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?
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)
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
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.
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.
77.1 Put in the where necessary. Leave the space empty if the sentence is already complete.
77.2 Some of these sentences are correct, but some need the (sometimes more than once). Correct the sentences where necessary.
77.3 Here are some geography questions. Choose the right answer from one of the boxes and write the if necessary. You do not need all the names in the boxes. Use an atlas if necessary.
- continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America
- countries: Canada, Denmark, Indonesia, Sweden, Thailand, United States
- oceans and seas: Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Pacific, Black Sea, Mediterranean, Red Sea
- mountains: Alps, Andes, Himalayas, Rockies, Urals
- rivers and canals: Amazon, Danube, Nile, Suez Canal, Panama Canal, Rhine, Thames, Volga
