English article and proper noun

Question

Hi,I think CB or someone from this forum has said something to the effect that some proper nouns does have the definite article in front of them due to the fact that part of their names contain common nouns.eg,The Document Review Committee has been established to ...How would you decide whether the following proper names should have the definite article in front or not? To me, the word without capitalization, 'palace','arboretum' and 'village' seem to be common nouns.1) This is a UNESCO World Heritage site. If you visit (the???) Changdeokgung Palace, you will be impressed.2)  It is the only arboretum in Seoul. If you visit (the???) Hongleung Arboretum, you will be impressed. -- I don't know if I have spelled the name correctly.3) If you visit (the???) Namsangol Traditional Village in downtown Seoul, you will be impressed.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

These are all non-English named places. If no one has yet established a usage in English, you can be the first.

In my opinion you can establish any of these three with or without the. It's up to you.

The presence of the adjective traditional in the third example suggests to me, however, that the established English usage would include the. Personally I would leave out the in the first two.

CJ

Cool Breeze · Answer

Jim makes sense!

I would just like to correct one thing inyour post, Anon. I have never said that the should be used if a name contains common nouns. Leaving out the is common if a name consists of nothing but common nouns. However, it is very common to omit the article in names that consist of a proper noun + a common noun: Buckingham Palace, Helsinki University, Gatwick Airport, London Bridge.

CB

Huevos · Answer

Cool BreezeBuckingham Palace, Helsinki University, Gatwick Airport, London Bridge

Just a side note: even when there is an established use, as in CB's examples, the article may still be used in certain contexts. For example:
Person A: Where are you going to meet Jane?
Person B: On London Bridge.
Person A: On which London bridge?
Person B: On the London Bridge.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you, everyone.

Can you tell me the reason behind the first two of the following non-English names (as all three seem to be since it is (looks to be?) a Korean place name written in alphabets based on how they sound) having the indefinite article "a"? If the nature of a Korean word is that of a common noun in English, should I attach an article based on what it represents (if you know what I mean). Note it is italized. Why italicize? I think the third don't need an article since it is presumed to be a plural noun.

A hanok is a traditional yangban wooden house that has remained ...

A seowon is a traditional academy.

To me, yeoinsuk (family-run budget motels) offer low-end alternative to regular motels or hotels.

BarbaraPA · Answer

I'm really not sure there is a rule that works. The Chrsyter Building, the Pacific Ocean, the Ural Mountains, the High Museum of Art, etc.

Cool Breeze · Answer

Grammar GeekI'm really not sure there is a rule that works. The Chrsyter Building, the Pacific Ocean, the Ural Mountains, the High Museum of Art, etc.

Hi GG
Do you mean my rule? If you do,
1. I said it is common to omit the article, I didn't say it always happens, and
2. Pacific is not a noun, it's an adjective. All names of seas take an article: the Atlantic, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean. The Ural Mountains takes an article because it's a geaographic name in the plural. Others: the Alps, the United States, the Hebrides. The High Museum of Art takes an artcicle because it's a museum. Other museums: the British Museum, the Tate Gallery.
The Chrysler Buildingis indeed a good exception to the rule I described above (or below, depending on the order you see the posts in

.Chrysler is a proper noun and building is a common noun, yet the article is used.
There are names which usually take the article no matter what kind of words they are made of, like seas, museums, plural geographic names etc. There are also names that are often treated differently in Britain and America. For instance names of bridges don't usually take an article in Britain: London Bridge, Waterloo Bridge. In America: the Golden Gate Bridge.
Moreover, there are exceptions to nearly all rules in English. Fortunately using the with the wrong proper noun seldom causes misunderstanding.
Cheers, CB

CalifJim · Answer

Cool BreezeJim makes sense!

It happens now and then.

Anonymous · Answer

Hi, Thank you so much again.

Can anyone tell me why having the indefinite article 'a' is the right thing to do here? I don't think the italicized words are proper nouns, since among other reasons which I can't think of right now, they are not capitalized. They seem to be literal translation of the English words 'house' and 'academy' and that seem to be the reason why they have the articles "a's". Right?

A hanok is a traditional yangban wooden house that has remained ...
A seowon is a traditional academy.

.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Yes.

Clive

Cool Breeze · Answer

Hi Anon
In my opinion the best way to learn when to use the definite article with a proper noun is to memorize the most common cases in which the article is normally used. I posted a list of them in my younger days. You can find it

If a proper noun does not belong to any of those groups, it is most likely used without the. There are exceptions, of course. A few of them are mentioned in the above link.
CB

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