Use of definite article with buildings (stadiums)

[Kontol]

Is the definite article used with buildings? For example.

Etihad stadium
Wembley.
Old Trafford.
White Hart Lane.
London stadium.

 

[jutfrank]

Sometimes, yes.

the Etihad
Wembley
Old Trafford
White Hart Lane
the London Stadium

 

[Kontol]

Could you explain when it's used with "the" and not? I'm kind of confused. How about the names of foreigner stadiums? Do you use "the" or not? How is the rule?

Camp Nou.
Stamford Bridge.
Anfield, and so on.

 

[Tarheel]

Could you explain when it's used with "the" and not? I'm kind of confused. How about the names of FOREIGN stadiums? Do you use "the" or not? WHAT is the rule?

 

[jutfrank]

Could you explain when it's used with "the" and not?

I can try, yes. I'll start with the following basic rule:

We use the when the head of the noun phrase is normally used as a common noun.

For example, the word stadium is typically only used as a 'normal' word (not a name), and so it needs an article to determine it. Another example: Wembley is not used as a common noun (it's just a name) and so the article is not possible. Another example: the word lane is used as a common noun but is also used as a name word (the name of a street) and so the article is not used.

It's not as simple as that, though. Most of the difficulty, I think, is in distinguishing nouns from names (or more formally: common from proper nouns).

 

[jutfrank]

How about the names of foreigner stadiums? Do you use "the" or not? How is the rule?

We tend to use the:

the Bernabeu
the Nou Camp
the San Siro

 

[jutfrank]

How about the names of foreigner stadiums? Do you use "the" or not? How is the rule?

Camp Nou.
Stamford Bridge.
Anfield, and so on.

Stamford Bridge and Anfield are not foreign stadiums!

 

[Kontol]

We tend to use the:

the Bernabeu
the Nou Camp
the San Siro

Very interesting. So, do the names of foreign stadiums always use "the" in this case?

 

[jutfrank]

No, not always but it's hard to think of ones that don't.

 

[Kontol]

I can try, yes. I'll start with the following basic rule:

We use the when the head of the noun phrase is normally used as a common noun.

For example, the word stadium is typically only used as a 'normal' word (not a name), and so it needs an article to determine it. Another example: Wembley is not used as a common noun (it's just a name) and so the article is not possible. Another example: the word lane is used as a common noun but is also used as a name word (the name of a street) and so the article is not used.

It's not as simple as that, though. Most of the difficulty, I think, is in distinguishing nouns from names (or more formally: common from proper nouns).

Your explanation is very helpful. I'm beginning to understand now. How about "Etihad?" Why use "the?" There is no word for "stadium there. It's difficult to determine it.

 

[jutfrank]

How about "Etihad?" Why use "the?" There is no word for "stadium there. It's difficult to determine it.

Yes, this is exactly the right question to ask.

When we say the Etihad or the Emirates, it's like we're omitting the word 'stadium', which should really follow, grammatically speaking. We omit the word 'stadium' as a kind of shorthand version of the name. So the word stadium is still 'there' in a sense, but we don't normally say it.

With West Ham's ground, we do have to say in full the London Stadium. We can't just say the London because it would sound wrong (for reasons I won't go into).

 

[Holmes]

Is the definite article used with buildings?

In the U.S., we famously have the Empire State Building, not to mention the White House.