victorycountry  +  120278 Fri, 22 Jul 05 08:58 AM Hi, In "I came home after school", the "home" functions as an adverb(ial). But what if the subject is "he or she", is it still "she came home after school"? It's not "she came to house" or "she came to home" right? In "I went to the Church on Sunday", does the sentence still have the same meaning even if the definite article "the" is omitted? e.g. "I went to Church on Sunday" => Does this sentence make sense without the "the"?   Thanks in advance. victorycountry Joined on Sat, Oct 16 2004 Full Member 313 Articles, Verbs, Adverbs, Definite Articles

	Coachpotato  +  120286 Fri, 22 Jul 05 09:50 AM Native speakers correct me if I'm wrong. But as far as I know if you say 'I went to the church' that means that you didn't go to a religious service, while if you say 'I went to church' means you went to a religious service. The same happens with other words such as prison, school, university, hospital ... You say 'He went to the prison to visit his brother' but 'The thief went to prison'. In the first example he is not a prisoner, just a visitor. Another example: He went to hospital / He went to the hospital. In the first example he is ill or injured so he is in hospital, while in the other one he is not ill, he is there as a visitor. Coachpotato Joined on Wed, Jul 20 2005 Spain Full Member 233 http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a265/coachpotato/miscellaneous/santa_toys2.gif Universities

	nona the brit  +  120322 Fri, 22 Jul 05 01:48 PM Yes, very well explained. nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,713 The name says it all.

	davkett  +  120338 Fri, 22 Jul 05 02:28 PM He went to hospital Actually, Coachpotato, this third example is one I don't think I've ever heard said by any native American I know.  We tend to say, "He's in the hospital"... or, "He's hospitalized." davkett Joined on Tue, Jun 7 2005 Pennsylvania, USA Senior Member 2,788 "The rose stays fresh in its name..." -Bernard of Morlay

	MrPedantic  +  120468 Fri, 22 Jul 05 11:50 PM It's true that I went to church is only used in the context of going to a religious service. But I went to the church doesn't mean you didn't go to a religious service. It covers all church visits. 1. I went to the church. I was ten minutes late, and the service had already begun; so I slipped in quietly and stood at the back. Similarly with 'I went to the prison/school/university/hospital': there are contexts where 'I' could be a prisoner, schoolboy, student, malingerer, etc. (He went to hospital may be more familiar to BrE than AmE speakers.) MrP MrPedantic Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004 Veteran Member 12,592 ...opella forensis / adducit febris... Universities

	CalifJim  +  120529 Sat, 23 Jul 05 05:55 AM Yes.  Within this group of expressions, the only one that differs significantly when American and British English are compared is "to hospital", which doesn't occur in American English, because at the time of the founding of the country there was only one hospital.  So if a person "went to the hospital", the place was uniquely identified.  No one ever needed to ask, "Which hospital?"  So another version without the article would not have been needed.  CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,403 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Articles, American English, British English