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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
The use of 'The'.
Why is it that we don't always use 'the' prior to a place/location? What is the general rule? English is my first language so it never occurred to me until now. A bit of enlightenment would be much appreciated.
Here are some examples of what I mean.
E.g.
I arrived at 'the' office.
I go to school.
I ran to 'the' library.
I went home.
Here are some examples of what I mean.
E.g.
I arrived at 'the' office.
I go to school.
I ran to 'the' library.
I went home.
Top answer
It just happens that we don't use the article with a certain number of places when we think of them as an institution rather than a building. Some of these words, in British English, are, church, college, hospital, prison, university.
- It just happens that we don't use the article with a certain number of places when we think of them as an institution rather than a building.
- Some of these words, in British English, are, church, college, hospital, prison, university.
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2 Answers
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It just happens that we don't use the article with a certain number of places when we think of them as an institution rather than a building. Some of these words, in British English, are, church, college, hospital, prison, university.
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AnonymousWhat is the general rule?The general rule is to use 'the' with a specific place unless it is a proper name. A few common, frequently-attended places are idiomatically without an article when they refer to a place as a general source of activity rather than the building itself:
I went to church/work/school/university/hospital
I
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