The nouns school, college, bed, prison, jail are used without an article when they lose their concrete meaning and express the purpose for which the objects denoted by these nouns serve.
When these nouns denote concrete objects the articles are used according to the general principle.
(a) School, college.
to be at school
to go to school } to be a schoolboy (schoolgirl)
to be at college to be a student of a college
to leave school to finish or drop ones studies
School begins at five.
She went to College in the North. (Gow and DUsseau)
His history since he left school had been indicated in the last page.
(Thackeray)
It was at seventeen that he decided to leave school.
to go to the school not as a pupil (the building is meant)
to leave the school to leave the building
Mother went to the school yesterday to attend a parents meeting.
She left the school at 7 oclock.
(b) Bed.
to go to bed
to be in bed
And now you had better go to bed. Good-night. (Voynich)
to be in the bed
to be on the bed} an article of furniture is meant
Her portrait was on the wall beside the bed. (Voynich)
(c) Prison, jail.
to be in prison (in jail) to be a prisoner
to be sent to prison
to be put in prison} as a prisoner
Mr. Dorrit was in prison many years.
Mr. Dorrit was sent to prison for debt.
The last they had heard of him was that he was in jail for having killed a
person in a fight. (Abrahams)
to be in the prison
to go to the prison} not a as prisoner (the building is meant)
Mr. Dorrits family lived in the prison.
The prison proper dated from 1822. (Dreiser)
The use of articles with the noun town.
The noun town when used with prepositions does not take an article:
(a) when we mean the nearest town (if we live in the country) or the town we live in.
You cannot go to town tomorrow. (Austen)
What can you have to do in town...? (Austen)
(b) when the noun town is opposed to the noun country.
He was not used to country life, having spent twenty years in town.
Otherwise the noun town is used with the definite or indefinite article.
I want to go to the town where I was born.
The use of articles with the names of meals.
Names of meals are used without articles.
When did you have dinner?
Is dinner ready?
Mother is cooking dinner.
While they were at breakfast, the letters were brought in. (Austen)
I have finished breakfast, ring the bell. (Ch. Bronte)
The definite article is used when the nouns are modified by a particularizing attribute or when the situation makes them definite.
The dinner we had to-day was very substantial.
The dinner was a success.
The indefinite article is used if the name of a meal is modified by a descriptive attribute.
|
|
|
After a hearty breakfast the four gentlemen sallied forth to walk to Gravesend.
(Dickens)
The use of articles with names of languages.
Names of languages when they are not followed by the noun language are used without articles:
She knows English.
Note the peculiar use of the definite article in: (1) It is a translation from the English (the French etc.), (2) What is the English (the French etc.) for ?
The definite article is used if the noun is modified by a particularizing attribute:
The English of America differs from the English of England.
When the noun language is mentioned the definite article is used: the English language, the German language.
USE OF ARTICLES WITH NOUNS MODIFIED BY CERTAIN
ADJECTIVES, PRONOUNS AND NUMERALS
Most.
(a) Most + adjective.
The definite article is used when most serves to form the superlative degree of an adjective.
This is the most interesting chapter in the book.
The use of the indefinite article shows that a high degree of a quality is meant. Most has the same meaning as very, exceedingly.
Caroline found that the old maid had been a most devoted daughter and sister.
(Ch. Bronte)
N o t e. Occasionally the form of the superlative degree does not express
comparison, but a high degree of a quality.
He listened with the most profound attention.
He listened with the deepest attention.
The same phenomenon is found in Russian:
.
() Most + of + noun.
When definite people or things are meant the noun is used with the definite article and most is followed by the preposition of.
Most of the flowers in the garden were planted by the schoolchildren.
Most of the gentlemen looked both angry and uncomfortable. (Voynich)
We say most, not most of the, when we do not mean definite people or things. The noun is used in a general sense.
Most flowers smell sweet.
