[quote=“Rik”]Your explanation that a noun needs an article is ridiculous. Taiwan, Forumosa, space, Saturn, heaven, hell, church, confessional, temple, are all nouns that would not have
God, I give up. Can some of you people do some homework (as in look the dictionary) before replying back?
Look under “school” (NOT schooling or schooled) and you will just see “noun”.
For “home” and “work” you will see that both words can be used as not only a noun, but also va erb, adjective, adverb, transitive verb, etc. That’s why “I am going to the work” and “I am going to the home” are grammatically incorrect, because the word “work” and “home” here are not being used as nouns. Look if you don’t believe me, check up the dicionary.
As for “hell”, “Taipei”, “Forumosa”, etc, Amy explained it best by noting that these are NOT countable nouns, which are the exception to the rule. (It’s good to see that someone actually gets it)
It all boils down to this easy point: the word “school”, unlike “home” or “work” can only be used as a NOUN.
Anyway, what’s up with the attitude? I posted simply to reply to ozzy and to inform him, and everyone else of correct grammar. I don’t recall using any profane language, and yet, here I am being called an “idiot” and an “arse”. I sincerely hope that I am wrong, but I suspect that the underlying hosility to my reply is that I suggested that a Taiwanese editor’s correction was, indeed, correct (and believe me, it is), rather than that of a “native” speaker. If so (and I apologize if I am incorrect, but in that case some people here need to learn some manners) then I have just two words for you people: GROW UP. We are all native speakers here, but that doesn’t mean that we have impeccable grammar, and we shouldn’t get all defensive when locals correct our English (especially when they are right).
Whatever, Dead Wizard. I see that structure come across my desk in that particular context, “the” gets deleted. Simple as that. And I’d be correct to do so.
If I were an educator, your point of grammar would not come into the equation until far, far beyond beginner English, and even then it would be a throwaway remark, describing one of the quirks of English grammar.
Teach it like what its used, ye ken whit ah mean?
But I’d still rupture the spleen of the person who allowed “we’re” rather than “I’m” – unless of course, the teacher is supposed to make up a story about the kid’s “invisible friends.” 
There is no such thing as correct English. If I had said, “I am going to the school.” under similar circumstances, whoever I was talking to would have told me to go to the Hell. I appreciate Dead Wizard’s attempt to school us, but I do not agree.
Well Dead Wizard, I took your advice – as an editor for some of the finest news sources in this wild and wacky world and against my better judgement for I knew I was right all along – here’s the very first Google entry, cut and pasted for your delectation and elucidation.
[quote]The noun “school” has 7 senses in WordNet.
- school – (an educational institution; “the school was founded in 1900”)
- school, schoolhouse – (a building where young people receive education; “the school was built in 1932”; “he walked to school every morning”)
- school, schooling – (the process of being formally educated at a school; “what will you do when you finish school?”)
- school – (an educational institution’s faculty and students; “the school keeps parents informed”; “the whole school turned out for the game”)
- school, schooltime, school day – (the period of instruction in a school; the time period when school is in session; “stay after school”; “he didn’t miss a single day of school”; “when the school day was done we would walk home together”)
- school – (a body of creative artists or writers or thinkers linked by a similar style or by similar teachers; “the Venetian school of painting”)
- school, shoal – (a large group of fish; “a school of small glittering fish swam by”).[/quote]
And here’s the link, in case you think I have the brains to make this stuff up. I know it can’t really be trusted, coming as it does from Princeton, and what do those Ivy Leaguers know, anway?, but there are loads more.
Be careful what you wish for. The crow’s over there, back of the fridge, second shelf behind the picallilli.
School can be a verb.
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=70349&dict=CALD
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/school_1?view=uk
Where are you?
I am at home.
I am at work.
I am at school.
I am at university.
I am at church. I suppose you can substitute temple here depending on your faith, which backs up my point that there are cultural connotations between article and no article.
I am at the post office.
I am at the park…
I am in school.
I am in space. as opposed to in the space (between.)
I am in heaven.
I am in the post office.
I am in the park.
I think Dead Wizard is on the right track, as it appears that the words that do not need an article can function as verbs, such that
I am at school. Means “I’m am being schooled.” rather than “I am in the school building.” “i’m am going to school.” means “I am going to be schooled.” etc. where ‘to school’ means to teach.
Which relates back to my original post.
I’m going to school. focuses on the action that will take place in the scool building.
I’m going to the school. focuses on the building.
There is a difference between the 2 sentences.
both from the Cambridge page linked above. Neither have ‘the’.
articles (8): special rules and exceptions
1. common expressions without articles
In some common fixed expressions to do with place, time and movement, normally countable nouns are treated as uncountables, without articles.
Examples are: to school, from school…
And now a quote from a Taiwanese on this subject “你想太多” 
Just sell the books because you know damn well that they aren’t going to say it anyway. 
to school, to the school: both are correct. if you are only taught to speak the language by a rigorous application of ‘the rules’ as is the norm here, then the first seems incorrect.
and if the government approval hinges on that sentence alone, then OF COURSE it becomes THE ONLY WAY TO SAY IT, and is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
how long have you been here after all? i know that much after only three months. besides, no one will remember that single sentence in that particular lesson after six years of going to (the) english class…hopefully they will have advanced to Dick and Jane books by then.
but not in the same situation. As has already been explained, it depends on context; ‘to school’ and ‘to the school’ carry different meanings.
Chinese never understand articles. It’s not that difficult is it? How many of you teachers have students that use them correctly and consistently?
I am NOT a native English speaker.
Ozzo writes: “It’s a very basic beginners book.” They probably just want to make things less confusing for the kids. I remember the very first sentence in my first Chinese textbook: Zhe shi shu. (This is book.) This is obviously incorrect Chinese grammar (if there is such a thing as Chinese grammar), but it is deifinitely easier for the student to start with that than to start introducing measure words in the first lesson.
“I am going to the school” may not be what most people say in English speaking countries, but it is less wrong than “zhe shi shu” and that sentence didn’t screw up my Chinese in the long run either, so don’t worry about the the. It is not important. The kids find out soon enough that there is no rule without an exception. I mean children…
If it was a book for intermediate students, it would be a different story.
Whatever. In that case, use a non-confusing example in the first place, no? After all, it successfully confused the government’s academic so how can they expect a kid to grasp it – off topic, but I keep reading about “Taiwan’s academic elite.” I wonder if Ozzy’s dipshit “correcter” is one of them.
And more importantly, get your singulars and your plurals sorted out first. Otherwise, it’s a clear case of Hexuan’s favourite, Englishee. Or perhaps, in the spirit of Tongyong pinyin, the MOE is seeking to establish “English with Taiwanese characteristics.”
This would be the logical solution. So I expect it will be ignored by said dipshit.
I can’t believe anyone is even arguing this.
In the standard context of going to attend class:
I am going to school is right.
I am going to the school is wrong.
That’s all there is to it.
Anyone who tries to tell you different is either a non-native speaker or not very bright.
Brian
[quote=“Bu Lai En”]I can’t believe anyone is even arguing this.
In the standard context of going to attend class:
I am going to school is right.
I am going to the school is wrong.
That’s all there is to it.
Anyone who tries to tell you different is either a non-native speaker or not very bright.
Brian[/quote]
I couldn’t resist. Bri, it’s not necessarily an either/or. Look at rice-t – he’s both.
OW, OW, OW, sorry, OK? I’m just joking – there’s a bottle of Fixin in my “cave” with your name on it.
I love it, thanks the Sandman!
“I’m going to school” can mean
- I am currently attending school.
- I am going to [the] school [building]. (as in: I am on my way to …)
“I am going to the school” to me seems to be incomplete:
- I am going to the school [… opposite the Taipei Japanese School to check out their yard sale.]
While I believe that such nuances will most probably be lost on 5-year old English “students” here I do agree that leaving the “the” out in this case might be less contentious. It might not be pleasing to the eyes of die-hard Grammarians, but as we do in law, I guess in language too common usage should have a say, no?
Careful, non-native English speaker posting in non-native English!! Xpet.
I’m going to “the” school in that context would grate on the ears of any native speaker of English and is wrong for that reason. Language is not mathematics and dead wizard is not dead enough.
Students here are actually “taught” quite a lot of bullshit like this and quite a lot of it is never unlearned. As native speakers and educators we should never accept it. Never.
but not in the same situation. As has already been explained, it depends on context; ‘to school’ and ‘to the school’ carry different meanings.
Chinese never understand articles. It’s not that difficult is it? How many of you teachers have students that use them correctly and consistently?[/quote]
My wife (Chinese) uses them surprisingly correctly and consistently, and she’s not a native speaker of English. Then, she has lived in the US for 11 years of her life.
I am now schooling you with a simple example of “school” being used as a verb. 
Anyway, yes, sure, “school” is certainly a noun, as are “church”, “class”, “campus” and “college”. And not all nouns require “the”, even countable common nouns like the ones above. “society” is another example, e.g. “I’m a victim of society.”
Yet “I’m going to school”, “I’m going to church”, “I’m going to class”, and “I’m going to college” are all perfectly grammatical and acceptable sentences to the native speaker, and whose meanings are altered with the addition of “the”.
If you ask a native English speaking student who’s on his way to the school he attends every day, he will say “I’m going to school”, not “I’m going to the school.”
American education by any chance?