'the' used before some places

With some places, we need 'the'. For example, the cinema, the bank, the station,fhe factory, the house, the library, the office, the pub, the shop.

Qusestion 1. Should I use 'the' before park?

Question 2.
A. Where are you going?
B. I'm going to bank or library. (Does it sound unnatural if I don't use 'the' before bank or library?


Thanks for your help?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Winwin2011

With some places, we need 'the'. For example, the cinema, the bank, the station,fhe factory, the house, the library, the office, the pub, the shop.

Qusestion 1. Should I use 'the' before park?

Question 2.
A. Where are you going?
B. I'm going to bank or library. (Does it sound unnatural if I don't use 'the' before bank or library?


Thanks for your help?

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Yes, it sounds completely unnatural without the article. We omit the article when we're using a proper noun after "to".

I'm going to London.
I'm going to Sussex University.
I'm going to Brazil.
I'm going to Mars.
I'm going to Lloyds Bank.

With a common noun, you need an article of some description (or, as you will see here, something like a possessive):

I'm going to the bank.
I'm going to the shops.
I'm going to the library.
I'm going to a library. (I'm not being specific about which library.)
I'm going to that restaurant I told you about.
I'm going to my favourite theatre tonight.

-Not a teacher-

My understanding of it is;
If you are talking about a bank both you and the person you are speaking to know about either through past experiences or through telepathy or whatever, then you can put "the" in front of it.

If you want to keep it arbitrary or don't think the listener would know which bank it is, then you go with "a" .

Don't quote me on this because I am just a learner.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by emsr2d2

With a common noun, you need an article of some description (or, as you will see here, something like a possessive):

I'm going to the bank.
I'm going to the shops.
I'm going to the library.
I'm going to a library. (I'm not being specific about which library.)
I'm going to that restaurant I told you about.
I'm going to my favourite theatre tonight.

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Thanks to VIP member emsr2d2 and rainous.


Does 'With a common noun, you need an article of some description (or, as you will see here, something like a possessive) equal to 'You cannot use singular countable nouns alone (without a/the/my etc.)


Thanks for your help.

Quote:

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Does 'With a common noun, you need an article of some description (or, as you will see here, something like a possessive) equal to 'You cannot use singular countable nouns alone (without a/the/my etc.)

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It usually means that. There are probably exceptions.

Rover

With a number of places, we sometimes view the activity as more important than the place. Thus 'I'm going to the pub' may simply mean 'I am going out for a drink'. Although the speaker almost certainly knows which pub they will be drinking in, that is not of any significance, and they do not expect the listener to know which pub it is. Of course, if this is said in a small village where there is only one pub, then both people do know exactly which pub it is.

'A pub' is fairly unnatural in this sense, and, in my opinion, 'I am going to the library' would be more natural than 'I am going to a library'. The speaker is normally indicating that they are going to borrow, take back or read a book, not that they are heading towards a particular building.

Words which are used with 'the' in a similar way include library, bank, post office, theatre, cinema, opera , ballet, gym.