Injured / poor / rich / sick / unemployed / young

1. _The young_ have the future in their hands.

2. Ambulances arrived at the scene of the accident and took.................... to hospital.

3. Life is all right if you have a job, but things are not so easy for.....................

4. Julia has been a nurse all her life. She has spent her life caring for.....................

5. In England there is an old story about a man called Robin Hood. It is said that he robbed.................... and gave the money to.....................

 

4 What do you call the people of these countries?

1. Canada? one person (a/an...): a Canadian the people in general: the Canadian

2. Germany? one person (a/an...): the people in general:

3. France? one person (a/an...): the people in general:

4. Russia? one person (a/an...): the people in general:

5. China? one person (a/an...): the people in general:

6. Brazil? one person (a/an...): the people in general:

7. England? one person (a/an...): the people in general:

8. and your country? one person (a/an...): the people in general:

 

 

A. We do not use 'the' with names of people ('Ann', 'Ann Taylor' etc.). In the same way, we do not normally use 'the' with names of places. For example: continents: Africa (not 'the Africa'), Europe, South America countries: France (not 'the France'), Japan, Switzerland states, regions etc.: Texas, Cornwall, Tuscany, Central Europe islands: Corsica, Sicily, Bermuda cities, towns etc.: Cairo, New York, Madrid mountains: Everest, Etna, Kilimanjaro. But we use the in names with 'Republic', 'Kingdom', 'States' etc.: the United States of America (the USA), the United Kingdom (the UK), the Dominican Republic. Compare: * We visited Canada and 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/Aunt Jane/Saint Catherine/Princess Anne etc. (not 'the...'). Compare: * We called the doctor. but We called Doctor Johnson. (not 'the Doctor Johnson') We use mount (= mountain) and lake in the same way (without 'the'): Mount Everest (not 'the...') Mount Etna Lake Superior Lake Constance * They live near the lake. but They live near Lake Constance. (without 'the')

C. We use the with the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals: the Atlantic (Ocean), the Mediterranean (Sea), the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Channel (between France and Britain), the Suez Canal, the (River), Amazon, the (River) Thames, the Nile, the Rhine.

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, the British Isles

mountain ranges: the Rocky Mountains/the Rockies, the Andes, the Alps

* The highest mountain in the Alps is Mont Blanc. (not 'the Mont Blanc')

E. North/northern etc. We say: the north (of France) but northern France (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. You can also use north/south etc. + a place name (without 'the'): North America, West Africa, South-East Spain. Note that on maps, the is not usually included in the name.

 

EXERCISES

1 Put in the where necessary. Leave a space (-) if the sentence is already complete.

1. Who is - Doctor Johnson? (The sentence is complete without the.)

2. I was ill, so I went to see.................... doctor.

3..................... President is the most powerful person in.................... United States.

4..................... President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

5. Do you know.................... Wilsons? They're a very nice couple.

6. Do you know.................... Professor Brown's phone number?

 

2 Some of these sentences are correct, but some need the (perhaps more than once). Correct the sentences where necessary. Put 'RIGHT' if the sentence is already correct.

1. Everest was first climbed in 1953. _RIGHT_

2. Milan is in north of Italy. _the north of Italy._

3. Africa is much larger than Europe.

4. Last year I visited Mexico and United States.

5. South of England is warmer than north.

6. Portugal is in western Europe.

7. France and Britain are separated by Channel.

8. Jim has travelled a lot in Middle East.

9. Chicago is on Lake Michigan.

10. The highest mountain in Africa is Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters).

11. Next year we are going skiing in Swiss Alps.

12. United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

13. Seychelles are a group of islands in Indian Ocean.

14. River Volga flows into Caspian Sea.

 

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, Rhine, Danube, Thames, Nile, Volga, Suez Canal, Panama Canal

1. What do you have to cross to travel from Europe to America? _The Atlantic_

2. Where is Argentina?

3. Which is the longest river in Africa?

4. Of which country is Stockholm the capital?

5. Of which country is Washington the capital?

6. What is the name of the mountain range in the west of North America?

7. What is the name of the sea between Africa and Europe?

8. Which is the smallest continent in the world?

9. What is the name of the ocean between America and Asia?

10. What is the name of the ocean between Africa and Australia?

11. Which river flows through London?

12. Which river flows through Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade?

13. Of which country is Bangkok the capital?

14. What joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans?

15. Which is the longest river in South America?

 

A. Names without 'the' We do not use 'the' with names of most streets/roads/squares/parks etc.: Union Street (not 'the...'), Fifth Avenue, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park, Blackrock Road, Broadway Times Square, Waterloo Bridge. Many names (especially names of important buildings and institutions) are two words: Kennedy Airport, Cambridge University. The first word is usually the name of a person ('Kennedy') or a place ('Cambridge'). We do not usually use 'the' with names like these. Some more examples: Victoria Station (not 'the...') Edinburgh Castle, London Zoo, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Canterbury Cathedral. But we say 'the White House', 'the Royal Palace', because 'white' and 'royal' are not names like 'Kennedy' and 'Cambridge'. This is only a general rule and there are exceptions.

B. Most other names (of places, buildings etc.) have names with the: adjective or the + name etc. + noun: the Hilton Hotel, the National Theatre, the Sahara Desert, the Atlantic Ocean. These places usually have names with the:

· hotels/restaurants/pubs: the Station Hotel, the Bombay Restaurant, the Red Lion (pub)

· theatres/cinemas: the Palace Theatre, the Odeon Cinema

· museums/galleries: the British Museum, the Tate Gallery

· other buildings: the Empire State Building, the Festival Hall, the White House

· oceans/seas/canals: the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal

· newspapers: the Washington Post, the Financial Times

· organizations: the European Union, the BBC (= the British Broadcasting Corporation)

Sometimes we leave out the noun: the Hilton (Hotel), the Sahara (Desert). Sometimes the name is only the + noun: the Vatican (in Rome), the Sun (British newspaper). Names with ... of... usually have the. For example: the Bank of England, the Tower of London, the Museum of Modern Art, the Houses of Parliament, the Great Wall of China, the Tropic of Capricorn, the Gulf of Mexico, the University of London (but the London University).

C. Many shops, restaurants, hotels, banks etc. are named after the people who started them. These names end in -'s or -s. We do not use 'the' with these names: Lloyds Bank (not the Lloyds Bank), McDonalds, Jack's, Harrods (shop). Churches are often named after saints: St John's Church (not the St John's Church) St Paul's Cathedral.

D. Names of companies, airlines etc. are usually without 'the': Fiat (not the Fiat), Sony, Kodak, British Airways, IBM

EXERCISES

1 Use the map to answer the questions in the way shown. Write the name of the place and the street it is in. On maps we do not normally use the. In your sentences, use the if necessary.

1. Is there a cine a near here? Yes, the Odeon in Baines Street.

2. Is there a supermarket near here? Yes,.................... in.....................

3. Is there a hotel near here? Yes,.................... in.....................

4. Is there a church near here? Yes,.....................

5. Is there a nub near here? Yes......................

6. Is there a museum near here? Yes,.....................

7. Is there a bank near here? Yes,.....................

8. Is there a Park near here? Yes,.................... at the end of.....................

9. Is there a restaurant near here? Yes,.....................

 

2 Where are these streets and buildings? Choose from the box to complete the sentences. Use the where necessary.