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Ask for help > Help plz.
Help plz.
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Noel L
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Help plz.
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Greetings.
Why do we say
"The Golden Gate Bridge" or "The Eiffel Tower" but ...
"London Bridge" or "Tokyo Tower" ?
and ...
"The White House" but "Buckingham Palace" ?
Whats the rule plz for using "the � when referring to structures/buildings.
Thanks in anticipation.
Noel.
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18 Aug 2010
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SueThom
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The use of the definite article with place names is very complex and I �ve yet to see a good rule (or list of rules) that doesn �t have a ton of exceptions.
With some locations, there is a sort of logic, e.g. I doubt there are very many
Buckingham Palaces around, but there are an awful lot of white houses,
so to distinguish the one in which the US President lives, it makes
sense to use the definite article.
From what I �ve read, "the" is used with most hotels, museums, theaters, and art galleries, but is usually not used in the titles of the
principal public buildings of a town when the title begins
with the town name. However, much usage varies so widely as to defy any
attempt to determine a rule (e.g. names of less important institutions).
Because of this, rather than risk having the students get
frustrated trying to memorize a series of rules and lists (which have a fairly low
value in terms of increasing their communication skills), some instructors present the material briefly�but don �t test extensively on it�and suggest
students may want to determine the place names they use most frequently and learn
the appropriate format for those. Over
time, this list should expand. That said, if sometime has a nice, accurate, easy-to-remember list, I �d love to find out about it!
Sue
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18 Aug 2010
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Jayho
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Hi Noel
Is this general rule of any use?
We normally use the with buildings, except if the first word is the name of a place.
The White House, The Sheraton Hotel.
Oxford University, Buckingham Palace.
It�s from here. Mind you, Buckingham Palace is not in the place called Buckingham, plus, it was actually named after a person so it doesn�t quite fit the rule.
You�ll find a different explanation in Murphy�s English Grammar in Use Intermediate. He says
Use no article when it is the name of a person e.g. Kennedy Airport, Cambridge University
Use the when it is not the name of a person e.g. The White House, The Royal Palace
He does say it is a general rule and that there are exceptions. Actually, his unit on this is quite comprehensive and a good reference for students.
Cheers
Jayho |
18 Aug 2010
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ELOJOLIE274
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Hi,
Jayho �s explanation is very complete, however if we follow the rule we should say "Eiffel Tower" since Eiffel was the man who built the Eiffel Tower... sure there are exceptions and it �s great that Noel L brought up this topic!!!
have a nice day ;)
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18 Aug 2010
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blunderbuster
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Elo, I am glad you mention that because last year I did indeed have problems with "Buckingham Palace" myself. My feeling told me: no "the", but there are tons of (semi-) official sites that use the deifinite acticle here.....
Making a list of more examples that are exceptions would be most helpful to a lot of us, I think.
Regards
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18 Aug 2010
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