Foundation grammar · Unit 71 · A2

go to work, go home, go to the cinema

A and the

No the in go to work, go to school, go to bed, go home, be at university, go to hospital, go to prison, go to church. But go to the cinema, the bank, the station, the doctor and the airport.

Go to the exercises

A No the

We say these without the:

go to be at, be in
go to work be at work
go to school be at school
go to university be at university
go to hospital be in hospital
go to prison be in prison
go to church be at church
go to bed be in bed
go home be at home

Note: go home, never go to home.

  • She's at work.
  • They're going to school.
  • I'm tired. I'm going to bed.
  • Dave's in hospital with a broken leg.
  • I'm going home now.
  • Is Liz at home?

B With the

We say these with the: go to the cinema, the theatre, the bank, the post office, the station, the airport, the city centre, the doctor's, the dentist's.

  • We went to the cinema last night.
  • I'm out of cash. I'll have to pop to the bank.
  • There were a lot of people at the station.
  • If you have toothache, you go to the dentist.

Exercises

71.1 Where are these people? Complete the sentences. Sometimes you need the.

  1. A man lying in bed asleep.

    He's in bed.

    He's in bed.

  2. Two passengers waiting on a platform with suitcases.

    They're at .

  3. A woman in a hospital bed with a nurse beside her.

    She's in .

  4. A woman at a counter paying in a cheque.

    She's at .

  5. Children sitting at desks with a teacher.

    They're at .

  6. A man behind bars in a cell.

    He's in .

71.2 Complete the sentences with a word from the box. Use the if necessary: bank, bed, church, home, post office, school, station.

bankbedchurchhomepost officeschoolstation

  1. I'm out of cash. I'll have to pop to the bank.

    I'm out of cash. I'll have to pop to the bank.

  2. David usually goes to on Sundays.

  3. In Britain, children go to from the age of five.

  4. There were a lot of people at waiting for the train.

  5. I rang you last night, but you weren't at .

  6. I'm going to now. Goodnight!

  7. I'm going to to post a parcel.

71.3 Complete the sentences. Sometimes you need the.

  1. To fly somewhere, first you go to the airport.

    To fly somewhere, first you go to the airport.

  2. To watch the latest blockbuster on a big screen, you go .

  3. If you're tired and want to sleep, you go .

  4. If a judge finds you guilty of a serious crime, you might go .

  5. For a filling or a check-up, you go .

  6. If you want to study after school, you go .

  7. If you're badly hurt in an accident, you go .

71.4 Put in the where necessary. Write OK if the sentence is already right.

  1. We went to cinema last night.

    We went to the cinema last night.

    We went to the cinema last night.

  2. I finish work at five o'clock every day.

    OK

    I finish work at five o'clock every day.

  3. Tom had a bad cough, so he went to chemist.

  4. I had a headache, so I went to bed early.

  5. Why does Leo never get to school on time?

  6. "Where are the children?" "They're at school."

  7. We've got no money in house.

  8. My grandparents still go to church every week.

See also