planet in this solar system.   
      
   Yes, but when your dictionary enumerates the planet names it uses "the Earth".   
   (begins with a capital letter). "the earth" is also all right, but it is IMHO   
   a different term. For instance, "The earth was very close, and the pilot baled   
   out."   
      
   [...Nil de nihito fil]   
   Bye Roy!   
   Alexander (yAlexKo[]yandex.ru) + 2:5020/2140.91   
   fido7.english-tutor 2012   
      
      
   --- ifmail v.2.15dev5.4   
    * Origin: Demos online service (2:5020/400)