In part one I focused on unique things and country-related things.
In part two I will talk about location-related things and time-related things.
In location-related nouns, some of them use the, while some don't.
Let's compare which ones start with the and which ones have no articles.
Number one, names of oceans, seas, and rivers come after the.
The Pacific Ocean, the Caspian Sea, and the Amazon River.
On the other hand, lakes and waterfalls generally do not have the before it.
Lake Lugano and Niagara Falls.
Number two, mountain ranges use the.
The Alps or the Canadian Rockies.
Notice that I said mountain ranges and not a mountain.
If it is just one mountain, like Mount Everest or Mount Kilimanjaro, there is no article before.
Number three, deserts.
Deserts use the.
The Sahara Desert, the Gobi Desert.
Number four, specific regions often use the.
The Middle East, the Balkans.
Actually, within the United States, there are specific areas where you use the.
The Northwest, the West Coast, the South.
Now here's a little challenge.
What's the difference between saying I am going to the South
versus I am going south?
In the first sentence it has the, which emphasizes a specific area in southern United States.
However, in the second sentence, I am just saying that I am going in the direction of south.
It is not a specific area.
In the second sentence there is no article before south.
In the last group we'll talk about time-related events.
I want to highlight how to use or not use articles related to holidays, time periods, and dates.
To do this, let me share with you about one of my favorite holidays.
I love Chinese New Year.
When I was growing up in the 1980s, I often went to Chinatown to see the lion dances.
Every year the start date changes because of the lunar calendar.
One year it was on February 14th.
This past year, it was on the 8th of February.
I hope it is never on Friday the 13th.
That's an unlucky day.
First, let's look at holidays.
Do not use an article before the name of a holiday.
In other words, I shouldn't say, I love the Chinese New Year.
It's wrong.
Next is time periods.
When you're talking about a period of time like a decade or a specific time of importance, add the.
The 1960s, the 1980s, the 90s, or the Renaissance Period, the Middle Ages, the Information Age.
Lastly, let's talk about dates.
There are three sentences related to dates.
One year, it was on February 14th.
This past year, it was on the 8th of February.
I hope it is never on Friday the 13th.
We have months, we have day of the week.
Finally, we have ordinal numbers.
As you noticed, two sentences include the before the ordinal number,
one sentence doesn't.
Unfortunately there is not really an easy way to learn the pattern.
So take the time to study the patterns in the chart.
In the first sentence, if you have month plus ordinal number, like February 14th, there is no the article.
If you have ordinal number plus of plus month,
like 8th of February, use the before ordinal number.
The 8th of February.
If you have day of the week plus ordinal number, Friday and 13th, use the between the day of the week and ordinal number.
Friday the 13th.
Now that we are finished, you are probably thinking, there are so many rules.
This is true, and that's why you need to review and practice often so that you can memorize them more naturally.
Good luck.
