Proper names in English are a large category of words that include first names, surnames, pseudonyms, nicknames, and place names. If the former do not need a long explanation and are simply used with a capital letter, the latter group has its own characteristics that are worth paying attention to. So, for example, these names can have zero or definite articles. Often articles in English with place names defy logical explanation, which means that the only way to understand how to use them is to study the rules, which we will do today.
To begin with, it is worth noting that all proper names that denote geographical names are called toponyms. Place names, in turn, are subdivided into subspecies in the form of the names of settlements, cities, streets, houses. However, the names of squares, monuments and other attractions do not belong to toponyms.
Of course, there is no need to memorize the names of all species, but it is worth considering each of them through the prism of the English language because each species can contain both zero and definite.
Articles in English with geographical names - types and rules of use:
Zero article
The zero article implies the absence of an article. The article is not used in toponyms:
- With all continents:
| Continents | |
| Africa (Africa) | Africa is the second largest continent. (Africa is the second largest continent.) |
| Asia | Japan is situated in Asia. (Japan is located in Asia.) |
| Australia (Australia) | Kangaroos live in Australia. (Kangaroos live in Australia.) |
| Europe (Europe) | He wants to move to Europe. (He wants to move to Europe.) |
| North America | I came from North America. (I come from North America.) |
| South America | Show me South America on the map. (Show me South America on a map.) |
- With singular countries, states, cities, provinces, villages / townships:
| Examples of | Use | |
| Countries / Countries | Estonia (Estonia), Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan), Mexico (Mexico), Italy (Italy) | Estonia separated from the Soviet Union in 1991. (Estonia seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991.) |
| States | Texas (Texas), California (California), Alabama (Alabama), Florida (Florida) | I think that California is the best state to live in. (I think California is the best state to live in.) |
| Cities | Moscow (Moscow), Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Dubai (Dubai), Barcelona (Barcelona), Las Vegas (Las Vegas) | Moscow never sleeps. (Moscow never sleeps.) |
| Provinces | Yunnan (Yunnan), Guangdong (Guangdong), Navarre (Navarra) | Navarre was a Kingdom many years ago. (Navarre was a kingdom many years ago.) |
| Villages | Aldra (Aldra), Borg (Borg), Kerala (Kerala), Goa (Goa) | Aldra is situated in Norway. (Aldra is located in Norway.) |
However, there are some exceptions and peculiarities here. The article the is used in names:
- The Vatican City States - the Vatican;
- Congo - The Congo;
- The cities of The Hague - The Hague;
- If the word "city" appears in front of the name of the city, the article the is placed in front of it, and after the preposition of:
- And also with the names of streets, avenues, avenues and boulevards:
Article the
Now let's focus on place names in English requiring the article the:
- Regions / Regions, examples:
- Countries / Countries plural:
And also countries that have the words in their names:
Usage examples:
- The article the with proper names that mean:
On the example with rivers and deserts, it can be seen that the names do not always contain defining words, but even if in the examples above you add the words "river" and "desert", the definite article will remain in place.
It is also worth noting that if there is no preposition of before the proper names that denote bays and straits, the definite article is not used.
- With mountain ranges, a group of islands and lakes, the article the is also used:
- Note that the definite article is used with the cardinal points, poles, and hemispheres:
In English maps, the definite article is often omitted to save space.
In fact, articles in English with place names are not very difficult. Yes, at first you can confuse the use of the zero and the definite article, but with time and practice this problem will disappear by itself.
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Use of the article "The" with place names, countries and languages.
Names are used without an article (including the names of cities and countries).
For example:
John, Mary, Julianna, Irina, Moscow, Odessa, Ukraine, America (but: the Hague - excl.)
Nations, nationalities, ethnic groups as a whole are used with "The".
For example:
the Americans, the Japanese, the Indians.
Languages (only with the word language) - the English language, the Russian language.
But! Just languages without an article - English.
For example:
English, French, Russian, Thai, Swahili.
State names containing the word republic, union, kingdom, etc. used with "The".
For example:
The United States,
the United Kingdom,
the South African Republic,
the Soviet Union,
the German Federal Republic,
the People "s Republic of China.
Countries in the singular, the name of which is perceived as a name (usually consists of 1 word), including the names of individual states, are used without an article.
For example:
England, France, China, Ukraine, Germany, Georgia, Utah, Arkansas, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, South Africa.
Countries and other place names are pluralized with "The".
For example:
the Netherlands,
the United States,
the Philippines,
the Canary Islands,
the Urals,
the Great Lakes.
Oceans, seas, bays, straits, rivers, groups of lakes, archipelagos, mountain ranges, deserts are labeled "The".
For example:
the Arctic, the Black Sea, the Persian Gulf, the British Channel, the Danube, the Great Lakes, the Bahamas, the Caucasus, the Sahara Desert.
But! individual lakes, waterfalls, mountains are used without an article.
For example:
Baikal, Victoria Falls, Vesuvius, Montblanc, Everest, Elbrus.
The cardinal points - with "The".
For example:
the South, the North, the West, the Middle East.
Continents - no article.
For example:
Europe, North America, East Asia, South Africa.
Earth, sky, moon, sun - with "The".
For example:
The Earth, the sky, the Moon, the Sun.
Planets, stars, constellations do not have an article.
For example:
Jupiter, Mars.
Countries and states (no article)
Argentina - Argentina
Australia from Australia
Austria from Austria
Belgium from Belgium
Brazil - Brazil
Canada - Canada
Chile from Chile
China - China
Denmark from Denmark
Egypt - Egypt
England - England
France - France
Germany - Germany
(Great) Britain - Great Britain / Britain
Greece from Greece
Holland - Holland
Hungary from Hungary
India from India
Iran from Iran
Ireland from Ireland
Israel from Israel
Italy - Italy
Japan - Japan
Japan - Japan
Lebanon from Lebanon
Luxembourg - Luxembourg
Mexico from Mexico
Mongolia from Mongolia
Morocco from Morocco
Mozambique - Mozambique
New Zealand - New Zealand
Norway from Norway
Poland - Poland
Portugal from Portugal
Russia - Russia
Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia
Scotland - Scotland
Spain - Spain
Sweden - Sweden
Switzerland - Switzerland
Turkey from Turkey
Wales - Wales
Countries and states (with the article the)
The Congo - Congo
the Netherlands - Netherlands
the UK (United Kingdom) - United Kingdom
the USA (United States of America) - USA (United States of America)
Continents and geographic areas (no article)
(South / North / Latin / Central) America - (North / South / Latin / Central) America
(Western / Eastern) Europe - (Western / Eastern) Europe
(Southeast / Central) Asia - (Southeast / Central) Asia
(South / North) Africa - (North / South) Africa
Australia from Australia
Antarctica - Antarctica
Siberia - Siberia
Continents and geographic areas (with the article the)
the (Western / Eastern / Northern / Southern) Hemisphere - (Western / Eastern / Northern / Southern) hemisphere
the Arctic - Arctic
the Antarctic - Antarctica
the (Far / Middle) East - (Far / Middle) East
the (North / South) Pole - (North / South) pole
Some bays and lakes (no article)
Hudson Bay - Hudson Bay
San Francisco Bay - Bay of San Francisco
(Lake) Baikal - Lake Baikal
Lake Victoria - Lake Victoria
Lake Superior - lake superior
Lake Huron - Lake Huron
Lake Michigan - Lake Michigan
Lake Erie - Lake Erie
Lake Ontario - Lake Ontario
Crater Lake - Crater Lake
Utah Lake - Lake Utah
Lake Geneva - Lake Geneva
Great Pond - Big pond
Oceans, seas, bays, lakes, rivers, straits, channels and currents (with the article the)
The Atlantic Ocean (the Atlantic) - Atlantic Ocean
the Pacific Ocean (the Pacific) - Pacific Ocean
the Arctic Ocean - Arctic Ocean
the Indian Ocean - Indian Ocean
The Mediterranean Sea (the Mediterranean) - Mediterranean Sea
the Caribbean Sea (the Caribbean) - Caribbean Sea
the Red Sea
the Black Sea - Black Sea
the Caspian Sea - Caspian Sea
the North Sea - North Sea
the Baltic Sea - Baltic Sea
the Barents Sea - Barents Sea
the Bering Sea - Bering Sea
the Yellow Sea - Yellow Sea
the Sea of Okhotsk - Sea of Okhotsk
the Sea of Japan - Sea of Japan
the Laptev Sea - Laptev Sea
The Gulf of Mexico - Gulf of Mexico
the Bay of Bengal
the Gulf of Finland - Gulf of Finland
the Bay of Biscay
the Persian Gulf - Persian Gulf
The Amazon (River) - Amazon river
the Nile (River) - river Nile
the Mississippi (River) - Mississippi river
the Missouri (River) - Missouri River
the Rio Grande - Rio Grande
the Yangtze (River) - Yangtze River
the Thames (River) / the River Thames - river Thames
the Seine (River) - river Seine
the Danube (River) - Danube river
the Amur (River) - the Amur river
the Dnepr (River) / the Dnieper - the Dnieper river
the Lena (River) - Lena river
the Ob (River) - the Ob river
the Volga (River) - Volga river
the Yenisei (River) - the Yenisei river
the Amu Darya - Amu Darya
The Strait of Gibraltar - Strait of Gibraltar
the Strait of Dover (Pas de Calais) - Strait of Dover (Pas de Calais)
the Strait of Magellan - Strait of Magellan
the Bering Strait - Bering Strait
the Dardanelles - Strait of Dardanelles
the Bosporus / Bosphorus - Bosphorus
The English Channel (La Manche) - English Channel (English Channel)
the Mozambique Channel - Strait of Mozambique
the Suez Canal - Suez Canal
the Panama Canal - Panama Canal
the Erie Canal - Erie Canal
The Gulf Stream - current of the Gulf Stream
the Florida Current - Florida current
the Japan Current (the Kuroshio)
Articles are especially difficult for learners of English, because they are absent in Russian. provides additional information about the noun in front of it. There are two articles in total ( a - uncertain , the - definite) and it is always better to put article than not put at all. If you do not put the article, always be ready to explain "why?" In this lesson we will understand in which cases the article is placed before place names.
Rule 1. Article the not countries and continents:
Exceptions:
- the RF (the Russian Federation)
- the UK (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
- the USA (the United States of America)
- the Netherlands - the Netherlands or Holland (Holland is an unofficial name)
- the Irish Republic
- the Chech Republic
- the Philippines
- the United Arab Emirates
See also Article the is not used before the following place names:
Europe, Eurasia, Antarctica, Central Asia, North (South) America, Latin America, South-East Asia, Northern Africa, Western (Eastern Siberia), Siberia.
Remember: the Crimea, the Far East, the Middle East, the Midland s(Central Counties in England), the Highland s ( Highlands), the Lowland s(Lowlands).
Rule 2. Article the not used with names cities.
Exception: the Hague - The Hague
Remember: The Hague is in the Netherlands. - The Hague is in Holland.
Rule 3... Article the used before names cardinal points(since they are the only ones in the world): the East (east), the West (west), the South (south), the North (north).
Rule 4... Article the used before nouns denoting type of geographic landscape
- at the seaside - on the coast
- on the coast - on the coast
- in the country - in the countryside, in the village
- in the countryside - in the countryside
- in the forest - in the forest
- in the wood (s) - in the forest
- in the mountains - in the mountains
- in the jungle - in the jungle
Rule 5... Article the used before names of bodies of water: oceans, seas, rivers, canals, straits, lakes, except bays.
- The Atlantic Ocean - Atlantic Ocean
- The Red Sea - Red Sea
- The Volga - Volga (river)
- The Panama Canal - Panama Canal
- The English Channel - English Channel
- The Gulf Stream - Gulf Stream
- The Baikal (the Baikal Lake) - Baikal (lake), but Lake Baikal, Lake Seliger
Exceptions - names of the bays: Hudson Bay - Hudson Bay
Rule 6... Article the used before names mountain ranges and archipelagos of islands(collective function of the article the, see ending –S at the end)
- the Urals - Ural Mountains
- the Caucasus - Caucasus Mountains
- the Rocky Mountains - Rocky Mountains
- the British Isles - British Isles
- the Kurilas - Kuril Islands
Exceptions:
- mountain peaks: Elbrus, Everest, Ben Nevis, etc.
- single islands: Cuba, Cyprus, Haiti, etc.
Rule 7... Article the used before names deserts:
- the Gobi - Gobi
- the Sahara - Sahara
- the Kara-Kum - Kara-kum
- the Kalahari - Kalahari
The article the with geographical names. Exercises
Exercise 1.Fill in the table with examples.
Exercise 2.Insert the article the where appropriate.
British Isles are a group of _____ islands in ____ North Sea on ____ Atlantic coast of ___ Europe. ___ two largest islands are called ___ Britain and ___ Ireland. ___Ireland is divided into ___ two countries: ___ Irish Republic and ___ Northern Ireland which is part of ___ United Kingdom. ___ two islands are separated by ____Irish Sea.
Exercise 3.Write down and memorize the place names from exercise 2.
British Isles, North Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Britain, Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Irish Sea.
» Articles. Geographic names
Red Square, the Volga River or the USSR - do we need articles in English when we talk about geographical names? For countries, there are some rules, for streets and squares - others, for rivers and seas - others. Moreover, for each of the categories, there are a number of exceptions when the rules do not apply. Articles are used or not used with geographical names simply because "it happened so". Let's try to figure it out.
The article is needed only in two cases - firstly, if the name of the country contains what is called a "form of government" - a union, kingdom, states, republic, and so on. Therefore, there is a definite article in the names of such states, as the United States of America, the United Kingdom(the article remains in abbreviations - the USA, the UK). For lovers of exotic and skyscrapers - add here the UAE - the United Arab Emirates, but for those who remember the 1980 Olympics and the Berlin Wall - the USSR, the GDR... For modern Russia, everything is simple - Russia(no article) or the English Federation(with the article, since the federation is a form of government).
I'm back in the USSR. You don’t know how lucky you are, boys. I am returning to the USSR. Guys, you yourself don't know how happy you are here (full of irony The Beatles song).
The second case when an article is needed with countries is when the name of the country is a plural noun. Usually these are islands lost in the ocean - for example, the Philippines(Philippines) or the bahamas(Bahamas). There is also a non-island state, in the name of which there is a plural - the Netherlands, Netherlands.
An exception that is unlikely to come in handy in life - a small African country The gambia(Gambia), she is perhaps the only one who is written with the article "just like that."
An interesting situation has developed with Ukraine - Ukraine or The Ukraine? Until 1991, Ukraine was part of the USSR, and in this case, different grammatical rules apply - and until 1991, the form was indeed widespread The Ukraine... And since 1991, Ukraine, having become an independent state, is officially written without an article - Ukraine.
Cities
In this lesson, we will consider the use of the article with proper names. As you remember, there are two articles in English: definite and indefinite. And we can talk about the so-called "zero" article, that is, about cases when the article is not used.
We have already noted in the lessons of the Elementary level that the article performs a meaningful function. The presence or absence of an article can greatly affect the translation of a sentence. The article in English is the most ambiguous thing in English grammar. The article is used "by intuition" more than other grammatical phenomena. And in order to develop this intuition, you need to know the basic rules for using the article and the exceptions. Only then will you be able to freely navigate the articles.
Interestingly, the article can be used (or not used) even when it is prohibited by the rules! But only if you can explain why You have used this or that article. In newspapers and other literary sources, you will come across such moments of using articles that were not described in textbooks. And more often than not, this will not be a mistake. It's just that not everything is covered in textbooks.
With a solid basic knowledge, you can easily understand the nuances of using the article. In the case of geographical names and names, it is impossible to say for sure that the article is used only in this way and not otherwise. Therefore, when explaining the rules, add "usually" or "usually".
Below is information about the classic use of the article.
-
The Hague (The Hague)
countries (for historical reasons):
The Sudan, The Yemen, The Argentina - these country names can be used without the article. Also The Netherlands, since the name has a plural for historical reasons.
The Philippines (essentially the name of a group of islands)
Countries whose names contain terms such as States, Republic, Federation, Kingdom ... that is, not proper names: The United States of America, The United Kingdom, The Russian Federation. The definite article is also used with the abbreviations of these names: The USSR.
Note
The definite and indefinite articles can be used with the names of cities and countries, but only if there is a special context.
It was the Paris of my youth. This was the (same) Paris of my youth.
"of my youth" is the context required to use the definite article.
When he returned twenty years later, he found a new America. - When he returned 20 years later, he discovered (some) new America.
Continent names: Africa, Europe, America. Even if these names are preceded by definitions, the article is still not placed: Western Europe, Southern America.
Mountain ranges and ridges: The Urals, The Alps, The Andes.
There is always a definite article before the name of the island groups: The Canaries, The Kuriles.
If there is only the name of the peninsula, then it is used without articles.
Kamchatka is famous for its geysers.
If after the name there is the word peninsular (peninsula), then a definite article is already placed in front of the name.
The Taimyr peninsular is a very cold place.
The names of individual mountain peaks and islands are used without articles.
The mountains: Elbrus, Everest; Haiti, Cuba, Kilimanjaro.
The names of some regions are used with the definite article for historical reasons: The Crimea, The Caucasus, The Ruhr, The Tyrol.
When the name of the region contains a plural or a common noun, then, as a rule, the definite article is used with such names: The Highlands, The Lake District, The Far East.
As you already know, articles, as a rule, are not used with the names of countries and the city.
But, there are exceptions:
Names of continents, (semi) islands, mountains, deserts and regions.
As a rule, when a place name has an ending -s, that is, an allusion to the plural, then the definite article is used with it.
