Geographical Use of the Definite Article, The

English uses the definite article, the, in front of some geographical names but not in front of others.

Geographical Use of the Definite Article (The) With Country Names

Typically, the article the is not used before the names of countries and territories:

Our flight to the China was canceled.

Our flight to China was canceled.

However, the is used before countries whose names are plural in form:

Have you ever been to Netherlands?

Have you ever been to the Netherlands?

The is also used with countries whose names include the words states, kingdom, or republic:

My sister lives in United States.

My sister lives in the United States.

My brother lives in United Kingdom.

My brother lives in the United Kingdom.

Other Rules for the Geographical Use of the Definite Article, The

Do not use the before the names of

continents (North America, Asia, Africa)

mountains (Mount Rushmore, Mount Everest)

islands (Saint Lucia, Antigua, Grenada)

streets (Broad Street, Wilson Avenue)

cities and towns (Birmingham, Seattle, Las Vegas)

states (Alabama, Washington, Nevada)

lakes (Lake Erie, Lake Kissimmee, Lake Rabun)

Do use the before the names of

points on the globe (the Equator, the North Pole)

mountain ranges (the Smoky Mountains, the Andes)

island chains (the Florida Keys, the Pacific Islands)

geographical areas (the East, the Midwest)

rivers, seas, and oceans (the Mississippi River, the Atlantic Ocean, the Nile River)

deserts and peninsulas (the Mojave Desert, the Balkan Peninsula

groups of lakes (the Great Lakes)

Language is always changing. Fifty years ago, Argentina was known as “the Argentine,” and the Balkan Islands always had the definite article in front of it. But Argentina is now perfectly standard and you may even hear people say “I come from Balkan Islands.”

Do You Capitalize Family Titles?

When terms denoting family relationships are used as proper nouns (as names), they are capitalized. However, when the terms are used as common nouns (not as names), they’re not capitalized. Generally, there will be a possessive pronoun (my, her, his, our) or an article (the, a, an) in front of family titles used as common noun.

It’s easy to get confused about whether you should capitalize family names in your writing. If you come across a family “title” such as mom or dad in your writing, ask yourself: Is this title being used as if it were a person’s name? Is the person being directly addressed?

Can I go to the mall once I finish my homework, Mom?

I know the crash was serious, Dad, but I’d really like to borrow your car.

What have you been up to, Grandma?

In the examples above, Mom, Dad, and Grandma are capitalized because they are being used like names. You could replace them with proper names without changing the rest of the sentence.

What have you been up to, Diana?

If a family member is not being directly addressed, but rather is being spoken about, his or her family title should not be capitalized, and an article or possessive pronoun should be used before the title.

Gracie asked her mom if she could go to the mall after finishing her homework.

I asked my dad if I could borrow his car the day after the crash.

Lorraine wondered what her grandmother had been up to.

When quoting a conversation, simply think about whether that person is being directly addressed in the conversation.

“We will all remember Aunt Bessie for her generous nature,” Melinda said.

“I feel for Melinda’s loss,” said the neighbor. “Everyone remembers her aunt’s generous nature.”

Simple Future Tense

The simple future is a verb tense that’s used to talk about things that haven’t happened yet.

This year, Jen will read War and Peace. It will be hard, but she’s determined to do it.

Use the simple future to talk about an action or condition that will begin and end in the future.

How to Form the Simple Future

The formula for the simple future is will + [root form of verb].

I will learn a new language. Jen will read that book. My brothers will sleep till noon if no one wakes them up. You will see what I mean.

It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula for the simple future doesn’t change.

But…

There is another way to show that something will happen in the future. It follows the formula [am/is/are] + going to + [root form verb].

I am going to learn a new language. Jen is going to read that book. My brothers are going to sleep till noon if no one wakes them up. You are going to see what I mean.

The “going to” construction is common in speech and casual writing. Keep in mind though that it’s on the informal side, so it’s a good idea to stick to the will + [root form] construction in formal writing.

How to Make the Simple Future Negative

To make the simple future negative, the formula is will + not + [root form].

Jen will not quit before she reaches her goal. Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow because the bus will not wait for you. He will not say anything bad about his boss. I will not finish my homework in time for class.

Using the “going to” construction, the formula is [am/is/are] + not + going to + [root form].

Jen is not going to quit before she reaches her goal. Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow because the bus is not going to wait for you. He is not going to say anything bad about his boss. I am not going to finish my homework in time for class.

How to Ask a Question

To ask a question in the simple future, the formula is will + [subject] + [root form].

Will Jen finish War and Peace over the summer? Will I have the discipline to study Spanish every day? What will you buy with the money you found?

The formula for the “going to” construction is [am/is/are] + [subject] +going to + [root form].

Is Jen going to finish War and Peace over the summer? Am I going to have the discipline to study Spanish every day? What are you going to buy with the money you found?

Common Verbs in the Simple Past

The “Going to” Construction

Famous Friendships in Children’s Literature

Everyone knows you can’t get good at grammar without friendship. Children’s literature has some great models of friendship at its finest.

In growing-up order, here are five such examples of best friends through the ages.

Frog and Toad

“We will skip through the meadows and run through the woods and swim in the river. In the evenings we will sit right here on this front porch and count the stars.”

—Arnold Lobel, Frog and Toad Are Friends

Friendship can take effort, especially if you’re dealing with a hibernating amphibian. Frog’s trying to get his pal out of hibernation, and all Toad can say is “Blah.” But Frog proves the importance of patience and gentle encouragement—and in this case, a slight bend of the truth, since it takes telling Toad it’s a month later than it really is to coax his buddy out of bed.

Toad may be a little curmudgeonly. But in the end, the fun of frolicking together makes it all worth it.

George and Martha

“And why didn’t you tell me that you hate my split pea soup?” “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” said George. “That’s silly,” said Martha. “Friends should always tell each other the truth.”

—James Marshall, “Split Pea Soup,” in George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends

Nothing says friendship like pouring soup in your shoes to avoid telling your bestie you’re not a fan of her cooking. But even though sparing friends’ feelings is important, so is telling the truth. The two happy hippos, George and Martha, give their fair share of friendship lessons—from honesty to hot air balloons to plain old togetherness. And luckily for them, they usually get a healthy portion of chocolate chip cookies to keep their friendship sweet.

The BFG and Sophie

“You stay where you is in my pocket, huggybee,” he said. “We is doing this lovely bit of buckswashling together.”

—Roald Dahl, The BFG

There’s plenty of adventure to be had between friends—even if your version of buckswashling with your best buds doesn’t involve jumping across oceans or trapping a pack of giants. Sophie starts out a spunky but lonesome orphan, and has the good luck to get kidnapped by the Big Friendly Giant. The friendship that blossoms isn’t just about sharing adventures: it also shows the importance of caring for one another—even if you can’t fit into your friend’s pocket.

Charlotte and Wilbur

Wilbur blushed. “But I’m not terrific, Charlotte. I’m just about average for a pig.” “You’re terrific as far as I’m concerned,” replied Charlotte, sweetly, “and that’s what counts. You’re my best friend, and I think you’re sensational. Now stop arguing and go get some sleep!”

—E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web Friendship means thinking the best of your friends and telling them so—in a spiderweb or just in words. And it sometimes means a bit of bossiness to go along with those much-needed confidence boosts. After all, as a piglet, Wilbur was a little lonely and more than a little runty. But Charlotte’s extremely literate web-spinning skills (she must be a fan of Grammarly) win the attention of all the humans around and Wilbur’s continued involvement with this mortal coil. From the barn where Wilbur goes for a daily manure roll and Charlotte spins pig-related messages that give Spiderman a run for his arachnid money, they develop an intelligent, slightly zany, and very cute friendship.

Lyra and Roger

“We better rescue him, Pantalaimon,” she said. He answered in his rook voice from the chimney. “It’ll be dangerous,” he said. “Course! I know that.”

—Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass

Nothing says friendship like risking your neck to help a buddy in trouble. Sure, in most cases your friend won’t have been kidnapped by a mysterious international organization set on luring you into the mix, but hey, there’s always hoping.

Lyra is a girl with a mind of her own in a world that looks similar to but not exactly like ours. Her first partner in crime from the university city where she runs wild as a young ’un is Roger (the one who needs rescuing), but the friendships in The Golden Compass get deeper—and weirder—the further you read. Among the friends Lyra makes are a hot air balloonist, a polar bear warrior, a pack of gypsies, witches, and daemons—kind of like human souls who can take animal form. The friends in this story are fiercely loyal and willing to face danger for the people they care about—even if it means leaving their whole world behind.

These are only five of the many fabulous friendships in children’s literature. They may seem too good to be true, but these sets of pals face conflict, quarrels, and less-than-tasty food, just as the rest of us do. Except, to be fair, they do it in a more literary way.

Which set is most like the friendships you cherish? Take the quiz below to find out!

Literary Friend Quiz

What is the Difference Between ‘Used to Cook,’ ‘Used to Cooking,’ and ‘Got Used to Cooking’?

Guest Post By Akmal Akbarov at EnglishClubPro.com

Have you ever wondered about the difference between “I used to cook every morning,” where we don’t add –ing to the verb ‘cook,’ and “I am used to cooking every morning”?

If you’re confused about the difference, I am going to explain everything in detail. I am sure you will be able to get the hang of it. ��

Let’s go!

‘Used to + verb’ for past events

Whenever you talk about events that happened a long time ago but don’t normally happen now, you should use this formula. For example:

I used to play football all day long when I was a child.

This means that you played football all day long when you were a child, but now you are much busier and you have no time to play football for such a long time. If you do play, it usually lasts for only one or two hours. Here is another example:

I used to smoke when I was in the army.

When you were in the army you smoked, but later you realized that it was very harmful to your health. So you gave up.

If you understood why and when we use the ‘used to + verb’ form, let’s now talk about three different ways to use it.

Positive form: I used to smoke when I was in the army.

Negative form: I didn’t use to smoke when I was in the army. (Pay attention, it is ‘use’ not ‘used’)

Question form: Did I use to smoke when I was in the army? (Pay attention, it is ‘use’ not ‘used’)

‘Used to + verb + ing’ for habits

Next, you use this form whenever you talk about your present habits. For example, you might say:

I am used to getting up early in the morning.

This means that it is your habit to get up early in the morning. You always get up early.

So now let’s discuss the three ways to use this construction.

Positive form: I am used to running every morning. (Notice: to be + used to + verb + ing)

Negative form: I am not used to running every morning. (Notice: to be + not + used to + verb + ing)

Question: Am I used to running every morning? (Notice: to be + subject + used to + verb + ing)

‘Get used to + verb + ing’ for new habits

All right, now let’s talk about this one. This form is almost the same as the previous one. However, if we compare …

I am used to running every morning.

with

I am getting used to running every morning.

…then we can see that ‘I am getting used to running’ means that you are only learning how to run in the morning. It was not your habit before, but now, because you are running every morning, it is becoming normal and habitual for you. Let’s another example.

Imagine that I am in China. I have never used chopsticks to eat my meals. But now I am using them every day and it is becoming a normal thing for me. Actually, now I prefer eating with chopsticks rather than with spoons or forks. So I say:

I am getting used to eating my meal with chopsticks.

Now let’s see the three ways we can use it.

Positive form: I am getting used to listening to music while I read a book.

Negative form: I am not getting used to listening to music while I read a book.

Question form: Am I getting used to listening to music while I read a book?

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Hi, my name is Akmal. I’m an English language enthusiast, blogger, writer, and entrepreneur. In addition to being the founder of EnglishClubPro.com, I’m also a teacher of English with more than ten years of experience. I love helping aspiring English learners to master their English.

Post adapted from original post.