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
I think the clue is always practice and practice and practice. Thanks a lot for the explanation. It was really helpful.
It was even more useful than the previous one.
Thanks!
Signing off:)
Hi,
Why in the grammar test 2 - "___ University of Nottingham is in the United Kingdom" University of Nottingham without "the"
However in the rules -Universities with of in the title also have the:
the University of Cape Town, the University of Delhi, the University of Tokyo
Hi olessya.diyunova,
The correct answer is 'The' but note that for it to be accepted you need to use a capital letter - 'the' is wrong; 'The' is correct.
After checking your answers you can alway click 'Show answers' to see the key if you're not sure what the correct answer is.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Please , can you explain to me why did we need to use "the" for bahamas in grammar test 2 ?
Thank you so much 🙏
Hello imane_ben,
We also use 'the' with groups of islands such as 'The Bahamas', 'The Philippines', 'The Andaman Islands', etc. In general, whenever there's the idea of plurality -- when there's more than one island, it's a plural concept, or when the name of a nation has the word 'united', it suggests multiple states inside it -- we use 'the'.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hi, you are right, just verify use capital letters, The, instead the.
Hello Team,
I need some clarification on the following situation. Which one is correct and why?
A University or An University.
I was taught the first one is correct but I´m pretty sure I have already heard the second one.
Thanks in advance.
Mara
Hello disconzi,
The correct answer is 'a university'.
The key is to recognise the sound which begins the word, not the letter. The word 'university' begins with the letter 'u' but the sound /j/ as in the words 'yes', 'yellow' and 'yesterday'. Other words like university include useful, usual, universe, united, Uruguayan and UFO.
When the sound is /u/ (short) or /u:/ (long) we use 'an': umbrella, unusual, unknown and ultimate.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you, Peter!