Whether to use the definite article the before place names or not can be a little confusing. Try these three quizzes first, and then read about some of the general principles involved.
Some general principles
Update - I've now posted some tables with the main uses of articles with place names, which you can find
here.
Here are some general priciples:
- If a place name consists of a real name, especially just one word, it usually takes no article:
Europe, France, Normandy, Paris, Montmartre
- If a place name includes a unit of organisation (republic, kingdom, states etc), a geographical or other descriptive feature (islands, sea, river etc), it usually takes the:
The United Kingdom, The Baltic Sea, The River Seine, The Kalahari Desert
- This is also the case when this feature is only implied:
The Phillipines (= The Phillipine Islands), The Himalayas (= the Himalaya Mountains)
- But this is not the case when the name includes the singular word land:
Scotland, New Zealand, Newfoundland, Poland
- If a place name includes of, it takes the definite article:
The Straits of Gibraltar, The Bay of Biscay, The Isle of Man, The Museum of Modern Art
- Note that we can often name places two ways, one without of and without the article, and one with of (usually more formal):
Poland / The Republic of Poland, Edinburgh University / The University of Edinburgh, Capri / The Isle of Capri
- When the first word of a place name is an adjective (as with most seas), we usually use the:
The Mediterranean (Sea), The Arabian Gulf (but Central Park)
- When a place name starts with a possessive, it usually takes no article:
St Paul's Cathedral, Sadler's Wells Theatre, Hudson's Bay
- When a place name starts with the name of the place where it is situated, it doesn't usually take an article:
Morecombe Bay, London Bridge,
- Finally, note there are lots of exceptions, and that some place names, especially buildings, schools, etc are best learned individually.
Some exceptions to the general rules
- The Netherlands - this name is descriptive; it means The Low Lands
- The Gambia - takes its name from the Gambia River
- (The) Yemen, (The) Sudan - the names of these countries are occasionally used with the. In older texts you might see Argentina referred to as The Argentine, but this practice has largely died out.
- The Hague - from the Dutch Den Haag (= The Hedge)
- The Matterhorn (= The Meadow Peak), The Jungfrau (= The Young Woman) - these names of mountains are descriptive in the original German
- The Strand (a street in London) - called after a small river
- The Mall (a road in London) - a mall (here) is like an esplanade, a long open space where people can walk
Related posts
Links
Belum ada tanggapan untuk "Place names - the or zero article?"
Posting Komentar