http://www.englishforums.com/English/EslGeneralEnglishGrammar-Questions/Forum12.htmAsk your questions on grammar and get your sentence checked. We answer lots of different types of general English grammar questions here. <font color=red>DO NOT post paragraphs and compositions here. Post them in our <a href="http://www.englishforums.com/English/EssayReportCompositionWriting/Forum9.htm"><b>Essay, Report and Composition Writing Forum</b></a>.</font>enXMOD (Build: 3616.28671)http://www.englishforums.com/English/Articles/ckvmh/post.htm#217578Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:28:09 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:217578nona the brit0http://www.englishforums.com/English/Articles/ckvmh/post.htm#217578http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-217578.xmlA m0ore natural version would be to say that you stared 'into' the night. But in any case, you will need 'the'. Your teacher is correct in that the phrase 'at night' meaning something happening during the night does not take 'the'. However, as Paco said, you cannot just say you stared 'during' the night. You have to be staring at something - so this sentence means that the object of your stare is the night itself. Your teacher is a bit confused between 'at' meaning time period and 'at' as something you are aiming 'at'.http://www.englishforums.com/English/Articles/ckvmh/post.htm#217554Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:28:09 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:217554paco20041http://www.englishforums.com/English/Articles/ckvmh/post.htm#217554http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-217554.xml1. "Stare" or "stare at " requires an object, i.e., something or someone. 2. "At night" is "during an arbitrary night". "At the night" is not idiomatic. (EX) We often sat in the garden at night and stared (at) each other. (EX) That night we sat in the garden and stared at the night sky. pacohttp://www.englishforums.com/English/Articles/ckvmh/post.htmMon, 26 Jan 2009 10:28:09 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:217539Ukrainian_Hobbit2http://www.englishforums.com/English/Articles/ckvmh/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-217539.xmlShould we use an article here? "We sat in the garden and stared at (the?) night." It somehow seems to me that "the" fits quite nicely, but the teacher insists on using no articles here. Should any article be used in this sentence, and why?