What TV shows have you been watching ?

Quote from Art Vandaley

Alright….question for my UK brethren in here.

My wife and I love British television. We watch a host of British shows on Netflix, NBC, Amazon, etc.

Why do the British omit the word “THE” when mentioning hospitals?

“He’s been taken to hospital.”

“My mother is at hospital,”

etc. I adore British English, but man, that sounds awkward? Why do British say the store, the alley, the tennis courts, the parking lot, the field, the yard, but with hospital, no article!? 😂😂😂😂

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https://www.quora.com/Why-does…nstead-of-In-the-hospital

The use of 'the' indicates a reference to a particular, specific hospital. It's a status or condition rather than a location. As an Australian, I also say 'at hospital' and I find 'the hospital' awkward.

This got me thinking and I will try to express what I thought.

Being 'in' hospital means I have been hospitalized. It's a state of being. Being 'at the' hospital means I'm visiting there. 'in the' hospital would mean the same thing I believe but sounds less right than "at the". So the operating room tech while he is at work is 'in the' hospital but he is not 'in' hospital.

We would never say someone is 'in' library because you can't be libraryized (or whatever the word for being made resident of a library would be). A person would always be 'at the' library.

Be interested in Backdrifter's thoughts here too. There's probably a technical answer I don't know.

I agree that it's taken more as a reference to a state or situation to say "going to hospital" or "she's in hospital" etc. If the conversation somehow involved referring to a specific hospital then you might say "We had to take him to the hospital", or if you knew the people you were addressing were aware of your local hospital and that they'd assume that's where he was taken. But yes the more usual UK form of "in hospital" is in the same constituency as in prison, at school, at university and going to bed - you wouldn't usually put an article in any of those.

Quote from Liquid Len

Might be the same reason they say “going on holiday” instead of going on a holiday. Maybe our friend Backdrifter can weigh in on this.

But while you chaps would probably say 'vacation' wouldn't you normally say "He's on vacation"?

By the way thanks to the couple of you who looked to me on this ^ but I hope the other Brits here don't feel too marginalised!

I understand Backdrifter lives in the Scotland whereas I live in the Midlands but hail from the west firstly the Bristol then that Cheltenham . Our English is not always the same but he has been proper right.

Well, Backdrifter has clearly abandoned London, as every answer there has to start with "So," - Probably where Peter Gabriel got the idea!

Quote from foxfeeder

Well, Backdrifter has clearly abandoned London, as every answer there has to start with "So,"

Bit unfair to pin that on London! It's pretty widespread beyond there but that said, I don't hear it very much around these parts, similarly the rising interrogative inflection? Two irritating verbal tropes that seemingly haven't penetrated much into Scotland, thankfully.

Quote from FeelItComing

https://www.quora.com/Why-does…nstead-of-In-the-hospital

The use of 'the' indicates a reference to a particular, specific hospital. It's a status or condition rather than a location. As an Australian, I also say 'at hospital' and I find 'the hospital' awkward.

so unless I name a specific zoo, I should say I’m going to zoo. Unless I specify which concert I’m attending, I say I’m going to concert? Sounds mega awkward!!!

Quote from thewatcher

This got me thinking and I will try to express what I thought.

Being 'in' hospital means I have been hospitalized. It's a state of being. Being 'at the' hospital means I'm visiting there. 'in the' hospital would mean the same thing I believe but sounds less right than "at the". So the operating room tech while he is at work is 'in the' hospital but he is not 'in' hospital.

We would never say someone is 'in' library because you can't be libraryized (or whatever the word for being made resident of a library would be). A person would always be 'at the' library.

Be interested in Backdrifter's thoughts here too. There's probably a technical answer I don't know.

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So my wife just said “She is hospitalized” in ‘Murcan English is akin to “in hospital?”

You give a good explanation overall.

This video had me in stitches!!! At 0:33

Quote from Art Vandaley

so unless I name a specific zoo, I should say I’m going to zoo. Unless I specify which concert I’m attending, I say I’m going to concert?

No.

Quote from Backdrifter

No.

Quote from Art Vandaley

so unless I name a specific zoo, I should say I’m going to zoo. Unless I specify which concert I’m attending, I say I’m going to concert? Sounds mega awkward!!!

See thewatcher's post above.

Quote from Art Vandaley

This video had me in stitches!!! At 0:33

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On a tangent - and let's face it, the last couple of pages have been one big tangent anyway - this reminds me that people who put together title cards for videos so often have a knack of making them as off-putting as possible. It's quite a skill.

“Prince Edward has clearly gone mad!! We must take him to hospital!!” 😜😜😜😂😂😂

I've watched the first 2 eps of series 2 of Baptiste. It's going to be the final series to feature the Julien Baptiste character who originally appeared in The Missing. Pretty compelling so far.