The Tricky Cases

Some article uses just need to be memorized. "The" with unique or context-specific things: the sun, the internet, the president in a given context. The listener can identify which one you mean, so it is specific. No article with meals: "Let's have lunch" (not "the lunch").

Place names are a minefield. No article: London, Japan, Lake Michigan. Use "the": the United States, the Nile, the Pacific Ocean. The rough pattern: single names get no article, plural or descriptive names get "the." "The Netherlands" makes sense because it is plural.