| A |
We do not use the with names of people ('Helen', 'Helen Taylor' etc.). In the same way, we do not use the with most names of places. For example:
| continents |
Africa (not the Africa), Europe, South America |
| countries, states etc. |
France (not the France), Japan, Brazil, Texas |
| islands |
Sicily, Bermuda, Tasmania |
| cities, towns etc. |
Cairo, New York, Bangkok |
| mountains |
Everest, Etna, Kilimanjaro |
But we use the in names with Republic, Kingdom, States etc. :
- the Czech Republic
- the United Kingdom (the UK)
- the Dominican Republic
- the United States of America (the USA)
Compare:
- Have you been to Canada or the United States?
|
| B |
When we use Mr/Mrs/Captain/Doctor etc. + a name, we do not use the. So we say:
- Mr Johnson / Doctor Johnson / Captain Johnson / President Johnson etc. (not the ... )
- Uncle Robert / Saint Catherine / Princess Maria etc. (not the ... )
Compare:
- We called the doctor.
We called Doctor Johnson. (not the Doctor Johnson)
We use Mount (= mountain) and Lake before a name in the same way (without the):
- Mount Everest (not the ... )
- Mount Etna
- Lake Superior
- Lake Victoria
- They live near the lake.
They live near Lake Superior. (not the Lake Superior)
|
| C |
We use the with the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals:
- the Atlantic (Ocean)
- the Indian Ocean
- the Mediterranean (Sea)
- the Red Sea
- the Channel (between France and Britain)
- the Amazon
- the Nile
- the Suez Canal
We use the with the names of deserts:
- the Sahara (Desert)
- the Gobi Desert
|
| D |
We use the with plural names of people and places:
| people |
the Taylors (= the Taylor family), the Johnsons |
| countries |
the Netherlands, the Philippines, the United States |
| groups of islands |
the Canaries / the Canary Islands, the Bahamas |
| mountain ranges |
the Rocky Mountains / the Rockies, the Andes, the Alps |
- The highest mountain in the Andes is (Mount) Aconcagua.
|
| E |
We say:
- the north (of Brazil) but northern Brazil (without the)
- the south-east (of Spain) but south-eastern Spain
Compare:
- Sweden is in northern Europe; Spain is in the south.
Also the Middle East, the Far East
We also use north/south etc. (without the) in the names of some regions and countries:
- North America
- South Africa
Note that on maps, the is not usually included in the name.
|
