Look at these examples to see when the is and isn't used.
I'm going to bed.
I walk to work.
My children are going to start school.
I visited the school yesterday.
Mount Everest is in the Himalayas.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Grammar explanation
Here are some ways we use articles in common phrases and place names.
Common phrases
We don't usually use an article in expressions with bed, work and home.
go to bed / be in bed
go to work / be at work / start work / finish work
go home / be at home / get home / stay at home
We also don't normally use an article in expressions with school, university, prison and hospital.
start school / go to school / be at school
go to university / be at university
be sent to prison / go to prison / be in prison
go to hospital / be in hospital
But we usually use the if someone is just visiting the place, and not there as a student/prisoner/patient, etc.
My son has started school now. I went to the school to meet his teacher.
I went to the prison a lot when I was a social worker.
I'm at the hospital. My sister has just had a baby.
Place names
We don't normally use an article for continents, most countries, cities, towns, lakes, mountains or universities. So, we say:
Africa, Asia, Europe
India, Ghana, Peru, Denmark
Addis Ababa, Hanoi, New York, Moscow
Lake Victoria, Lake Superior, Lake Tanganyika
Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus
Cardiff University, Harvard University, Manchester University
Some countries are different. Country names with United have the. There are other countries which are exceptions too. So, we say:
the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America
the Bahamas, the Gambia
Seas and oceans, mountain ranges and rivers have the:
the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Mediterranean
the Andes, the Himalayas, the Alps
the Nile, the Amazon, the Yangtze
Universities with of in the title also have the:
the University of Cape Town, the University of Delhi, the University of Tokyo
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
LearnEnglish team,
We have the UN, the EU but WHO, UNESCO without 'the'. Why is so?
Are there some rules to ddetermine whether to use 'the' or not in this type of situations?
Can you provide detailed answer or any other references clarifying my query?
Thank you!
Hello ShetuYogme,
Generally, institutions such as these take the definite article with both the full name and the acronym:
However, the convention is with many of the UN's specialist organisations that the acronym is treated like a proper name without an article. UNESCO is one example but there are others:
This is something that has grown up through use rather than through the application of a rule. Reading widely is the best way to familiarise yourself with tendencies like this that are not really expressions of rules.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Really ... im enjoyed by this lesson and exploration a new countries and vocabulary so ilove it ...
i live in sudan , i going to my sester in the hospital she is a doctor i get the lunch for his and after that i going to the nile rive enjoy by view
Can one use an article with the names of theories, i.e., the agency theory, the accountability theory, etc.? This suggests that there is a definitive theory, whereas theories are interpreted in diverse ways by people who use them. I would therefore prefer not to use the article. Please help.
Hello Viljol,
The definite article is most often used when the theory contains 'of': the theory of gravity, the theory of relativity, the theory of evolution etc.
When the theory is simply a name we usually don't use an article: game theory, agency theory, quantum theory, chaos theory etc.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
I study history major at Dagon University. My hometown, Putao is far from my university.
I build sentences by using the articles.
Is that correct sentence?
Thanks for precious grammar lesson.
Could you please tell me if you would keep or delete the indefinite article before the second appositive (i.e., a crime novelist) in the following phrase taken from The New Yorker?
"Frank Tallis, a British clinical psychologist and a crime novelist" (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/06/10/what-does-freud-still-have-to-teach-us?...)
Hello Sefika,
The second article is not necessary here and I would omit it. This is a choice based on style rather than grammar, so opinions may vary.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
I would also omit it. That's why I asked that question. Thanks for your help, Peter.
LearnEnglish team,
We generally say "the United Nations", "the European Union", and "the Republic of India". Does it mean we should use "the" with unions, councils, organisations and political parties? Should we write "the British Broadcasting Corporation", "the British Council of English", "the All India Radio" or should we skip using "the"?
But I know that "All India Radio" is used without "the". Why so?
Now coming to political parties, should I say "the Conservative Party", "the Labour Party";
"the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)", "the Indian National Congress", "the Shivsena" (these are the Indian political parties) or should I not use "the" with political parties?
Thank you.