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In 'the novel navigates present-day US' do we need 'the' before 'present-day US' as we would usually before 'US'?

Trevor Reid
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huppuguga
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    What comes next? It sounds like US is a noun here but are you sure? –  Mar 26 '19 at 10:26

2 Answers2

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Yes, you need the "the" here - specifically for "the US". There are some countries and places which need an article in English:

  • The US
  • The Netherlands
  • The Wirral

Whereas most don't:

  • America
  • Holland
  • Liverpool

You could omit the "the" by saying

The novel navigates present-day America.

Binney
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  • Surely, "present-day America" also encompasses Canada, Mexico & Southern America, which is rather different from "the US" in the original article! – TrevorD Mar 26 '19 at 14:18
  • That's more rigorous yes! "The US" avoids ambiguity - though "America" and "The United States" are used synonymously in everyday speech (at least they are in British English, which I speak) – Binney Mar 26 '19 at 17:31
  • I too speak British English and agree with your comment about British usage - but I didn't know your nationality (or what 'type' of English you speak) when I wrote my comment. Nevertheless, when specifying the area which "the novel navigates", I would have thought it important to distinguish between the country & the continent. – TrevorD Mar 26 '19 at 20:45
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    As in a comment under the question, the may not be needed depending on how the sentence finishes. For example: The novel navigates present-day US landmarks. It's not clear if we've been given a complete sentence, where US is a noun. – Jason Bassford Mar 27 '19 at 01:55
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    The complete sentence is 'The debut novel navigates present-day US with its police brutality, racial tension and immigrant angst', so 'US' is being used as a noun. Thanks. – huppuguga Mar 27 '19 at 10:07
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While it's common to add the "the" to "US" and some other places, it's not required.

I think it's more important to add periods, like so:

U.S.

This differentiates between the country and an emphasized "us."

ElG
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