Ampersand Lab

Foundation grammar · Lesson 73 · A2

the ... (names of places)

Most place names take no article, but some groups of names always take the. This unit sets out which is which: countries, plural names, seas and rivers, places in towns, and names with of.

Start the lesson

20Steps · about 37 minutes

In this lesson

Continents, countries, states, islands, townsA1 screen of questions
Plural names: the -sB1 screen of questions
Oceans, seas, rivers and canalsC4 screens of questions
Places in towns: streets, buildings and so onD1 screen of questions
Names with of, and the north, the south ...E1 screen of questions
Put it together+5 screens of mixed questions

Point A of 5

Continents, countries, states, islands, towns

Most names of places have no the. We say Spain, not the Spain.

The exception is a name containing republic, states or kingdom. These words describe a kind of country, so they take the:

no the the
Spain, Wales, Texas the Czech Republic
Glasgow, Lima the United States (the USA)
Jersey, Asia the United Kingdom (the UK)
  • Spain is famous for its beaches.
  • Lima is the capital of Peru.
  • Jersey is a small island near France.
  • Kenya is in Africa.
  • My uncle lives in the United States.
  • Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic.

Point A · Extra practice

Write the place name in brackets, with the only if it needs it.

  1. My cousin lives in . (United States)

  2. We went to last summer. (Spain)

  3. Nairobi is in . (Kenya)

Point B of 5

Plural names: the -s

Use the with plural names of countries, groups of islands and mountain ranges. If the name ends in a plural -s, it almost always wants the.

the Netherlands, the Seychelles, the Hebrides, the Pennines, the Himalayas

  • Amsterdam is in the Netherlands.
  • We went walking in the Pennines.
  • The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world.

Point B · Extra practice

Write the place name in brackets with the.

  1. We went walking in . (Pennines)

  2. Amsterdam is in . (Netherlands)

  3. are the highest mountains in the world. (Himalayas)

Point C of 5

Oceans, seas, rivers and canals

Use the with the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals. The word ocean, sea or river is often left out, and the the stays.

the Pacific (Ocean), the North Sea, the Thames, the (River) Severn, the Panama Canal

  • The Thames flows through London.
  • The ferry crosses the North Sea every night.
  • The Pacific is the biggest ocean on Earth.

Point C · Exercise 73.1 · part 1 of 4

Each sentence is a geography question. Choose the answer from the box. Some answers need The.

Use these

AntarcticaArcticCanberraDanubeHimalayasIcelandIndian OceanLisbonMaldivesMississippiNetherlandsNigeriaNorth SeaPolandPyrenees

  1. Example

    Lisbon is the capital of Portugal.

    AnswerLisbon is the capital of Portugal.

  2. Example

    The Indian Ocean is between Africa and Australia.

    AnswerThe Indian Ocean is between Africa and Australia.

  3. is a country in central Europe.

  4. is a river in North America.

  5. is the coldest continent in the world.

  6. is the smallest ocean.

Point C · Exercise 73.1 · part 2 of 4

Each sentence is a geography question. Choose the answer from the box. Some answers need The.

Use these

AntarcticaArcticCanberraDanubeHimalayasIcelandIndian OceanLisbonMaldivesMississippiNetherlandsNigeriaNorth SeaPolandPyrenees

  1. is a river that flows through Vienna.

  2. is a country in West Africa.

  3. is between Belgium and Germany.

  4. are mountains in Asia.

Point C · Exercise 73.1 · part 3 of 4

Each sentence is a geography question. Choose the answer from the box. Some answers need The.

Use these

AntarcticaArcticCanberraDanubeHimalayasIcelandIndian OceanLisbonMaldivesMississippiNetherlandsNigeriaNorth SeaPolandPyrenees

  1. is the capital of Australia.

  2. are mountains between France and Spain.

  3. is between Britain and Norway.

  4. is an island in the North Atlantic.

Point C · Exercise 73.1 · part 4 of 4

Each sentence is a geography question. Choose the answer from the box. Some answers need The.

Use these

AntarcticaArcticCanberraDanubeHimalayasIcelandIndian OceanLisbonMaldivesMississippiNetherlandsNigeriaNorth SeaPolandPyrenees

  1. are a group of islands in the Indian Ocean.

Point D of 5

Places in towns: streets, buildings and so on

Names of streets, roads and squares have no the: Church Street, Abbey Road, Parliament Square.

A name made of a place or person + airport / station / university / castle / zoo / cathedral also has no the: Manchester Airport, York Station, Leeds University, Cardiff Castle, Chester Zoo.

Hotels, restaurants, pubs, cinemas, theatres and museums usually take the:

the
the Grand (Hotel), the Red Lion (a pub), the Plaza (cinema)
the Lyceum (theatre), the Natural History Museum

One learns these by meeting them. There is no shortage of pubs to practise on.

  • My sister works in a café on Church Street.
  • Excuse me, how do I get to Abbey Road?
  • Our flight leaves from Manchester Airport.
  • We met outside York Station.
  • Shall we have lunch at the Red Lion?
  • There's a dinosaur exhibition at the Natural History Museum.

Point D · Extra practice

Write the place name in brackets, with the only if it needs it.

  1. Meet me outside . (Leeds Station)

  2. Let's have lunch at . (Red Lion)

  3. My aunt lives on . (Church Street)

Point E of 5

Names with of, and the north, the south ...

Use the with names that contain of:

the Isle of Man, the Houses of Parliament, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bank of Scotland

We also say the north / the south / the east / the west / the middle (of ...).

  • The Isle of Man is between England and Ireland.
  • We visited the Houses of Parliament on a school trip.
  • My grandparents live in the south of Wales.
  • It's usually colder in the north of the country.

Point E · Extra practice

Write the words in brackets with the.

  1. is in the Irish Sea. (Isle of Man)

  2. It's usually colder in of England. (north)

  3. We visited on a school trip. (Houses of Parliament)

Put it together · Exercise 73.2 · part 1 of 5

Put in the where it is needed and write the sentence again. If the sentence is already correct, write OK.

  1. Example

    Megan works in a shop on Carlton Road.

    OK

    AnswerMegan works in a shop on Carlton Road.

  2. Example

    We saw a musical at Palace Theatre.

    We saw a musical at the Palace Theatre.

    AnswerWe saw a musical at the Palace Theatre.

  3. Have you ever been to Brazil?

  4. Have you ever been to Seychelles?

  5. Have you ever been to north of Spain?

  6. Do you know where Plaza Cinema is?

Put it together · Exercise 73.2 · part 2 of 5

Put in the where it is needed and write the sentence again. If the sentence is already correct, write OK.

  1. Do you know where Mill Lane is?

  2. Do you know where Natural History Museum is?

  3. Africa is bigger than Europe.

  4. Ireland is smaller than Philippines.

Put it together · Exercise 73.2 · part 3 of 5

Put in the where it is needed and write the sentence again. If the sentence is already correct, write OK.

  1. Which river is longer, Thames or Severn?

  2. Did you go to British Museum when you were in London?

  3. "Where are you staying?" "At Grand Hotel on Station Road."

  4. How far is it from Parliament Square to Waterloo Station?

Put it together · Exercise 73.2 · part 4 of 5

Put in the where it is needed and write the sentence again. If the sentence is already correct, write OK.

  1. Pennines are in the north of England.

  2. Florida is famous for its beaches and its oranges.

  3. Kiel Canal joins North Sea and Baltic Sea.

  4. My cousin moved to United Arab Emirates last year.

Put it together · Exercise 73.2 · part 5 of 5

Put in the where it is needed and write the sentence again. If the sentence is already correct, write OK.

  1. Ffion grew up on a farm in north of Wales.

  2. Imran studied law at Leeds University.

Lesson 73 · Result

How you did

Next lesson: this/that/these/thoseBack to the course

–Right

Each point

A. Continents, countries, states, islands, towns–Not checkedB. Plural names: the -s–Not checkedC. Oceans, seas, rivers and canals–Not checkedD. Places in towns: streets, buildings and so on–Not checkedE. Names with of, and the north, the south ...–Not checkedPut it together–Not checked