Proper Nouns

Category

Examples

Geographical names

France, the Atlantic Ocean, Chicago, the Amazon River, the Rocky Mountains

Religions and nationalities

Catholicism, Buddhists, Chinese, Islam, Muslims, North Americans, Christianity

Historical or artistic periods and events

World War II, Impressionism, the Middle Ages, the Civil War, the Renaissance

Days, months, or holidays

劳动节,周四,4月,新ar’s Eve, the Fourth of July, Easter

Brand or company names

Pepsi-Cola, Sony, the Bank of America, America Express, Quaker Oats, Cadillac

Titles of publications or published work

New York Times (newspaper), War and Peace (novel), “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” (poem)

People (including their titles)

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Jones, Lord Byron, President Lincoln, King James, Senator Black

Course titles (but not fields of study)

He is taking Philosophy 101.

He is studying philosophy.

Rules

Examples

Any name with a prepositional phrase

containing “of”will take“the”

the Republic of….

the University of Michigan (vs.Harvard University)

the Gulf of…

the Straits of…

the Isle of Wight (vs.Paradise Island)

the Fourth of July (vs.Thanksgiving)

Oceans, seas, and rivers take “the”

Lakes and streets takezero article

I live near the Atlantic Ocean, the Hudson River.

I live on Lake Ontario, Mulberry Street, Route 64, Fifth Avenue.

Exceptions: the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the Bronx

River Parkway

General regions take“the”

the South, the Riviera, the East Side, the Arctic, the Western Hemisphere

Nouns of nationality use no article when referring to a language

Nouns of nationality take“the”when referring to a people group

Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands.

The Dutch live in the Netherlands.