articles: special uses and exceptions

[Offroad]

Hello everyone,
This is my first thread, I'd like to ask you ...
about the "the" usage, I've heard nouns lose their articles after possessive 's.

the economic problems of America = America's economic problems (NOT the America's economic problems) why not? This sentence sounds ok to me


But the possessive noun itself may have an article:

the wife of the boss = the boss's wife.

so, could you give me details on this explanation?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

The word "America" is a proper noun. It cannot have "the".

Remember that the word "the" itself is used to pre-modify a name. A proper name is itself modified by nature and does not need a "the".

Take the following example:

The man's economic problems.

Here, it is ok to say "the" becasue "man" is a noun, not a proper noun.

But:

America's economic problems.

Here, we definitely know what America we are talking about because it is a proper unique noun; i.e. there is onlt one America in the world. Therefore using a "the" is redundant and non-grammatical.

 

[Offroad]

Ok, I got it. Thanks.