definite articles - the correct usage of "the"



I've spent years in the States and I'm still confused when I should use "the" in sentences.


These are the cases that I know that I have to use a definite article.


case 1: refer to specific objects. he was working at the firm where his colleagues were friendly.


case 2: refer to unique objects. The earth is a planet.


case 3: general statements The human is a foolish species.


What I'm the most confused about are the situations where "the" makes a difference in meanings. For example, I went to the college means I was physically present at the college, and I went to college means I finished a degree.


Using a definite article is very confusing to me. There seem to be many exceptions and special rules, and also idiomatic ways of using and not using a definite article.


Could someone kindly clarify the usage of "the" for me?



Answer



When you say 'I went to the college' as you stated in your question it refers to a specific object.


However 'college' in general is an international institution. They are not run by one person but they all share the same goals and many even share research and resources. So someone might ask 'Did you go to college?' which is a short way of saying 'Did you ever attend a college for academic studies?' without having to state what college you actually attended. Sometimes you don't need to know what college they went to, just that they went in general which tells you what you need to know (if are they are educated).


Example


A Surgeon - 'I was in surgery'
A missing child - 'I was in the surgery'

If a surgeon says 'I was in surgery' it means he was performing an operation. If he says 'I was in the surgery' he is telling you that he was simply there but not during an operation.


Referring to your question example, imagine there are two police officers that talk to kids about drugs. On Monday they will be visiting two high schools and a college. You could ask them 'did you go to the college?' and if they had already been to the college they would reply yes.


On the same day, if you asked them 'did you go to college?' they would probably try to clarify your English and say something like 'Did I go to the college?' with a puzzled look on their face. This is because what you have asked them is 'Did you ever attend a college for studies'


I can see that this can be very confusing for people learning English and I hope my explanation makes sense to you :)


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