The Long Island Sound???? Help

[Branwyn]

I made my way down into the kitchen, where a four-paneled bay window allowed the serene view of Long Island Sound.

Shouldn't it be -- I made my way down into the kitchen, where a four-paneled bay window allowed the serene view of the Long Island Sound.

Also--is the big dipper (star cluster) the Big Dipper?

[Jamesaritchie]

Wish I could remember the rule here, but it's faded from memory. Someone help. Sometimes "the" belongs, and sometimes it doesn't. But try it with Central Park instead of Long Island Sound.

But, yes, Big Dipper is capped.

[Plot Device]

I used to live on Long Island. No one ever say "the" except when they said the abreviated version: "the Sound."

Otherwise, we said "Long Island Sound" without the "the" tossed in. Even newscasters---such as meterologosts, traffic reporters, and field reporters, always said "Long Island Sound" without using "the."

[benbradley]

I used to live on Long Island. No one ever say "the" except when they said the abreviated version: "the Sound."

Otherwise, we said "Long Island Sound" without the "the" tossed in. Even newscasters---such as meterologosts, traffic reporters, and field reporters, always said "Long Island Sound" without using "the."
That's funny - I USED TO live on Long Island too! And I vagely recall "Long Island Sound" without the 'the,' much like Long Island itself without a 'the.'

And I remember the traffic reporters, when referring to The Expressway, would say "The L.I.E." How appropriate.

[Branwyn]

I live on Long Island and say the Long Island Sound.:Shrug: In conversation it would be..." Are you talking about the ocean side or the Long Island Sound?"

Thanks James

[Plot Device]

:)

[Silver King]

For a moment just now I had a powerful deja vu, and then realized we discussed something similar in this thread (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50808&highlight=The+Sound) some time ago.

...I made my way down into the kitchen where a four-paneled bay window allowed the a serene view of the Long Island Sound.

[Jamesaritchie]

For a moment just now I had a powerful deja vu, and then realized we discussed something similar in this thread (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50808&highlight=The+Sound) some time ago.

No "the" is definitely correct here, just as it is with Central Park. Trouble is, I can't for the life of me remember the rule that tells when to use "the," and when not to.

[Silver King]

...I can't for the life of me remember the rule that tells when to use "the," and when not to.
Rules escape me as well; but I think if "the" is part of the name, like The Statue of Liberty, then it should be capped.

In the OP's example, "the" before Long Island Sound seems unnecessary.

[Branwyn]

That sentence is still bothering me and before it goes to print I want to be sure.

;) Thanks all.

[Maryn]

I remember the rule--sort of. What I remember absolutely is the rule, whatever it may be, applied to newspaper names. (I studied Journalism.)

When a newspaper's proper name begins with "the" (i.e., the New York Times), the word "the" is not capitalized as it appears in a sentence. If the newspaper's name is italicized, underlined, or put inside single or double quotation marks, the word "the" is excluded.

The New York Times is considered a paper of record.
I don't subscribe to the "New York Times."

Go figure, huh?

Whether this applies to other proper nouns, I don't know.

Maryn, confounding the issue

[Jamesaritchie]

I remember the rule--sort of. What I remember absolutely is the rule, whatever it may be, applied to newspaper names. (I studied Journalism.)

When a newspaper's proper name begins with "the" (i.e., the New York Times), the word "the" is not capitalized as it appears in a sentence. If the newspaper's name is italicized, underlined, or put inside single or double quotation marks, the word "the" is excluded.

The New York Times is considered a paper of record.
I don't subscribe to the "New York Times."

Go figure, huh?

Whether this applies to other proper nouns, I don't know.

Maryn, confounding the issue

I know the capitalization rule for "the," but can't remember the rule for when to leave "the" off entirely. "I had a serene view of Long Island Sound," "I had a serene view of Central Park," but it's "I had a serene view of THE Statue of Liberty." "I had a serene view of THE Atlantic Ocean.," etc.

I seem to recall it's a very simple rule, but darned if I know how to look it up.

[pconsidine]

"The Long Island Sound" just sounds odd to me. I usually tend to defer to local usage when it comes to matter like this, anyway. I'm sure there is a rule, but I'm not overly interested in knowing what it is if it will require me to say "the Long Island Sound."

*shrug*

[blacbird]

To me, "Long Island Sound", without the article, refers to a body of water.

THE Long Island Sound conjurs up an old friend and co-worker who used to come into my office and say, "Less you an' me go down tudda deli and get a cuppa cwawfee and have a twawk."

caw

[pconsidine]

Now that I think about it, it almost seems like there are standard usages for various bodies of water:

The Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean;

Lake Michigan, Lake Victoria, Lake Ponchartrain;

The Nile River, the Mississippi River, the Amazon River;

Long Island Sound, Puget Sound, Albemarle Sound.

*shrug* It's as good as anything else I can think of.

[Branwyn]

Okay, I'll leave out the. LOL@ Blacbird. Then it would be Long-Ayland Sound.;)

[blacbird]

Actually, it comes out more like Lung-GUYland.

caw

[Plot Device]

Lung-GUYland

In five syllables, of course. ;)

[pconsidine]

Yeah, but three of them would be the "uuuyyyy" in "guyland."


Whiniest part of New York state, I swear.

[blacbird]

Whiniest part of New York state, I swear.

You gotta problem wid lungGUYland????? Da place don' nevah get no respeck, I sweah. You go up deah t'Albany, dey wanna tax da crap outta you, now dey frickin' say we gonna get some Katrina kinda hurricane up heah any day now, an' da Yankees ain't playin' worth crap, dey gonna let dem Red Saux bums win it all, an' we ain't gonna heah nuttin' but dat fuh da resta ouah lifes. I gotta have a beeah.

caw

[elgato]

According to my desk reference manual, "Capitalize the only when it is a part of the official name of a place." (i.e. The Hague), but not for (the Bronx). So you need to know the official name of the place.

Same with businesses. "Capitalize the word the preceding the name of an organization only when it is part of the legal name of the organization." (i.e. The Associated Press; The New York Times; The Wall Street Journal) but not for (the AP, the Associated Press report; she works for the Times).
The examples were included in the manual, which is the Gregg Reference Manual.

[Jamesaritchie]

According to my desk reference manual, "Capitalize the only when it is a part of the official name of a place." (i.e. The Hague), but not for (the Bronx). So you need to know the official name of the place.

Same with businesses. "Capitalize the word the preceding the name of an organization only when it is part of the legal name of the organization." (i.e. The Associated Press; The New York Times; The Wall Street Journal) but not for (the AP, the Associated Press report; she works for the Times).
The examples were included in the manual, which is the Gregg Reference Manual.

Yes, but when do you leave out "the" entirely, and when do you put it in? I can't find this in any of my reference guides.

[TemlynWriting]

You gotta problem wid lungGUYland????? Da place don' nevah get no respeck, I sweah. You go up deah t'Albany, dey wanna tax da crap outta you, now dey frickin' say we gonna get some Katrina kinda hurricane up heah any day now, an' da Yankees ain't playin' worth crap, dey gonna let dem Red Saux bums win it all, an' we ain't gonna heah nuttin' but dat fuh da resta ouah lifes. I gotta have a beeah.

caw
Ah, there's no place like home.

~Julia, who was born and raised in NY, then moved to a part of FL where 90% of residents were from NY, too. (Even went to high school in FL with a girl I went to elementary school with in NY!)