Blog about English
Articles with names of people, countries, cities, streets and organizations.
Do not use an article with most personal names.
Personal names normally do not take an article. The definite article is only used in special situations, such as referring to a family or emphasizing a particular person.
Do not use an article with most country names, cities, towns and continents.
Most geographical names are used without an article. Countries with descriptive or plural names are important exceptions.
Use the with country names that are plural or contain a common noun such as republic, kingdom or states.
Examples include the United States, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the Philippines.
Do not use an article with most street names.
Examples include Oxford Street, Fifth Avenue and Trafalgar Square.
Use the with rivers, seas, oceans and canals.
Examples include the Thames, the Nile, the Atlantic Ocean and the Suez Canal.
Do not use an article with individual lakes, mountains or islands.
Examples include Lake Victoria, Mount Everest and Greenland. Mountain ranges and island groups are exceptions.
Use the with mountain ranges, deserts and groups of islands.
Examples include the Alps, the Himalayas, the Sahara and the Canary Islands.
Some buildings and institutions require the as part of their name.
Examples include the British Museum, the Ritz Hotel and the Royal Opera House. Whether the is used depends on the official name.
Many organizations take the as part of their official name.
Examples include the United Nations, the European Union and the BBC. Usage depends on the official name.
Use the with the names of most newspapers and ships.
Examples include the Times, the Guardian and the Titanic.
Do not use an article before titles followed by a personal name.
Examples include President Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth II and Doctor Smith.
Use the before a family name when referring to the whole family.
Examples include the Smiths and the Browns.
Proper nouns may take a/an or the when they are used with a special meaning.
For example: a Picasso (a painting by Picasso), the young Shakespeare, a London I had never seen before.