Stairs, Staircase, Stairway, Stairwell

Question

Hi, if you were to change "stairs" to "staircase" in the paragraph below, you would change "the" to "a" too, wouldn't you? How about "stairway" or "stairwell"?

We were invited to Anna's birthday party at her home last weekend. The party was held on the second floor. We walked up the stairs, and there we found a large sitting room.

We were invited to Anna's birthday party at her home last weekend. The party was held on the second floor. We walked up a staircase, and there we found a large sitting room.

Your help would be very much appreciated.

Hiro

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

You can use "the" with "staircase" too, no problem:

Sara Crewe by Burnett, Frances Hodgson - Chapter 1

The child walked up the staircase, holding tightly to her doll; she meant to go to her bedroom, but at the door she was met by Miss Amelia. ...

HSS · Answer

A book, written by a native speaker of Englihs, says you can say,

I walked up a staircase of the house to the third floor,

but you can't say,

I walked up the staircase of the house to the third floor.

I wondered why, and that's why I posted the query.

Strange isn't it?

Hiro

Marius Hancu · Answer

More contemporary examples:

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geuu2Y5_JEExsA98xXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE1dTM2NG5jBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMjYEc2VjA3NyBHZ0aWQDQlZUXzY-/SIG=123742eri/EXP=1156856088/**http%3a//www.pbandjt.net/images/Dad/target29.html

Dad -- Dad often reads a book to the kids at night before bed. I can remember coming home and hearing his voice as I walked up the staircase. He was reading some adventure story quite excitedly. I peaked in to find all of the kids asleep.

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geuu2Y5_JEExsA_cxXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE1Y2szdnZwBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMjcEc2VjA3NyBHZ0aWQDQlZUXzY-/SIG=12e3eeh1j/EXP=1156856088/**http%3a//www.illinimedia.com/di/dec_99/dec1/news/police.html

Men attempt robbery on apartment stairs. by Elizabeth Zeman. Police reporter. • Champaign police are searching for two men who attempted to rob a Champaign woman Monday. ... as she walked up the staircase in her apartment building at 211 E ...

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geuu2Y5_JEExsAA81XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE1ZG01ZXIwBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMjgEc2VjA3NyBHZ0aWQDQlZUXzY-/SIG=12fno5pnk/EXP=1156856088/**http%3a//www.angelfire.com/ut/LivinOnTheEdge/gabbystory3.html

Gabrielle smiled too as she walked up the staircase to go to her room. She stopped when she had reached the top, just to hear if Edge was coming up behind her. "He's not coming." A voice said to her left.

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geuu2Y5_JEExsACc1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE1MHI0dGoxBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMjkEc2VjA3NyBHZ0aWQDQlZUXzY-/SIG=12rpimq1l/EXP=1156856088/**http%3a//dana.ucc.nau.edu/%7edp66/vc251projects/unit07-10words/index.html

... As I walked up the staircase the walls bent and distorted around me ...

Marius Hancu · Answer

Also, from the New York Times:

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C1FF63D550C728FDDA10894DF494D81
... over, she walked up the staircase in the back of the ...

August 31, 1997 - By MONIQUE P. YAZIGI (NYT) - Theater - News - 2734 words
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10616FD3E5B0C7A8DDDAD0894DA494D81
... . Some officers walked up the staircase of the high-rise, while ...

April 19, 1992 - By MARIA NEWMAN (NYT) - New York and Region - News - 1242 words
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30612F83B590C748CDDA00894D8494D81
... as the immigrant walked up the staircase, the doctors were already ...

September 7, 1990 - By RICHARD F. SHEPARD (NYT) - Arts - News - 2484 words

BarbaraPA · Answer

Perhaps it was written at a time when houses often had more than one set of stairs. Now, most houses have only one - so "the" staircase makes more sense. Anyway, ignore that piece of advice from your book, and feel free to use "the staircase."

Ant_222 · Answer

The article usage with "stairs" and "staircase" is the same as with most nouns.

Use "the" when it's a certain object like
«The left rear weel of a car», and "a" when it denotes a class or type the object belongs to:
«This beautiful animal is a wolf»
«It's a frightfully heavy thingh, this piano.»

Well, "a" might have been used because a stair can consist of several staircases, like in many-storied houses, and the guy went one staircase up.

Staircase is «a flight or series of flights of steps and a supporting structure connecting separate levels. Also called stairway.»

Chavoduque · Answer

One side comment:

Your use of "there" after "We walked up the stairs" makes me think you're also attemping to use the term upstairs as an adverb, that is, without "the" and together. That's why you can also say that someone or something is upstairs. I infer that you're not trying to describe anything about the staircase, or how you walked (walking, running, jumping, walking slow, etc.) Only where you went, so for your text you could say:

The party was held on the second floor, so we went upstairs where we found a large sitting room.

Still, I think its a matter of precision and style too. If you say "We walked up a staircase", its infered that you were unfamiliar with that staircase or that you chose one of the staircases. It's somewhat more misterious than is to use "We walked up the staircase", in which you're familiar with the staircase or it was the only staircase.

Stairs, Staircase, Stairway, Stairwell

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