On phone or on the phone?

Today, we are looking at some five phrases in which article ‘the’ is a compulsory element, but which is often erroneously left out. The first is associated with phone calls: on the phone. When an ongoing call prevents you from attending to another matter, and you need to state the reason, the standard thing to say is  you are/were ‘on the phone’, not on phone:

Sorry, I was on call when you entered. (Wrong)

Sorry, I was on phone when you entered. (Wrong)

Sorry, I was on the phone when you entered. (Correct)
Benefit of doubt?

No. When you choose to believe someone, even though you are not sure that what the person is saying is true, you give them ‘the benefit of the doubt’. This even loaded with two ‘thes’.  Yet, it is a fixed expression that should be accordingly treated:

The man was not around but what the boy said made me give him benefit of doubt. (Wrong)
The man was not around but what the boy said made me give him the benefit of  the doubt. (Correct)

Of the iceberg

Here is the idiom that, according to Longman Dictionary, means a small sign of a problem that is much larger. More importantly, such an issue is neither a tip of iceberg or a tip of the iceberg. It is ‘the tip of the iceberg’:

The commissioner lamented that the tax fraud was just a tip of the iceberg. (WRONG)

The commissioner lamented that the tax fraud was just the tip of the iceberg. (Correct)
Raising the alarm

This expression too is incomplete without ‘the’ before ‘alarm’. So, when you warn someone of a dangerous situation, you raise the alarm, not just alarm:
The students raised alarm when a snake entered the class. (Wrong)

The students raised the alarm when a snake entered the class. (Correct)

Honour for the departed

While a dead person is at times referred to as ‘the deceased’, another common title for them is ‘the late’. It is, however, not just ‘late’:

The remains of late Joseph Wayas will be buried soon. (Wrong)

The remains of the late Joseph Ways will be buried soon. (Correct)

Also, note that ‘remains’ is plural. So, it takes plural verbs:
His remains is to be buried soon. (Wrong)

His remains are to be buried soon. (Correct)