Look at these examples to see when the is and isn't used.
I'm going to bed.
I walk to work.
My children are going to start school.
I visited the school yesterday.
Mount Everest is in the Himalayas.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Grammar explanation
Here are some ways we use articles in common phrases and place names.
Common phrases
We don't usually use an article in expressions with bed, work and home.
go to bed / be in bed
go to work / be at work / start work / finish work
go home / be at home / get home / stay at home
We also don't normally use an article in expressions with school, university, prison and hospital.
start school / go to school / be at school
go to university / be at university
be sent to prison / go to prison / be in prison
go to hospital / be in hospital
But we usually use the if someone is just visiting the place, and not there as a student/prisoner/patient, etc.
My son has started school now. I went to the school to meet his teacher.
I went to the prison a lot when I was a social worker.
I'm at the hospital. My sister has just had a baby.
Place names
We don't normally use an article for continents, most countries, cities, towns, lakes, mountains or universities. So, we say:
Africa, Asia, Europe
India, Ghana, Peru, Denmark
Addis Ababa, Hanoi, New York, Moscow
Lake Victoria, Lake Superior, Lake Tanganyika
Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus
Cardiff University, Harvard University, Manchester University
Some countries are different. Country names with United have the. There are other countries which are exceptions too. So, we say:
the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America
the Bahamas, the Gambia
Seas and oceans, mountain ranges and rivers have the:
the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Mediterranean
the Andes, the Himalayas, the Alps
the Nile, the Amazon, the Yangtze
Universities with of in the title also have the:
the University of Cape Town, the University of Delhi, the University of Tokyo
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello Aona,
Yes, using articles correctly takes practice and patience!
Assuming that you are not a prisoner, you should use the second sentence.
As the explanation under Common phrases above says, we normally use 'the' when we are just visiting a place like a prison or school. If we are someone who regularly goes or lives there (for example, a student or teacher in a school or a prisoner or prison guard in a prison), then we typically don't use 'the'.
All the best,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hello,
Please let me know why the correct answer of fourth question in test 2 is every Friday my grandad goes to the prison to teach a maths class. Isn't it a regular action? Why use the? Is there any other point? Sorry, I'm confused.
Hi NOTABLE,
Yes, it is a regular action, but in the context of a prison, "go to prison" is what a prisoner does (= stay inside a prison to serve a prison sentence).
For the grandad, who just goes there to teach a class but does not stay there permanently, "go to the prison" is the better option.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
the second is correct , if you belong to here , you don't use " The" . opposite , the situation is that " I went to .... prison to visit my husband" you just go to the prison to visit my husband, you don't belong to here , so the answer is that you have to use " the" in the situation
Thank you sir
Thank you, That's a clear explanation.
Its so hard for me. The with -.
I think it is more useful than the first one. Thank you for your help.
I think the clue is always practice and practice and practice. Thanks a lot for the explanation. It was really helpful.
I think the clue is always practice and practice and practice. Thanks a lot for the explanation. It was really helpful.