1.Geographical names like all the other proper nouns are used without articles: England, France, Moscow, London.
The same holds good when a geographical name is modified by an attribute in pre-position: Soviet Russia, North America, Latin America, Central Asia.
Note.— The word groups the Soviet Union, the United States are always used with the definite article.
2. Geographical names modified by a particularizing attribute are used with the definite article.
ThePhiladelphia into which Frank Algernon Cowperwood was born was a city of two hundred and fifty thousand and more. (Dreiser)
3. With names of oceans, sefcs, rivers the definite article is used: the Pacific Ocean (the Pacific), the Black Sea, the Thames, the Ohio River.
4. Names of lakes do not take the article if the word lake is used, which is nearly always the case; if it is not mentioned we find the definite article: Lake Windermere, Lake Ontario, the Ontario.
5. With names of mountain chains the definite article is used: the Urals, the Alps.
With names of mountain peaks no article is used: Elbrus, Everest.
6. With names of groups of islands the definite article is used: the Hebrides, the Bermudas.
With names of single islands there is no article: Madagascar.
7. The names of the following towns, countries and provinces are used with the definite article: the Hague, the Netherlands, the West Indies, the Ruhr, the Riviera, the Crimea, the Ukraine, the Caucasus, the Congo. The Lebanon is generally used with the definite article, occasionally without the article.
8. Names of streets and squares are used without articles: Oxford Street, Wall Street, Trafalgar Square, Russell Square.
There are a few exceptions: the High Street, the Strand.
Names of hotels, ships, newspapers and magazines.
Names of hotels, ships, newspapers and magazines are used with the definite article.
And he added that theIndependent had accepted and was about to publish two poems which he had been able to write because of her. (Dreiser)
The three men came to the turning at the corner of theGrosvenor Hotel. (Hichens)
Names of cardinal points.
With the names of cardinal points the definite article is used: the North, the South, the West, the East.
In the expressions from East to West, from North to South no article is used.
§ 16. Names of months and days.
As a rule names of months and days are used without articles.
May is a spring month. My day off is Friday.
When these nouns are modified by aparticularizing attribute the definite article is used.
TheMay of 1949 will always rest in my memory.
Miss Trotwood came on theFriday when David was born.
Names of days are used with the indefinite article when wemean one of many Mondays, Fridays, etc.
Robinson Crusoe found his servant on aFriday.
I do not remember exactly when he came from Moscow, but I
am sure it was on aMonday.
Names of months are used with the indefinite article when modified by a descriptive attribute.