Before Proper Nouns

1. The definite article the is used with proper nouns when they denote the whole family: The Browns lived in this house 10 years ago.

2. The is also used with names of persons that are modified by a particularizing attribute: He was again the Elvis Presley everybody knew.

3. You say the with the following geographical names:

a) names of oceans, seas, rivers, lakes and canals: the Atlantic (Ocean), the Red Sea, the Nile, the Panama Canal;

b) mountain ranges which usually have plural names: the Rockies, the Alps;

c) island groups which usually have plural names: the British Isles, the Canaries;

d) regions and provinces: the Far East, the Crimea, the Caucasus, the south of Spain;

e) countries and states which include words republic, union, kingdom, state: the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States (of America).

We also use the with plural names: the Netherlands, the Philippines. Exceptions: the Congo, the Lebanon

f) the following city is also used with the definite article: the Hague

4. Normally the definite article is used before the names of these places:

hotels the Hilton, the Ritz

restaurants/pubs the Bombay Restaurant, the Red Lion (pub)

theatres the National Theatre, the Palace Theatre

cinemas the ABC, the Odeon

museums/galleries the British Museum, the Tate Gallery

But do not use the with the names of the shops, banks, hotels, restaurants etc. which are named after the people who started them. These names end in s or 's:

restaurants Maxim's, Macdonalds, Luigi's Itaiian Restaurant

shops Harrods, Selfridges

banks Lloyds Bank, Barclays Bank

hotels Claridge's

5. You use the definite article before the names of places, buildings etc. with "of": the Great Wall of China, the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament, the Bank of England

6. You use the with the names of newspapers and magazines: the Times, the Daily Telegraph.

But use no article with the names of Russian newspapers: I prefer to read Moscow News in English.

7. The definite article is also used with the names of cardinal points: the North, the East, the South, the West

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 1253