Job Discussion Forums

Steiner · Joined: 21 Apr 2003 Posts: 573 Location: Hunan China

Okay, a question for the speakers of British English. Deride me for my ignorance if you will.

My students' books tell them that it's proper to say you're going to go "on diet." I've never heard the phrase without the indefinite article. So, do any of you Brits need to "go on diet" or do you need to "go on a diet"?

I think the book is full of it but I told a student I'd check with you guys. After all, Brits don't go to the hospital, they just go to hospital. In any case, the book is certainly wrong when it says that it's wrong to add the indefinite article.

Thanks.

Mike_2003 · Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Posts: 344 Location: Bucharest, Romania

Don't know if it is true for all regions in the UK, but I'd never exclude the article.

I often exclude an article in some regularized phrases such as: go to school, go to work, go to hospital, but NEVER "go on diet".

I would, however, also say "go to the hospital" in some cases.

Mike

Sara Avalon · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 254 Location: On the Prowl

I've never heard "go to hospital" before.. are you sure that's correct?

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 8:31 am Post subject:

Maybe I'm not a good guy to post about this topic because I'm not a native speaker, however, it sounds Chinglish, nay, pathetic to say 'go on diet' without the 'a'.

Just an opinion

LA

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

go on A diet

go to hospital is acceptable if it is being used for its intended purpose. So if you are a patient you would say "I'm ill so I'm going to hospital' However, if you are visiting the patient you'd say "DMB is ill so I'm going to the hospital.

Is this true or am I just making it up?

lajzar · Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Posts: 647 Location: Saitama-ken, Japan

I second what dmb said.

Kitegirl · Joined: 02 Jan 2004 Posts: 101 Location: Lugdunum Batavorum

Bad Steiner!

You're in China now - yet you dare to question authority? In my case, when the authority is a book by the Beijing Institute of Technology with an imposing title like "Writing for Modern Business Communication", why, I just take my Swan and my Murphy and RIP OUT the pages with all that "want to" and "going to" nonsense.

For as the Chinese say, if you wanna climb their mountain, you're gonna sing their song.

gingermeggs · Joined: 29 Jan 2004 Posts: 162

NEVER, "going on diet"..........I'm going on a diet.....I'm going on the Bloggs peanut diet.....I'm going to diet.....are all acceptable.
"Going to hospital" is perfectly correct, as is "going to the hospital"
Trust me, I'm an Expert!!!!

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

I have to agree with kitegirl on this one.

Bad Steiner!

You are in China. What matters is the answer that the book gives, because that might be on a test.

Totally seriously, I was discussing some similar things last weekend, at a pretty good quality school for kids that aleady go to public school. One of the teachers at the school listened to me explain some things (hey, I did score in the 99th percentile for verbal on my GRE's)

She came back, and said the students wouldn't listen to her because there public school teacher said else wise. Had a chance to talk to this school teacher. The teacher can't speak english. But he makes and grades the test. Idea

I am going to hospital Question

Is hospital some kind of verb in English? I am going to laugh, I am going to toss my cookies, I am going to hospital. Surprised

Sounds like something my five year old niece would say.

And Steiner , I remember your avatar, you need to go on diet right after you go on dive. (But I guess it wouldn't hurt me to go on diet myself)

tammy · Joined: 07 Jan 2004 Posts: 45

i always use it like this...

i'm going to go on a diet/i'm on a diet/i'm going to diet

'i'm going to hospital' as a patient.

'i'm going to the hospital' as a visitor.

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

I still don't understand going to hospital. What does it mean? Are you saying that for Brit speak, hospital can be a verb meaning what? I am going to become hospitalized? Where is Jones when we need him?

Whether I am a doctor, patient, visitor, policeman, or whatever, what difference does it make? Grammar changes depending on whether you are the patient or the doctor Question

gingermeggs · Joined: 29 Jan 2004 Posts: 162

.........as a result, 19 injured were taken to hospital.
.........as a result, 19 injured were hospitalized.
Take your pick, Arioch, both are correct.
Hospital is not a verb.
Didn't you ever go to school?

waxwing · Joined: 29 Jun 2003 Posts: 719 Location: China

arioch, I have two words for you (well one word and one fiddly little Latin squiggly thing):
cf school

bah someone+ already said it anyway

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

If the parent was a teacher at little Tommy's school would it make a difference? Wink

johnslat · Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 1:30 pm Post subject: Hospitals and schools

I first encountered the use of "hospital" without "the" overseas, and when I did, I'll admit it sounded strange to me. But, when I thought about it, I saw that it made sense. After all, if we use "hospital" generally:

John's going to hospital tomorrow

it's similar to "school", used generally:

John's going to school in Boston.

"School" here is not referring to a specific building, but rather has the idea of

John's getting an education in Boston.

So, when we say

John's going to hospital tomorrow

it's not referring to a specific building, but rather has the idea of

John's going to get treated for something tomorrow

Of course, if we ARE referring to a specific hospital or school, then we'd use "the".

Regards,
John