| Former-Teacher | Date: Saturday, 18.12.2010, 12:42 | Message # 1 |
 Dean
Group: Admins
Messages: 504
Status: Offline
| Dear Learners!
Remember these simple rules for some nouns that can mean two different things; a) a building and b) service that is done in it.
to go to church- means to go for a church service
to go to the/a church - means to go to the building called church for another purpose, e.g. to wash the floor or fix the lights.
E.g,: "My parents believe in God. They go to church every Sunday"- Never use the article!
'My father is an electrician. He's going to the/a church tomorrow to fix the lights."- The choice of articles is important.
Similar rules include:
go to prison- sentenced to confinement
go to the prison- to fix the lights, e.g.
go to school - to get education
go to the school- to see the school principal
go to University - to get higher education
go to the/a University- to do some things in the building, e.g. use the toilet.
go to hospital - to recover
go to the hospital - to visit a sick friend, e.g.
So, the sentence below contains a mistake. The article can't be used before the word 'church' in this context:
'Some of us believe that reincarnation can exist in our life, others say that religion is a necessary thing because every person believes and goes to the church.'
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