Some place names take the article ‘the’ with them, but some other place names are used without the article the. Can you use articles correctly? Test your understanding with this grammar exercise.
1. ........................... is the longest river in the world.
We use the article 'the' before the names of rivers, mountains etc.
2. ............................ is one of the largest lakes in Africa.
We do not normally use articles with lakes.
3. ......................... is the highest peak in the world.
Articles are not normally used with the names single mountains.
4. .......................... are an example of a folded mountain range.
The article 'the' is used with the names of mountain groups.
5. .......................... is the largest desert in the world.
The article 'the' is used with the names of deserts.
6. He was my classmate at .......................................
'The' is not normally used in the titles of major universities and principal public buildings.
7. We are going to ........................ for summer.
We do not use articles with the names of countries.
8. Mandarin is the official language of .............................................
Countries whose names contain common nouns like state, union or republic usually take the article 'the'.
9. London is on ............................
We use 'the' with the names of rivers.
10. .......................... attracts thousands of visitors each day.
We use 'the' with the names of most museums and art galleries.
11. His brother lives in ..........................
We do not use articles with the names of continents, countries, states, counties etc.
12. ......................... is the largest continent in the world.
We do not use articles with the names of continents.
Answers
1. The Nile is the longest river in the world.
2. Lake Victoria is one of the largest lakes in Africa.
3. Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world.
4. The Himalayas are an example of a folded mountain range.
5. Sahara is the largest desert in the world.
6. He was my classmate at Oxford University.
7. We are going to Switzerland for summer.
8. Mandarin is the official language of the People’s Republic of China.
9. London is on the Thames.
10. The British Museum attracts thousands of visitors each day.
11. His brother lives in Texas.
12. Asia is the largest continent in the world.
