Word Fun

[Yonak Hawkins]

My wife and I are having a discussion about the use or non-use of the articles, "the" and "a" in connection to some nouns. For example, some people say, "He's going to hospital," instead of, "...the hospital," or "city hall," instead of, "the city hall." It would sound funny to say, "I'm going to grocery store." ..Or, "They're sending him to the prison," instead of "...to prison." ..Or "...going to the school." We say, "We're going to watch TV tonight," but, "We're going to the movies." You wouldn't say, "I'm going to restaurant for dinner," or "We plan to go to the church on Christmas." ..But why ? What's the rule ?

[Bill Jobe]

Do you suppose to the British we sound a bit like Australians?
Or to the Australians, do we sound a bit like the British?

[Jim Koepke]

My wife and I are having a discussion about the use or non-use of the articles, "the" and "a" in connection to some nouns. For example, some people say, "He's going to hospital," instead of, "...the hospital," or "city hall," instead of, "the city hall." It would sound funny to say, "I'm going to grocery store." ..Or, "They're sending him to the prison," instead of "...to prison." ..Or "...going to the school." We say, "We're going to watch TV tonight," but, "We're going to the movies." You wouldn't say, "I'm going to restaurant for dinner," or "We plan to go to the church on Christmas." ..But why ? What's the rule ?

Going to grocery store may sound funny, but going to market or going marketing do sound somewhat normal.

There likely isn't any "rule" other than what rolls off the speaker's tongue with more ease.

A person can be sent to prison, to the slammer or even to the grey bar motel, take your pick.

jtk

[Bill Jobe]

One thing that took me years.....no, it still bugs me when I moved less than 150 miles from my hometown, is when people here say "Do you want to go with".
Where I came from one would say "Do you want to go with me".

[John K Jordan]

If spoken, I think much depends on context as well as tone and inflection and perhaps body language.

If I am a professor or a student and announce "I'm going to the school" my wife knows exactly where I'm headed.
With "I am going to school" with my briefcase or notebook in hand I'm probably leaving immediately for class.
With a different inflection, saying "I am going to school" at the dinner table I might be announcing a decision to finish my PHD.

Consider "He is going to prison."
To me this can mean the guy has been convicted and is will be taken either immediately or soon to some kind of non-specified incarceration somewhere, perhaps even in another country. It might even be a prediction or threat [if whispered as the jury files in] or if proceeded by something like "I've had enough" [perhaps said with anger] or "well he's done it now". [Sometimes said when discussing politicians or other criminals)

"He is going to the prison" implies the convicted is headed to a specific prison known to the listener, whether local or implied by location or circumstance (including the type of crime). Or perhaps the subject is known to be a guard or janitor, in which case he may be headed to work.

For me, planning to "go to the church on Christmas" always implies a specific church while "let's go to church on Christmas" could mean either a specific (our usual) or unspecified church, again depending on context and maybe even whether we habitually go every week or haven't been to church in years. (but better check the schedule - some churches have services Christmas Eve but are closed on Christmas day. :))

If in print, there may be context but other clues will be provided by a good author.

All this is with my own experience having lived and worked in several parts of the US and having read many 100s of books. I know nothing about the rules! (hey, who is this rule-maker?)

JKJ


My wife and I are having a discussion about the use or non-use of the articles, "the" and "a" in connection to some nouns. For example, some people say, "He's going to hospital," instead of, "...the hospital," or "city hall," instead of, "the city hall." It would sound funny to say, "I'm going to grocery store." ..Or, "They're sending him to the prison," instead of "...to prison." ..Or "...going to the school." We say, "We're going to watch TV tonight," but, "We're going to the movies." You wouldn't say, "I'm going to restaurant for dinner," or "We plan to go to the church on Christmas." ..But why ? What's the rule ?

[Al Launier]

If spoken, I think much depends on context as well as tone and inflection and perhaps body language.

If I am a professor or a student and announce "I'm going to the school" my wife knows exactly where I'm headed.
With "I am going to school" with my briefcase or notebook in hand I'm probably leaving immediately for class.
With a different inflection, saying "I am going to school" at the dinner table I might be announcing a decision to finish my PHD.

Consider "He is going to prison."
To me this can mean the guy has been convicted and is will be taken either immediately or soon to some kind of non-specified incarceration somewhere, perhaps even in another country. It might even be a prediction or threat [if whispered as the jury files in] or if proceeded by something like "I've had enough" [perhaps said with anger] or "well he's done it now". [Sometimes said when discussing politicians or other criminals)

"He is going to the prison" implies the convicted is headed to a specific prison known to the listener, whether local or implied by location or circumstance (including the type of crime). Or perhaps the subject is known to be a guard or janitor, in which case he may be headed to work.

For me, planning to "go to the church on Christmas" always implies a specific church while "let's go to church on Christmas" could mean either a specific (our usual) or unspecified church, again depending on context and maybe even whether we habitually go every week or haven't been to church in years. (but better check the schedule - some churches have services Christmas Eve but are closed on Christmas day. :))

If in print, there may be context but other clues will be provided by a good author.

All this is with my own experience having lived and worked in several parts of the US and having read many 100s of books. I know nothing about the rules! (hey, who is this rule-maker?)

JKJ

Great answer John, but then again I wouldn't expect less.

[Al Launier]

After John's answer I think you are now getting hung up on minutiae.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Consider "He is going to prison." ... the guy has been convicted and will be taken ... to some kind of non-specified incarceration somewhere ...

This makes sense. It makes me wonder why, if no specific prison is indicated, why not say, "a prison" rather than just, "prison" ? Perhaps, when no article is included, it's referring to prison as an institution, rather than a building or location. On the other hand, it's said, "He's going into the army." The army is clearly an institution. Why isn't it said, "He's going into army." ?

Here's another thing : I've heard, "After vacation, we're taking Ted back to college." College, in this instance, is a specific place. He's already enrolled. Clearly they know where they're taking him.

This reminds me of The Ohio State University. It used to be Ohio State University, as in : "She's studying medicine at Ohio State University." Now the university insists on putting the article in front : "The Ohio State University"

[Lee DeRaud]

This reminds me of The Ohio State University. It used to be Ohio State University, as in : "She's studying medicine at Ohio State University." Now the university insists on putting the article in front : "The Ohio State University"Does Ohio State have campuses (campi? :) ) in multiple cities and, if so, are they all called "The" or just the original one (wherever that is)?

(I always thought it was some kind of pretentious affectation, since the only time I seem to hear it is when NFL players are describing where they played college ball during those odd intro things they do. Then again, the "The" may be part of the trademark.)

[Bill Dufour]

I think it is very odd when they refer to any campus other then the original in Berkeley as university of California. very commom for east coasters to mean UCLA when they say University of California. I believe it is University of California. All others are University of California, (insert city here).
I notice there are no Hospitals anymore. they are medical centers or some such. I think if they say hospital there are some legal things they have to do like have a fulltime ER department etc. But the roadsigns still say Hospital this way. To Me urgent care sounds more like an ER then medical campus this way.
Bil lD

[Wayne Lomman]

Do you suppose to the British we sound a bit like Australians?
Or to the Australians, do we sound a bit like the British?

I can't attest to what the British think, but as an Australian I can assure you that there is no danger of the US sounding British. Cheers

[Tom Stenzel]

I don't want to bring what the Canadians think about the way we talk! Lucky we don't talk more alike or we wouldn't be able to understand each other at all.

Spending way too much time at Henry Ford Medical Centers, the original building in Detroit is still called Henry Ford Hospital. It's supposed to be called the Main Campus area but the staff at the other locations call it the Downtown location even though it's in Detroit's New Center area. I guess anywhere in Detroit is "downtown" nowadays to people who never lived there.

The other locations can also be called hospitals too depending on size. Livonia, Farmington Hills and Novi have medical centers, West Bloomfield has a hospital.

It's all a plot to cause confusion. It's working.

-Tom

[John K Jordan]

...
It's all a plot to cause confusion. It's working.


The same people have plotted to confuse me with suffixes. Consider "...ble":

changeable, noticeable, manageable

untunable, quotable, removable

incredible, reversible, responsible

My elderly and feeble brain often confuses the "i" and "a" and "ea". I wonder if part of it is the mixed up way I pronounce words in my head as a transplant from growing up yankee to long-term Tennessee s'uthern. If not for spell check I'd appear even more illiterate in print!

JKJ

[Yonak Hawkins]

Excellent examples of the confusability (or is it, confusibility ?) and inconsistency of the English language. Thank you for these.

[Peter Christensen]

I'm bilingual. :) I can use or and our interchangeably. Neighbor/neighbour, Labor/Labour, Color/Colour and so on.

[Wade Lippman]

This makes sense. It makes me wonder why, if no specific prison is indicated, why not say, "a prison" rather than just, "prison" ? Perhaps, when no article is included, it's referring to prison as an institution, rather than a building or location. On the other hand, it's said, "He's going into the army." The army is clearly an institution. Why isn't it said, "He's going into army." ?

That is exactly it.
Going to the prison means a specific prison that is known to both parties.
Going to a prison means just that, a prison. It might not be a specific prison, but it is a prison.
Going to prison is much vaguer. It might be a jail, or something else; but it is prison like.

The same is true with holiday. Same is true (for the most part) with college; I am going to college, means a place of higher education rather than an actual college.

[Lee DeRaud]

I'm bilingual. :) I can use or and our interchangeably. Neighbor/neighbour, Labor/Labour, Color/Colour and so on.The gratuitous "U"s that the Brits stick in everywhere are just an attempt to use up all the extra vowels they stole from the Welsh.

[Tom Bender]

My failure at the triathlon

I seed, I runned, I swimed and I sinked.

[Yonak Hawkins]

I understand that, as the English language develops through generations, as it always has and always will, unique past tense verbs will be among the casualties. It will come that people won't be bothered to learn "swam" and "sunk" when they can simply take the present tense verb and add "ed". Here's a partial list of words that will be lost in the future : past tense verbs (https://www.grammar.cl/Past/Irregular_Verbs_List.htm)