TENSE TUESDAY: 'THE' WITH COUNTRIES
19 / 01 / 2016
TENSE TUESDAY: 'THE' WITH COUNTRIES: meaning and examples
Hello everyone! A quick question for you before we begin today's Tense Tuesday: what country or region are you from? Are you from Spain? The Balearic Islands? England? The United Kingdom? The United States?
You might notice that with some of the above mentioned countries or regions, we use the word THE. With others, we do not. Why is this?
There are several guidelines for using the definite article THE with countries or regions. The first is if the country or region name is singular, like Spain or France or Italy, then we do not use THE.
Example 1: I am from England.
Example 2: I am from Spain.
Example 3: I am from Catalonia.
However, if the country is plural, then we use the definite article.
Example 4: I am from the Philippines.
Example 5: I am from the Netherlands.
We also use THE when a country uses a political title. Words like KINGDOM, STATE, or REPUBLIC help you know when a country is using a political title.
Example 6: I am from the United Kingdom.
Example 7: She is from the Republic of Congo.
Finally, we also use it for groups of islands.
Example 8: I am from the Canary Islands.
Example 9: Do you know anyone who is from the Bahamas?
Where are you from? Tell us on our Facebook or Twitter pages.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZigguratEscuelaCorporativadeIdiomas/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZigguratIdiomas.
Good luck and thank you for participating!
That's all for today. Join us tomorrow for Wordy Wednesday and a lesson on the word CANDID. Until then, have a great day!
You might notice that with some of the above mentioned countries or regions, we use the word THE. With others, we do not. Why is this?
There are several guidelines for using the definite article THE with countries or regions. The first is if the country or region name is singular, like Spain or France or Italy, then we do not use THE.
Example 1: I am from England.
Example 2: I am from Spain.
Example 3: I am from Catalonia.
However, if the country is plural, then we use the definite article.
Example 4: I am from the Philippines.
Example 5: I am from the Netherlands.
We also use THE when a country uses a political title. Words like KINGDOM, STATE, or REPUBLIC help you know when a country is using a political title.
Example 6: I am from the United Kingdom.
Example 7: She is from the Republic of Congo.
Finally, we also use it for groups of islands.
Example 8: I am from the Canary Islands.
Example 9: Do you know anyone who is from the Bahamas?
Where are you from? Tell us on our Facebook or Twitter pages.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZigguratEscuelaCorporativadeIdiomas/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZigguratIdiomas.
Good luck and thank you for participating!
That's all for today. Join us tomorrow for Wordy Wednesday and a lesson on the word CANDID. Until then, have a great day!
