Ampersand Lab

Intermediate grammar · Lesson 77 · B1

Names with and without the 1

Most names of people and places take no the, but names with Republic, Kingdom or States, oceans, seas, rivers, canals, deserts, plural names and phrases such as the north of take the.

Start the lesson

21Steps · about 40 minutes

In this lesson

People and most places: no theA1 screen of questions
Titles, Mount and LakeB3 screens of questions
Oceans, seas, rivers, canals and deserts: theC1 screen of questions
Plural names: theD1 screen of questions
the north of ... and northern ...E1 screen of questions
Put it together+7 screens of mixed questions

Point A of 5

People and most places: no the

People's names take no the (Sian, Sian Pritchard), and neither do most place names:

Type of place Examples
continents Asia (not the Asia), Antarctica
countries, states, regions Peru (not the Peru), Norway, Florida
islands Crete, Anglesey
cities, towns Lisbon, Glasgow, Rotherham
mountains Snowdon, Ben Nevis

We do normally use the in names containing Republic, Kingdom, States, Emirates and similar words: the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom (the UK), the United States (the US, the USA), the United Arab Emirates (the UAE).

  • Have you ever been to Peru?
  • Glasgow is bigger than Edinburgh, whatever Edinburgh may tell you.
  • Are you flying to Canada or the United States?
  • She's lived in the UK since she was six.

Point A · Extra practice

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

  1. Have you ever been to ? (Peru)

  2. Are you flying to Canada or ? (United States)

  3. We climbed last summer. (Snowdon)

Point B of 5

Titles, Mount and Lake

When we put Mr, Mrs, Ms, Doctor, Professor, Captain, President and similar titles before a name, we do not use the: Mrs Begum, Doctor Price, Professor Okafor, President Lincoln. The same is true of Aunt Jean, King Charles, Saint David.

Compare: We rang the doctor. but We rang Doctor Price. (not the Doctor Price)

Mount and Lake before a name work in the same way: Mount Fuji, Mount Kenya, Lake Geneva, Lake Windermere (no the).

  • We rang the doctor.
  • We rang Doctor Price.
  • Aunt Jean is coming for Christmas, along with her opinions.
  • They have a caravan near the lake.
  • They have a caravan near Lake Windermere.

Point B · Exercise 77.1 · part 1 of 3

Which is right? Choose the correct form.

  1. Example

    Have you met Professor Okafor (Professor Okafor / the Professor Okafor)?

    AnswerHave you met Professor Okafor?

  2. I'd twisted my ankle. (Physio / The physio) said I should rest it for a week.

  3. (Doctor Mensah / The Doctor Mensah) is an expert on sleep problems.

  4. I'm looking for (Captain Hughes / the Captain Hughes). Is he on the ship?

  5. In France, (President / the President) is elected for five years.

Point B · Exercise 77.1 · part 2 of 3

Which is right? Choose the correct form.

  1. (President Lincoln / The President Lincoln) was shot in 1865.

  2. The detective in charge of the case is (Inspector Khan / the Inspector Khan).

  3. Have you met (Patels / the Patels)? They've just moved in next door.

  4. Rhys spent two years working in (United Arab Emirates / the United Arab Emirates).

Point B · Exercise 77.1 · part 3 of 3

Which is right? Choose the correct form.

  1. (Portugal / The Portugal) has a population of about ten million.

Point C of 5

Oceans, seas, rivers, canals and deserts: the

Oceans, seas, rivers and canals all take the:

Oceans and seas Rivers and canals
the Pacific (Ocean) the Thames
the Arctic Ocean the Danube
the North Sea the Panama Canal
the Irish Sea the Manchester Ship Canal

We also use the with deserts: the Kalahari (Desert), the Atacama Desert.

  • The ferry crosses the Irish Sea twice a day.
  • We had a picnic on the banks of the Thames.
  • The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on earth.

Point C · Extra practice

Write the name in brackets with the.

  1. The ferry crosses twice a day. (Irish Sea)

  2. We had a picnic by . (Thames)

  3. is the largest ocean in the world. (Pacific)

Point D of 5

Plural names: the

Plural names, of people or of places, take the:

Type Examples
families the Patels (the Patel family), the Joneses
countries the Netherlands, the Philippines, the United States
groups of islands the Hebrides, the Maldives, the Scilly Isles
mountain ranges the Pennines, the Pyrenees, the Rockies
  • The Joneses have gone to the Maldives for a fortnight.
  • The highest point in the Pennines is Cross Fell.
  • Manila is the capital of the Philippines.

Point D · Extra practice

Write the name in brackets with the.

  1. have gone to the Maldives. (Joneses)

  2. We went walking in . (Pyrenees)

  3. Manila is the capital of . (Philippines)

Point E of 5

the north of ... and northern ...

We say the north (of Scotland) but northern Scotland, with no the. Likewise the southwest (of France) but southwestern France.

Some region and country names begin with North, South, East or West and have no the at all: North America, South Korea, East Africa, Western Australia.

On maps, the is not usually printed as part of the name, which is a convenience for cartographers and a trap for everyone else.

  • Finland is in northern Europe. Portugal is in the west.
  • We spent a week in the north of Wales.
  • Most of the rain falls in western Scotland.
  • My cousin emigrated to South Africa in 2010.

Point E · Extra practice

Put in the where it is needed. Where it is not needed, write the words on their own.

  1. We spent a week in of Wales. (north)

  2. Most of the rain falls in . (western Scotland)

  3. My cousin moved to in 2010. (South Africa)

Put it together · Exercise 77.2 · part 1 of 3

Some of these sentences are correct, but some need the (sometimes more than once). Write the correct sentence, or write OK if the sentence is already correct.

  1. Example

    Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales.

    OK

    AnswerSnowdon is the highest mountain in Wales.

  2. Example

    Leeds and York are cities in north of England.

    Leeds and York are cities in the north of England.

    AnswerLeeds and York are cities in the north of England.

  3. Asia is much bigger than Australia.

  4. Last summer we went to Canada and United States.

  5. Northern Italy is cooler than south.

  6. Peru and Bolivia are in South America.

Put it together · Exercise 77.2 · part 2 of 3

Some of these sentences are correct, but some need the (sometimes more than once). Write the correct sentence, or write OK if the sentence is already correct.

  1. Our holiday cottage looks out over Lake Windermere.

  2. We're going walking in Scottish Highlands next spring.

  3. UAE is made up of seven emirates.

  4. Canary Islands lie off coast of Africa in Atlantic.

Put it together · Exercise 77.2 · part 3 of 3

Some of these sentences are correct, but some need the (sometimes more than once). Write the correct sentence, or write OK if the sentence is already correct.

  1. My cousin lives in Western Australia.

  2. River Severn flows into Bristol Channel.

Put it together · Exercise 77.3 · part 1 of 4

Here are some geography questions. Choose the answer from the box and use the if necessary. You will not need every name in the box.

Use these

Continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South AmericaCountries: Egypt, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, United KingdomOceans and seas: Arctic, Atlantic, Baltic, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, North Sea, PacificMountains: Alps, Andes, Atlas Mountains, Himalayas, Pyrenees, RockiesRivers and canals: Amazon, Danube, Mississippi, Nile, Panama Canal, Seine, Suez Canal, Thames, Yangtze

  1. Example

    What lies between Britain and Norway? the North Sea

    AnswerWhat lies between Britain and Norway? The North Sea.

  2. Where is Kenya?

  3. Which river flows through Paris?

  4. Of which country is Helsinki the capital?

  5. Of which country is Manila the capital?

Put it together · Exercise 77.3 · part 2 of 4

Here are some geography questions. Choose the answer from the box and use the if necessary. You will not need every name in the box.

Use these

Continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South AmericaCountries: Egypt, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, United KingdomOceans and seas: Arctic, Atlantic, Baltic, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, North Sea, PacificMountains: Alps, Andes, Atlas Mountains, Himalayas, Pyrenees, RockiesRivers and canals: Amazon, Danube, Mississippi, Nile, Panama Canal, Seine, Suez Canal, Thames, Yangtze

  1. Which mountains lie between France and Spain?

  2. In which sea are Jamaica and Cuba?

  3. Which continent is almost entirely covered in ice?

  4. Which is the largest ocean in the world?

Put it together · Exercise 77.3 · part 3 of 4

Here are some geography questions. Choose the answer from the box and use the if necessary. You will not need every name in the box.

Use these

Continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South AmericaCountries: Egypt, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, United KingdomOceans and seas: Arctic, Atlantic, Baltic, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, North Sea, PacificMountains: Alps, Andes, Atlas Mountains, Himalayas, Pyrenees, RockiesRivers and canals: Amazon, Danube, Mississippi, Nile, Panama Canal, Seine, Suez Canal, Thames, Yangtze

  1. Which ocean lies between Africa and Australia?

  2. Which is the longest river in China?

  3. Which river flows through New Orleans?

  4. Of which country is Amsterdam the capital?

Put it together · Exercise 77.3 · part 4 of 4

Here are some geography questions. Choose the answer from the box and use the if necessary. You will not need every name in the box.

Use these

Continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South AmericaCountries: Egypt, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, United KingdomOceans and seas: Arctic, Atlantic, Baltic, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, North Sea, PacificMountains: Alps, Andes, Atlas Mountains, Himalayas, Pyrenees, RockiesRivers and canals: Amazon, Danube, Mississippi, Nile, Panama Canal, Seine, Suez Canal, Thames, Yangtze

  1. What joins the Mediterranean and the Red Sea?

  2. In which mountains is Everest?

Lesson 77 · Result

How you did

Next lesson: Names with and without the 2Back to the course

–Right

Each point

A. People and most places: no the–Not checkedB. Titles, Mount and Lake–Not checkedC. Oceans, seas, rivers, canals and deserts: the–Not checkedD. Plural names: the–Not checkedE. the north of ... and northern ...–Not checkedPut it together–Not checked