Originally Posted by Michelle

But you aren't talking about numbers. In this case, the "number" represents the "name" of the road. So it's not as cut and dry as asking if a number is a noun or not.

Originally Posted by motordavid

One of the better discussions on "article usage", (though even this pdf makes one's hair hurt, ).
From my interpretation of the "rules", it is acceptable to use "the 405"...I always noticed the southern
LeftCoast residents propensity to say, "take the 405"; a colloquialism, I presume.

The RightCoastGang does not talk like that.

English grammar is difficult, and always evolving whether the strict grammarians like that evolution, or not.

http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/wc_web/handouts
/Articles_ESL.pdf

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Another word that came up was Jesus. Some people might
use his name by saying Jesus's apostles. While it's not an earth
quaking issue, the sound of it when said let's you know that
somehow adding the extra "s" it's not only incorrect but distracting.

It's the same when people use the article "THE" in front of a
number, specifically highways and roadways.
The way it sounds let's you know that perhaps this
may not be the correct expression.

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

When talking about a specific road, there is no need for an article (the).

No one here says "Take the US15" or even "Take the James Madison Highway". Now, if it was a more general noun, such as "take the next left" or "take the 3rd exit" then yes, you use a definite article.

California is not part of the United States. Next!

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Asking a native Californian to give directions and listening for the presence or absence of the "the" is a pretty surefire way to tell if someone's from southern or northern California.

For example, in California's car-centered culture, nomenclature describing the state's extensive network of freeway s takes on a special prominence. One commonly noted difference (and perennial shibboleth ) between Northern California and Southern California English is the way in which an article may be appended to the label of a major freeway. While most native or longtime Los Angeles residents (and Southern Californians generally) are likely to refer to US Highway 101 or Interstate 5 , for example, as the 101 and the 5, residents of the San Francisco Bay Area are more likely to refer to those same roads as just 101 and 5 or I-5.

According to the strict definition of the english language is it proper to
use the article in this instance?....

Originally Posted by Thunder22

Come to think of it, shouldn't you be starting out with something simpler like the proper use of "your" vs. "you're", before diving into something so complex as the proper use of "the"?


Just sayin....