Why there is "the" before some names but not others [closed]
Is there a rule beyond the common "no the with proper nouns and names" for the following problem?
I saw the Empire State Building.
We went to the White House.
We saw the Golden Gate Bridge.
but
I went to Death Valley National Park.
I crossed Brooklyn Bridge.
Solution 1:
For buildings, there are no clear rules. We say “The Eiffel Tower” but there’s no the in “Tokyo Tower”. We say “The White House” and “The New York Met”, but there’s no the in “Sydney Opera House”.
In general, we use the for proper nouns denoting:
- plural names (The Simpsons, The Philippines, …)
- any institution or establishment where part of the name is a noun denoting the kind of institution or establishment (The British Broadcasting Corporation, The White House, The French Republic, …)
- newspapers (but not magazines)
- rivers, canals, seas and oceans (but not lakes)
But note that we do not use the if there is an “’s” in the name, even when the apostrophe has been dropped. (St Paul’s Cathedral, Harrods Department Store, …)
Solution 2:
These two references explain the use of "THE" with proper nouns rather nicely:
- Proper nouns without the THE
- Proper nouns with the THE
Solution 3:
In American dialects it is the predominant habit to use "the" with structures (including "the Brooklyn Bridge," but to omit "the" with places that have less specific or pertinent boundaries (such as a National Park). Often, the use or omission of "the" conveys a particular nuance. "I went to Cowboys Stadium," implies that I went to the general location and/or to many places within the bounds of the place; whereas, "I went to the Cowboys Stadium" connotes a trip to the structure itself, maybe to examine or photograph it, perhaps.
More often than not, however, the use or omission of "the" simply reflects local, regional, or national idiomatic usage. British usage, for instance, says "He was in hospital following his accident"; while American usage is "He was in the hospital…" Likewise with "university"; British omits "the" while American inserts it.
Within America, within California even, denizens of the Los Angeles region insert "the" before freeway identifiers: "I took the 405," "I'm on the Santa Monica"; while San Francisco Bay Area residents say: "I took 101 north to the City," "I'm on Bayshore."