grammar - Definite article usage: "I'm going to mosque" Or "I'm going to the mosque"?


AS Hornby says in one of his books that we should always use the before mosque, and temple unlike church. When we go to a church for prayer, we say



I am going to church



while we say



I am going to the church



when we go to a church to whitewash it.


I thought, until I read Hornby that the same rule applied to mosque and temple. But Hornby says that we should say



I am going to the mosque



whether we are going there for prayer or not. To make it clear one should add a phrase with the sentence like for prayer or for whitewashing it.


Another British grammarian named Hewings says in his Advanced English Grammar that the same rule as that of church applies to mosque. In his opinion one should say



I am going to mosque



when he is going there for prayer and



I am going to the mosque



when he is going there for some other thing than prayer. Both are British grammarians of English. Who is to be followed, Hornby or Hewings?




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