Names with and without the (2)

Streets, Roads, Squares, and Parks

Most city streets, roads, squares, and parks do not take the.

• Our new office is on Market Street. (not the Market Street)
• The meeting is at a hotel near Central Park.
• There’s a café on Fifth Avenue that’s great for client lunches.

Two-Word Names (Place/Person + Type)

Many public places — airports, stations, universities, cathedrals, palaces — have names made of two words. The first word is the name of a person or place, and the second is the type of building. These names do not take the.

Name + Type	Example
person/place + Airport	We landed at Heathrow Airport on time.
person/place + University	She studied business at Harvard University.
person/place + Station	Take the train from Victoria Station.
person/place + Cathedral	The conference dinner is near Canterbury Cathedral.
person/place + Palace	Tourists always visit Buckingham Palace.

But when the first word is an adjective (not a name), use the:

• *the Royal Palace* (‘Royal’ is an adjective, not a name)
• *the National Gallery* (‘National’ is an adjective)

Buildings That Take “the”

Most hotels, theatres, cinemas, museums, and other notable buildings use the in their names.

Type	Examples
Hotels	*the Hilton Hotel*, *the Holiday Inn*
Theatres / Cinemas	*the Palace Theatre*, *the Odeon*
Museums / Galleries	*the British Museum*, *the National Gallery*
Other buildings	*the Empire State Building*, *the White House*, *the Eiffel Tower*

You can often drop the noun and keep just the + name:

• Let’s meet at the Sheraton. (= the Sheraton Hotel)
• I saw a great show at the Palace. (= the Palace Theatre)

Some names are simply the + noun with no proper name at all:

• *the Acropolis*, *the Kremlin*, *the Pentagon*

Names with “of”

Names that include of almost always take the.

• *the Bank of England*
• *the Museum of Modern Art*
• *the Tower of London*

Notice the difference:

With “of” (use the)	Without “of” (no the)
*the University of Cambridge*	Cambridge University

Shops and Restaurants Named After People

Many shops, restaurants, hotels, and banks are named after a person or family. These names end in -‘s or -s and do not take the.

• Let’s grab lunch at Joe’s Diner. (not the Joe’s Diner)
• I need to stop by Barclays on the way to the office.
• There’s a sale at Macy’s this weekend.

Churches named after saints follow the same pattern:

• The wedding is at St Patrick’s Cathedral. (not the St Patrick’s Cathedral)

Newspapers and Organisations vs. Companies

Newspapers and many organisations take the:

• I read about it in the Financial Times.
• *the European Union*, *the BBC*, *the Red Cross*

Companies and airlines usually do not take the:

• He works for Sony. (not the Sony)
• She booked a flight with Singapore Airlines.
• The report was published by Cambridge University Press.

Quick Self-Check