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Place names

Buildings, monuments, cathedrals, etc​

We use the with some names of buildings (we usually write the without a capital letter, the Taj Mahal, the Alhambra, the Houses of Parliament, the Pentagon) but not with others: Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, St Paul’s Cathedral, Chichen Itza.

Roads, streets, etc​

We use the with the names of major roads in a country: the M6, the A40, but not with the names of areas, squares, streets and roads in a town or city: Broadway, Covent Garden, Times Square, Princes Street.

Facilities in a town or city​

We usually use the with the names of hotels, cinemas, museums and art galleries: the Marriott, the Louvre, the National Gallery.

When we are referring to buildings or institutions that don’t include the name of a town or city, we use the: the airport, the University Press, but not when the name of the town or city is included: Gatwick Airport, Cambridge University Press.

But there are some exceptions:

  • Have you been on the London Eye?
  • They’ve been on the Eye at least ten times.
  • We saw ‘Mamma Mia’ at the Bristol Hippodrome. (the name of a theatre)
  • Have you been to the Hippodrome since they renovated it?

The sea, the coast, etc​

When we are referring to general features of a country or its landscape, we use the: the sea, the countryside, the city, the coast.

Places: fixed expressions​

There are a lot of common fixed expressions relating to places. We don’t normally use the with these expressions. Here are some of them:

  • to town: I’m going to town this afternoon.
  • in town: She works in town.
  • at school/university: They met at university.
  • from school/university: What time do they get home from school?
  • in hospital: Linda’s been in hospital since Friday.
  • in prison: Her husband is in prison, and life is very difficult for her.