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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Indefinite article with places

Hi,
I saw a similar discussion online and thought I'd ask here. How do native speakers treat the subject of articles with nouns such as "grocery store," "bank", "library," etc.
Typically I see "Last night I went to the grocery store".
"This afternoon I am going to the bank".
"Tomorrow we need to go to the library to study".

I always thought that "the" in these examples means these places are the usual places where they go for their activities (grocery store, bank, library, post office and so on).

Is it correct to substitute the definite article for the indefinite?
"Last night I went to a grocery store" (one of the many)
"This afternoon I am going to a bank" (not the one where I usually bank)
"Tomorrow we need to go to a library to study".
(not the one where I usually study or one of the many - it might be one across town or in another college).

I would very much appreciate an informed opinion.
  

Top answer

Anonymous Is it correct to substitute the definite article for the indefinite? Yes, but it would signify an unusual activity.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Anonymous Is it correct to substitute the definite article for the indefinite?
  • Yes, but it would signify an unusual activity.
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9 Answers
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AnonymousIs it correct to substitute the definite article for the indefinite?
Yes, but it would signify an unusual activity.
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AnonymousIs it correct to substitute the definite article for the indefinite?"Last night I went to a grocery store" (one of the many)
I would say this if, for instance, I was travelling and went to a grocery store in a city I was visiting.
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AnonymousIs it correct to substitute the definite article for the indefinite?"Last night I went to a grocery store" (one of the many)
I would say this if, for instance, I was travelling and went to a grocery store in a city I was visiting. If I went to the same store a second time, I would probably say "I went back to the grocery store."
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AlpheccaStars AnonymousIs it correct to substitute the definite article for the indefinite?Yes, but it would signify an unusual activity.
Thank you, Khoff and Alphecca Stars. Alphecca, what do you mean by "unusual activity"? You mean any activity that does not involve my regular trips to the library, bank and so on?
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Anonymous"Last night I went to the grocery store"."This afternoon I am going to the bank"."Tomorrow we need to go to the library to study".
I would call these the "unmarked cases". The speaker knows which store, bank, or library he is referencing. As a complete guess I'd say that this is used at least 90% of the time, maybe more.
Anonymous
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CalifJimThese are "marked cases". (Something about them "sticks out" as unusual.) Either the speaker does not think the exact identity of the place is needed to make his point, or he wants to conceal that identity (grocery store example), and / or he himself does not know yet which place (bank, library) he will end up at.
CJ, thanks very much. When you say "ma
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AnonymousWhen you say "marked cases", you do not mean they are unidiomatic or wrong
No. "marked" does not mean "wrong".
AnonymousThe speaker knows, but not the listener! Won't that create additional confusion?
Not if both understand English (and all its conventions).
AnonymousIf I tell you "CJ, I am g
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Alright! I understand it better now. Thanks a lot!
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Anonymous"Last night I went to a grocery store" (one of the many)
I understand (from the above statement) that you went to some grocery store. And by saying "a grocery store" you state that you went into a one of many grocery stores located in the vicinity, street, town, etc.
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