Korean Job Discussion Forums

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

"I'm going to hospital" is correct if you're British. Americans ALWAYS use "the", member or not. (Pretty good wylde!! You get a sticker! Wink

)

The only problem with the "member" idea is that if you are a "member" of the church, school, etc. and you're going there to DO SOMETHING ELSE, it's still "the." If you're going to church to PRAY...no "the". If you're going to THE church to build, meet friends..."the".

If you're going to "the" school to meet friends..."the". If you're going to school to study....hahaha!!! Students should always use "the" when talking about school!!! Laughing

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

ok.. if you are going there to participate in the activity of the place.. i'm going to...

if you are going there to do anything else.. i'm going to the..

i'm going to the hospital.. which one?

you said americans use the above... well, who cares? we are using english not ameriglish Razz

dogbert · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: Killbox 90210

J.B. Clamence · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

The best way to define the difference that I have heard is to say that you use "a" to define something which the listener doesn't know which one you mean, and you use "the" to identify a thing which the listener does understand which one you mean. That's why, after mentioning something first as "a", you thereafter refer to it as "the" -- because the first time you mentioned it, the listener didn't know which one you meant, but once you mentioned it once, the listener from then on understands that you are continually referring to the same item.

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

dogbert · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: Killbox 90210

peppermint · Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2004 7:45 pm Post subject:

I think for most Korean students- trying to explain when you'd drop the "the" will only confuse them.

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

a store / the store / bob's store

dogbert · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: Killbox 90210

iiicalypso · Joined: 13 Aug 2003 Location: is everything

It has always been my understanding that the "a" or "the" question comes down to specific versus general. For example:

"The teacher suggested I go to a library to do research."
A specific teacher doesn't care if I go to the local library or a Uni library.

"A teacher suggested I go to the library to do research."
I don't know what teacher it was, and it isn't relevant to the conversation.

"The teacher told me to go to the library to do research."
A specific telling me to go to a particular library, one either stated earlier in the conversation or implied.

"A teacher told me to to go a library to do research."
For some reason a teacher I cannot identify told me to do research in any library. Perhaps I was trying to do research in a classroom.

ajuma · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!

Whew!! I was getting worried about agreeing with wylde too much! Laughing

Yep, we're teaching English...and English is NOT a static language. It has many variations and forms and a GOOD teacher is aware of the differences in the language. American English considers "hospital" to be like "store," "post office" etc. British English considers "hospital" to be like "school," "church," "jail"....Neither is right or wrong. I tell my students it doesn't matter which "English" you choose, just be consistent!!

I'd never say that something was "dodgey"...(is that even the spelling?) and my car has a trunk, not a boot. A boot is something I wear on my foot!

wylde · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

dogbert · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Location: Killbox 90210

LOL...I go to the store but have no interaction with the goods therein or the merchant?

Nice try, though.

In American usage, "going to school" implies being a student. If a fifth-grader says, "I go to school", that has a meaning different from his mother's saying "I'm going to the school to pick up my son".

[I will make an exception for Wylde in this regard in terms of "being in hospital" since he has spent so much time there Very Happy

]

Similarly, one is "in prison".

Of course, there is only one Europe, so there is no question of article usage.

"Trunk" (what do y'all call it, a "boot"?) is a logical analogue of "trunk" used in the since of "large suitcase".

Of course, I agree with Ajuma -- I would never use the word "dodg(e)y", just as I would never refer to something as "bloody", unless it were actually bleeding.