articles with names

Most names of people and places don't take an article. But some kinds of place name always take the. You learn it by the kind of place.

No article

• most countries: Japan, France, Brazil
• cities, towns and streets: Manchester, Oxford Street
• continents: Europe, Asia, Africa
• single mountains: Mount Fuji, Ben Nevis
• single lakes: Lake Geneva
• single islands: Sicily, Crete

The

• countries with a word like Kingdom, States or Republic: the UK, the United States, the Czech Republic
• plural names: the Netherlands, the Philippines
• rivers: the Thames, the Nile
• seas and oceans: the Mediterranean, the Pacific
• mountain ranges: the Alps, the Himalayas
• groups of islands: the Canaries
• deserts: the Sahara

Of in the name

Names with of usually take the: the Tower of London, the Bay of Biscay, the University of Manchester.

Buildings and places in a city

Many hotels, museums, theatres and cinemas take the: the British Museum, the Ritz. Stations, airports and parks usually don't: Piccadilly Station, Heathrow Airport, Hyde Park.

Common mistakes

• × I live in the Manchester. → I live in Manchester.
• × She comes from United Kingdom. → She comes from the United Kingdom.
• × We swam in the Lake Windermere. → We swam in Lake Windermere.
• × I'd love to see Alps. → I'd love to see the Alps.