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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

THE

I am tutoring an adult english learner. (I am not a trained teacher, but a volunteer) She wrote, " I would like to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the famous Yankee Stadium, and the Times Square." I pointed out that to say "the Times Square" is incorrect. It's just "Times Square". She does not understand, because using "the" in front of the first two places she named is correct. I cannot find a way to explain this to her! (Also, if she hadn't included the adjective "famous", there would be no "the" in front of Yankee Stadium either!) Is there a rule I can give her? something simple? Like many, I know what's right or wrong when I hear it, but I'll be damned if I can explain it!
  

Top answer

Not an easy subject: there are whole books on the definite and indefinite articles. ) take articles. For your other case, there are guidelines, not rules.

  • Not an easy subject: there are whole books on the definite and indefinite articles.
  • ) take articles.
  • For your other case, there are guidelines, not rules.
  • Most grammar books have lists of things that usually take or don't take articles: lakes don't (Bear Lake) but rivers do (the Mississippi River), for instance.
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1 Answers
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Not an easy subject: there are whole books on the definite and indefinite articles. For your cases: modified proper nouns (the famous Yankee Stadium, the renowned Yo-Yo Ma, a reinvented Sarah Palin) often (always?) take articles.

For your other case, there are guidelines, not rules. Most grammar books have lists of things that usually take or don't take articles: lakes don't (

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