С.І. ПОТАПЕНКО

АНГЛІЙСЬКИЙ АРТИКЛЬ ТА ІМЕНА-ОРІЄНТАТОРИ.

(THE ARTICLE and ORIENTATING NAMES).

Теорія та практика. Навчальний посібник. – 3-є видання, доповнене та перероблене. – Ніжин: Видавництво НДУ, 2005. – 52 с.

Part 1.

Address Names

No article is used with address names which are so called because they denote a permanent address of a person written on envelopes:

Mr. Sh.Holmes(l)

221 B (2) Baker Street (3)

London (4)

Great Britain (5-6)

The address given above represents the basic groups of address names -personal names (1), numbers and names of places of residence (2), names of inhabited areas (3), names of centres of population (4), names of countries (5), names of separate islands and continents (6). A more detailed list of address names belonging to these groups is given below.

1. Personal names are used to identify people {Dickens).

2. Numbers and names of places of residence:

1. numbers of flats (No. 33) and houses (No. 10);

2. names of castles (Windsor Castle), palaces (Buckingham Palace), mansions (Woodstock Manor).

Note: Names of hotels have the definite article because they don't denote a permanent address of a person (the Ritz).

3. Names of inhabited areas - streets (Whitehall) and squares (Trafalgar Square); no article is found with names of streets having limiting attributes (35th Avenue, Main Street).

Note: Place-names with the component 'road' have no article if they denote a street of buildings (55 York Road), though the definite article is found if a name denotes a road leading to a town (the Oxford Road - a road leading to Oxford).

4. Names of centres of population - cities (London), villages (Woodstock), forts (Fort Amador), camps (Roaring Camp).

Note: The definite article in the name 'The Hague' is spelled with the capital letter because the article is part of the whole name.

5. Names of countries (Canada).

6. Names of separate islands (New Zealand) and continents (Australia) have no article in English because many of them denote leading English-speaking countries.

Note: Names of peninsulas have no article if the proper name is used alone (Kamchatka) though the definite article seems obligatory if the common noun 'peninsula'is used (the Kola Peninsula).

The definite article is used with address and other orientating names in the following cases:

1. With address names in the plural because they lose their orientating function:

1. names of countries (the Netherlands);

2. names of groups of islands (the Bahamas);

3. names of continents (the Americas).

2. With address names expressed by common nouns with unique reference:

1. names of countries (the USA, the UK);

2. names of streets (the Strand = the bank, the High Street).

3. With address names used in 'of-phrases':

1. when a common noun precedes an orientating name which is often the case if the object is not well-known (the ranch town of Wilbaux);

2. to denote a period from the history of an object: e.g. The old man must know his persona would never wash in the Britain of the 1970s (J.Fowles).

The indefinite article is used with address and other orientating names to denote the features which are new or non-familiar to the addressee: e.g. He aims at creating a new Britain, a Britain strong in its own power (A.Christie).

Note: No article is used with names of cemeteries:

e.g. She didn't want to know for certain whose unidentified bodies were in the ground at Northwood Cemetery (Life).

Exercises

Exercise 1. a) Explain the absence of the article with place-names in the following rhymes. Learn them by heart.

There was a Young Lady of Russia,

who screamed so that no one could hush her;

Her screams were extreme, no one heard such a scream

As was screamed by that Lady of Russia.

There was a young Lady of Crete,

Who was so exceedingly neat

When she got out of bed she stood on her head

To make sure of not soiling her feet.

2. Hold a competition 'Who will use as many address names as possible instead of the nouns 'Russia' and 'Crete';

3. Compare the characters of the Young Lady of Russia and the Young Lady of Crete.

Exercise 2. Read the following statements and comment what cities in your country/ are famous for similar activities.

Model: -The Grand Final held in Melbourne attracts more than 100000 spectators.

- The football matches in Kiev attract more than 100000 spectators."

1. Australia's film industry was born in Melbourne.

2. It was Sydney that built the first film studios.

3. Australian fashion industry is based in Melbourne.

4. It is Sydney that has the trendiest shops.

5. Melbourne is more a European type of city.

6. Sydney tends to be more an American type of city.

7. It always rains in Melbourne.

8. Australia's first school of national painting began in Melbourne.

9. It was Sydney that built the first picture galleries.

10. The citizens of Sydney are considered uncultured.

Exercise 3. a) Read the following statements about Wales and comment what places in this country have similar features.

Model: - Cardiff, the modern capital of Wales, has a castle dating back to Roman times.

- Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, has' a cathedral dating back to the times of Kiev Rus.

1. Swansea is an important port in Wales.

2. South Wales is a region of contrasts.

3. The industrial plants of Cardiff are only a short journey from sandy beaches.

4. Mid Wales is rather sparsely populated.

5. North Wales has several impressive castles built by kings.

6. North off Cardiff lie valleys.

7. Mid Wales and North Wales are wild and beautiful. 8. Caemorton is the ancient capital of Wales.

9. Aberstwyth is the centre of Welsh education and learning.

10. Llanfairpwilgwyngyllgagerychwymdrobwillantyailrogogogooh is the longest place name in the United Kingdom.

b) Look through part A again and decide what places in Wales are worth visiting.

Exercise 4. a) Read the sentences and comment what inhabited areas in the capital of this country perform a similar function.

Model: - Piccadilly is the heart of London. - Khieshchatik is the heart of Kiev.

1. Trafalgar Square is the geographic centre of London.

2. Whitehall is the site of major Government offices.

3. Downing Street is a synonym for British cabinet.

4. Regent Street is a famous shopping thoroughfare in Europe.

5. You can find many fashionable shops in Oxford Street.

6. Fleet Street houses the newspaper Daily Express.

7. The Bank of England is situated in Threadneedle Street.

8. Carnaby Street is young people's street.

9. Harley Street is the famous doctors' street in London.

10. All the distances of modern London are measured from Charing Cross.

b) Decide which of the London sights mentioned in the previous part is sure to be a draw for each of your friends.

Exercise 5. Read extracts about two famous British castles and decide which of them attracts more visitors.

a) Warwick Castle is situated at the very centre of England - 8 miles from Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon. There was a time when Warwick Castle was in every sense the centre of England and its owners most powerful in the land. Today visitors will discover within its massive stone walls a treasure house of rare beauty and rare quality, with splendid collections of arms and armour, pictures, furniture and furnishings.

b) Of three official residences of the Sovereign two are in the capital cities of London (Buckingham Palace) and Edinburgh (Holyroodhouse) while Windsor Castle alone is in the country. Much used by The Queen and her family at weekends it is close enough to London to be convenient for official business. Her Majesty is normally in residence for the whole of April, as well as for a week in June. There is also a large family gathering in the castle at Christmas.

Exercise 6. a) Do you know what was the original name of New York?

3. Read the following passage and see if your guess isright.

The English were not the first to colonize New York. The Dutch bought Manhattan Island from the Indians for what today would be the equivalent of 24 dollars. They named it New Amsterdam. In 1653 New Amsterdam had a population of 800 (B-USA).

4. Compare the role of New York and of the English city of York in history and in modern world.

Exercise 7. a) Have you heard about Disney World? What's the difference between Disney World and Disneyland?

3. Read the following piece about Disney World and explain why it attracts visitors.

Disney World, Florida, is the biggest amusement resort in the world. It covers 24.4 thousand acres and is twice the size of Manhattan. It was opened on October 1, 1971, five years after Walt Disney's death and it is a larger, slightly more ambitious version of Disneyland, near Los Angeles.

Between the huge parking lots and Magic Kingdom lies a broad artificial lake. In the distance rise the towers of Cindarella's Castle, which like every other building in the Kingdom is built of solid material. When you reach the terminal you walk straight into a little square which faces Main Street which is late 19th century (B-USA).

4. Decide what amusement resort like Disney World can be set up in this country.

Exercise 8. Speak on the following situations.

1. Advise your teacher what islands s/he should visit. Substantiate your point of view.

2. Discuss what part of the world is more convenient for rest in summer - Eastern Europe or Central Asia.

3. Make up a route of a journey from your native place to Kamchatka. Mention the places where you will put up.

4. You are going to set up a tourist bureau. What places of the world will you offer your customers to visit?

5. Your pen-friend from New York is coming to your home town. Write to him how he will be able to get from Borispil Airport to your place.

6. Stage a contest 'Who knows the biggest number of castles (palaces)'.