Most place names don't take the: Chicago, Texas, Mexico. But some always do: the United States, the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific. There are a few clear patterns, and once you know them, you'll get most names right.
The pattern
We live on Main Street in Denver.
We drove along the Mississippi River.
She studies at the University of Texas.
01No the: cities, states, streets, single peaks and lakes
Don't use the with most cities, states, countries and continents: Seattle, Florida, Canada, Asia. The same goes for streets and squares (Main Street, Fifth Avenue, Broadway, Times Square), parks (Central Park), Lake + name (Lake Michigan) and Mount + name (Mount Rainier). Stores and companies don't take the either: Target, Starbucks.
- My aunt lives in Florida.
- We rented a cabin near Lake Tahoe.
- You can see Mount Rainier from Seattle.
- The store is on Fifth Avenue.
| no the | the |
|---|---|
| Texas, Canada | the United States, the Philippines |
| Lake Michigan | the Great Lakes |
| Mount Rainier | the Rocky Mountains, the Rockies |
| Main Street, Broadway | the Mississippi River, the Hudson |
| Central Park, Times Square | the Pacific Ocean, the Mojave Desert |
| Stanford University | the University of Texas |
| Wrigley Field, Union Station | the White House, the Golden Gate Bridge |
02The: plurals and groups
Use the when a name is plural or a group: the United States, the Philippines, the Great Lakes, the Rocky Mountains, the Florida Keys. Countries with States, Republic or Kingdom take the: the Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom. Short forms keep it: the US, the Rockies.
- My parents moved to the United States in 2015.
- She's from the Dominican Republic.
- We went skiing in the Rockies.
03The: water, deserts, canyons and regions
Use the with rivers, oceans and seas (the Hudson River, the Atlantic), deserts and canyons (the Mojave Desert, the Grand Canyon) and regions (the Midwest, the South, the West Coast, the Bay Area). Remember the contrast: the Mississippi River, but Lake Michigan.
- The Pacific is cold in Northern California.
- My cousin lives in the Midwest.
- We drove across the Mojave Desert at night.
04Buildings, bridges and universities
Famous buildings, bridges and museums usually take the: the White House, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Space Needle. Names with of almost always take the: the Statue of Liberty, the Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Texas. When a university's name comes first, there's no the: Stanford University, Boston University. Many stadiums and stations don't take the either: Wrigley Field, Union Station.
- We took a tour of the White House.
- My brother goes to the University of Michigan.
- She got into Harvard University.
- The Cubs play at Wrigley Field.
05Common mistakes
I moved to United States last year.
I moved to the United States last year.
United States is a plural group of states, so it takes the.
We went hiking near the Mount Rainier.
We went hiking near Mount Rainier.
Mount + name never takes the.
Her office is on the Main Street.
Her office is on Main Street.
Street names don't take the.
He studies at University of Texas.
He studies at the University of Texas.
University of + name takes the.