Word Fun

[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