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Why no articles here?
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Believer  #235248  Mon, 12 Jun 06 04:16 PM

Hi,

I came across the following sentences and have been wondering why they don't have any articles in the places underlined.

Allow them to have a turn as leader     (the word is being used as sort of a title here?)

He graduated from (no article???) elementary school and a boy's high school.    (is that because the phrase from elementary school is a sort of idiomatic phrase?)

  
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CalifJim  #235277  Mon, 12 Jun 06 06:42 PM
Yes.  leader is a role (which is somewhat like saying a title).

[take / have] a turn as [leader / administrator / assistant / manager / ...]
act as [leader / administrator / assistant / manager / ...]

The key phrase is graduated from.  When no specific institution is mentioned next, but only a general kind of educational institution or level of education, no article is used.

graduated from [elementary school / grade school / high school / eighth grade / college / junior college / music school / medical school / law school]

CJ
  
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Cool Breeze  #235306  Mon, 12 Jun 06 08:58 PM
The articles are sometimes quite tricky in English. Contrary to all logic no article is used before titles and the like in certain expressions and after some verbs when only one person can have that position at a time. Examples:

They made him king.
He was elected chairman.
She became queen of Belgium.

But: He was elected an MP last year. (There are over 600 MPs at a time in England.)
        The king didn't come at all. (The king is the subject of the sentence.)

The apostrophe should follow the s in your example: a boys' school because there are lots of boys in that school, not just one.

Cheers
CB
  
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