Proper Nouns with THEWe normally use "the" for country names that include "States","Kingdom", "Republic" etc: | States | the United States of America/the USA | | Kingdom | the United Kingdom/the UK | | Republic | the French Republic |
We normally use "the" for names of canals, rivers, seas and oceans: | canals | the Suez Canal | | rivers | the River Nile, the Nile | | seas | the Mediterranean Sea, the Mediterranean | | oceans | the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific |
We normally use "the" for plural names of people and places: | people (families, for example) | the Clintons | | countries | the Philippines, the United States | | island groups | the Virgin Islands, the British Isles | | mountain ranges | the Himalayas, the Alps |
Look at these sentences: - I saw the Clintons today. It was Bill's birthday.
- Trinidad is the largest island in the West Indies.
- Mount Everest is in the Himalayas.
We normally use "the" with the following sorts of names: | hotels, restaurants | the Ritz Hotel, the Peking Restaurant | | banks | the National Westminster Bank | | cinemas, theatres | the Royal Theatre, the ABC Cinema | | museums | the British Museum, the National Gallery | | buildings | the White House, the Crystal Palace | | newspapers | the Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Post | | organisations | the United Nations, the BBC, the European Union |
We normally use "the" for names made with "of": - the Tower of London
- the Gulf of Siam
- the Tropic of Cancer
- the London School of Economics
- the Bank of France
- the Statue of Liberty
Now check your understanding » |
