Articles with Names of Meals

These nouns are used without any article when the general idea of these places is meant, i.e. the purpose they are used for. Thus we say A child goes to school; A student goes to university / college; A criminal goes to prison, etc.:

Why aren’t the children at school today? (as pupils)

Mrs. Kelly goes to church every Sunday (for a religious service).

Ken’s brother is in prison for robbing (he is a prisoner).

Two people were injured in the accident and were taken to hospital (as patients).

But: Mr. Kelly went to the school to meet his daughter’s teacher.

Excuse me, where’s the church to repair the roof.

Ken went to the prison to visit his brother.

Nora is now working as a cleaner at a hospital.

Articles with Names of Parts of the Body

Possessive pronouns, not articles are generally used to modify nouns denoting parts of the body, personal belongings and the like:

The man stood frowning, his hands in his pockets.

She wore a string of pearls round her neck.

I sprained my ankle skiing in the mountains.

However, the definite article is used in prepositional phrase, associated with the object or, in passive constructions, with the subject:

The woman took the boy by the hand.

The dog bit her on the leg.

The definite article is also used to refer to a touch, blow or pain:

She had a pain in the side.

Articles with Names of Specific Periods

Names of decades, centuries, and historic periods referring to only one particular period have the definite article: the nineteen-eighties, the twentieth century, the iron bronze age:

Her best novels were written in the eighties of the nineteenth century.

Past, present and future generally take the definite article:

I’m not making any plans for the future now, I only think about the present or remember the past.

Present and future can be used after at and in respectively without any article:

Try to remember it in future.

It’s not possible to grant your request at present, I’m afraid.

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