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Re: USAGE: Internetese deviancy - the definite article

From:Peter Bleackley <peter.bleackley@...>
Date:Wednesday, July 28, 2004, 7:47
Staving Gary Shannon:

>I still haven't figured out how the British decide to >DROP "the" in so many odd places like "going to >hospital" instead of "going to THE hospital." Does >anybody know what the rule is for when to drop "the" >in order to speak proper British? For example, does >one say "I'm going to the city", or "I'm going to >city"? > >Somehow, "going to university" makes "university" >sound like a verb to me. "I'm going to university and >then I'm going to sing, and if you don't watch out I'm >going to hospital you right in the face."
Usually, when "the" is dropped, it refers to an institution. Pete