re = /^(the|an?)\b\s+/im
str = 'The test file.txt
These test files.txt
A test file.txt
Another test file.txt
An older test file.txt
At the disco.txt'
subst = ''
result = str.gsub(re, subst)
# Print the result of the substitution
puts result
Please keep in mind that these code samples are automatically generated and are not guaranteed to work. If you find any syntax errors, feel free to submit a bug report. For a full regex reference for Ruby, please visit: http://ruby-doc.org/core-2.2.0/Regexp.html