singprop/the

To show Importance
If you want to show someone is important or eminent, you can put the before his or her name:
e.g.

John: 'Did anyone call when I was out of the office?'

Bill: 'Yes, Mr Fukuzaki called for you.'

John: 'Not the Mr Fukuzaki?'

Bill: 'That's right, the Mr Fukuzaki-the president of our company.'

This conversation indicates that John perhaps knows more than one person with the surname Fukuzaki, but one of them is more important than the others. The Mr Fukuzaki is the president of the company that employs him.

To indicate the person's importance, the is usually pronounced with a long vowel (thee) rather than the short vowel usually used.

Back

To show Specificity with some adjectives
Sometimes, to show the difference between members of the same family, adjectives are used. In these cases the adjective is preceded by the:
e.g.
the younger Hanada brother
the elder Suzuki

However, proper nouns that are countable (nationalities, religions, clubs, etc.) follow the same rules as common nouns:
e.g.
I know a young Australian. He is a devout Buddhist.

Of course, to show SPECIFICITY or PREVIOUS MENTION, the article the is used:
e.g.

The old Frenchman who runs the wine bar is very friendly. (specificity)

Brand names and works of art are also among the proper nouns that are quantifiable:
e.g.

He plays a Gibson Les Paul guitar. The instrument used to belong to Eric Clapton. (previous mention)

Back

Before some phrasal proper nouns
The article the is often used with proper nouns grouped in a phrase to name something or give it a title:
e.g.

The University College of Wales
The University of Illinois
The London School of Economics (LSE)

but (no article):

Tokyo University / Columbia University / Oxford University / Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Usually if church is in the title of a religion, then the is used:
e.g.

The Roman Catholic Church
The Church of England
The Greek Orthodox Church
The Baptist Church

but there are some religious groups which do not have church in their titles but which take the:
e.g.

The Salvation Army
The Society of Friends
The Radha Krishna Temple
The Jehovah's Witnesses

With non-Christian religions, the word faith or religion is often used and the phrase takes the:
e.g.

The Islamic faith / religion
The Hindu faith / religion
The Jewish faith / religion

but in many cases a phrasal noun is not used:
e.g.

Buddhism / Islam / Hinduism / Christianity / Catholicism / Protestantism / Zoroastrianism

The article the is often used before phrases describing historical events, especially wars and battles:
e.g.

The French Revolution
The Russo-Japanese War
The War of Jenkins' Ear
The Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Sekigahara
The Pacific War
The First World War
The Second World War

but (no article):

World War One (WWI) / World War Two (WWII)

Some company names are preceded by the article the:
e.g.

The Ford Motor Company
The Bank of Tokyo
The Shell Oil Company
The Economist Newspaper Ltd.

but most company names do not take an article.

Many governmental agencies, departments and commissions are preceded by the article the:
e.g.

The Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO)
The World Health Organisation (WHO)
The Department of Trade and Industry
The Agency for International Development
The Internal Revenue Service
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Most doctrines and pacts are preceded by the:
e.g.

The Monroe Doctrine
The United Nations Charter
The Thoughts of Chairman Mao
The Treaty of Kanagawa

Back

Before Certain Titles
The title of a ruler, a member of royalty, a religious leader or a government official is often preceded by the if the person's actual name is not used:
e.g.:

The Queen of England
The Emperor of Japan
The Prime Minister of Britain
The President of the USA
The Prince of Wales
The Pope

but NOT with actual names:

e.g.: Queen Elizabeth / Emperor Akihito / Prime Minister Blair / President Bush
/ Prince Charles / Pope John Paul II

However, occasionally there are instances when the is used with a title and a person's name:
e.g.

The Reverend Jesse Jackson

Back

Before Geographical names
1) Bodies of Water
Usually the article the is used before the names of rivers, canals, seas, straits, gulfs and oceans:
e.g.
The Panama Canal The Nile The Suez Canal The Yodogawa
The Red Sea The Bering Strait The Akashi Straits
The Gulf of Mexico The Pacific The Atlantic The Gulf of Siam

However with bay there are exceptions:
e.g.
Osaka Bay Hudson Bay

but
The Bay of Bengal The Bay of Pigs

Lakes do not usually take an article:
e.g.
Lake Superior / Lake Biwa / Lake Windermere / Loch Ness

2) Island Groups
e.g.
The Hawaiian Islands The Channel Islands The Ryukyus

If a single island is referred to then no article is used:
e.g.
Honshu Maui Yap Sicily

but if the word isle is part of the name then the article the is used:
e.g.:
The Isle of Wight The Isle of Man The Isle of Skye

3) Mountain Ranges
e.g.
The Rockies The Japan Alps The Urals The Ozarks

However, an article is not usually used before the name of a single mountain:
e.g.
Mt. Fuji Mt. Everest Mt. Etna

except in the cases of:
The Matterhorn The Eiger The Jungfraujoch etc.

4) Deserts
The article the is used before most desert regions:
e.g.
The Sahara The Kalahari The Gobi The Mojave The Sind The Rub 'al Khali

5) Some Countries
The article the is part of the name of some countries:
e.g.
The United States of America The United Kingdom The Philippines The Ukraine

In these cases the countries often consist of sections which make up the whole:
e.g.
The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

If the word Republic is used as part of a country's name, it usually takes the:
e.g.
The People's Republic of China The Republic of Korea

In the past Argentina and Lebanon were often called The Argentine and The Lebanon. You may see these usages in old books.

6) Some place names:
e.g.
The Hague The Bronx The Yukon The Badlands The Panhandle

Back