Re: USAGE: Internetese deviancy - the definite article

David Barrow scripsit:

> So Americans have 'in jail' but 'in the prison' for convicts?
No.  We use "in jail" and "in prison" for those cases.  We simply do
not happen to have "in hospital" or "at university".  Nor do we use
article-less forms with informal synonyms: in the clink/coop/hoosegow/
slammer are the only possible forms.

The article-less forms erode over time:  Mark Twain spoke of a person
as "keeping hotel", but it would now have to be "keeping a hotel".

--
But you, Wormtongue, you have done what you could for your true master.  Some
reward you have earned at least.  Yet Saruman is apt to overlook his bargains.
I should advise you to go quickly and remind him, lest he forget your faithful
service.  --Gandalf             John Cowan <cowan@...>

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