English says "go to school" and "go to bed", with no article, but also "go to the school" and "sit on the bed". The choice depends on why the person is there.
When we use a place for its normal purpose, the article disappears: children go to school to learn, patients go to hospital for treatment, people go to bed to sleep. When we mean the building, the furniture or a specific place, the article comes back.
This page covers the zero-article pattern for school, hospital, bed, work, prison, church and university, the difference between British and American English, and 20 drill sentences with a rule under every answer.
The rule
The zero article: the normal purpose
- Go to school, be at school, be in class: the purpose is learning, so no article is used.
- Go to bed, be in bed, stay in bed: the purpose is sleeping or resting.
- Go to hospital, be in hospital: the purpose is treatment. American English often says "in the hospital".
- Go to work, be at work, go to prison, go to church, go to university, go to court: the activity matters, not the building.
The when the building matters
- Use the when you mean a particular place: "The school is next to the park."
- Use the when the visit has a purpose different from the usual one: "I went to the school to meet my son's teacher."
- Use the for the physical object: "Sit on the bed", "The hospital was built in 1902".
- Use the after a preposition when the listener knows which place you mean: "Meet me at the church on the corner."
A or an: one example of many
- Use a or an when the place is one of many and not yet identified: "There is a school at the end of the street."
- Use a with furniture and objects: "I need a bed for the night", "She works in a hospital".
- A is for a new piece of information; the is for information the listener already knows.
- The choice is about the listener's knowledge and the purpose, not about the size of the place.
Bed, home and work without articles
- Go home has no article or preposition: "I went home at six."
- Go to bed, get into bed and get out of bed are the fixed patterns.
- At work, go to work and leave work take no article when they mean the activity.
- A job is countable and takes an article: "She has a new job", not "a new work".
British and American differences
- British English: in hospital, at university, in future.
- American English: in the hospital, at college and usually "in the future".
- Both varieties use the zero article with school, bed, work, prison and church.
- Choose one variety and stay consistent; both are correct in their own system.
Examples
- The children go to school at eight.Zero article: the purpose is learning.
- I went to the school to meet the head teacher.The: a specific visit, not the usual purpose.
- She is in hospital with a broken arm.Zero article for treatment (British style).
- The hospital is being painted this week.The: the building itself.
- I usually go to bed before eleven.Go to bed means sleep, so no article.
- The cat is sleeping on the bed.The bed is a piece of furniture here.
- He goes to work by bike.Work without an article means the activity.
- There is a new school on our street.A school: one example of many.
- My uncle is in prison for fraud.Zero article: prison as an institution.
- We walked past the prison on the way home.The: the building on the route.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: I went to the bed early last night. Right: I went to bed early last night.
- Go to bed means sleep and takes no article.
- Wrong: She is in the hospital with a broken leg. Right: She is in hospital with a broken leg.
- British English uses the zero article for treatment. American English keeps the article, so both systems exist, but do not mix them in one text.
- Wrong: Children go to the school to learn. Right: Children go to school to learn.
- The normal purpose of school takes no article.
- Wrong: He has a new work in the city. Right: He has a new job in the city.
- Work is uncountable in this meaning. Job is the countable word that takes an article.
- Wrong: I will go to home after work. Right: I will go home after work.
- Home takes no article and no to after go.
Practice drill
Answer all 20 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
Most children in this area go to ___ school by bus.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. no article The normal purpose of school takes the zero article.
I went to ___ school to talk to my daughter's teacher.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. the The visit is specific and not the usual school activity, so the article the is needed.
She is in ___ hospital recovering from surgery.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. no article Zero article for hospital as treatment in British English.
___ hospital on the hill was built in 1890.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. The The building itself takes the definite article.
I usually go to ___ bed at about eleven.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. no article Go to bed means sleep and takes no article.
The cat is asleep on ___ bed.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. the Here bed is a piece of furniture, so it takes the article.
He goes to ___ work by train every morning.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. no article Work as an activity takes the zero article.
She has ___ new job at the bank.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. a Job is countable and takes a or an; work would be uncountable here.
My cousin is in ___ prison for theft.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. no article Prison as an institution takes the zero article.
We walked past ___ prison on our way home.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. the The building on the route takes the definite article.
The family goes to ___ church every Sunday.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. no article Church as a religious activity takes no article.
There is ___ church at the end of our street.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. a A church introduces one example among many.
She studies at ___ university in Vienna.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. no article University as a study activity takes the zero article.
The building next to the library is ___ university.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. a A university presents one example of a building to the listener.
I went home ___ six and went straight to bed.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. at Go home takes no preposition and no article; at six gives the time.
She has to be in ___ court tomorrow morning.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. no article Court as a legal process takes the zero article.
___ old hospital is now a museum.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. The The building is specific and defined by old, so the definite article the is needed.
He stayed in ___ bed all day with flu.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. no article Stay in bed means rest and takes no article.
Put your bag on ___ bed, not on the floor.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. the A particular piece of furniture takes the article.
My brother works at ___ hospital in the city centre.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. a A hospital introduces the workplace to the listener for the first time.
Questions learners ask
Why is there no article in "go to school"?
English treats school, bed, hospital, work, prison and church as activities when people use them in the normal way. The phrase names the activity, not one particular building, so no article is needed. When you talk about the building or a special visit, the article returns: "go to the school to vote".
Is "in the hospital" wrong?
Not in American English. American speakers say "She is in the hospital" for a patient and "She works at the hospital" for an employee. British English says "She is in hospital" for the patient. Pick the variety you are targeting and keep it consistent; both forms are correct in their own region.
What is the difference between "go to bed" and "go to the bed"?
Go to bed means go to sleep, and it needs no article. Go to the bed means walk to a particular bed, probably for another reason: "The child went to the bed to fetch his toy." The first is a routine activity; the second is movement towards a piece of furniture.
More grammar topics
During vs while
During + noun answers when; while + subject and verb answers what else was happening at the same time.
By car, on foot, in a taxi: transport prepositions
By + vehicle for the way you travel, on or in + a/the + vehicle when you picture the journey, and the fixed phrase on foot.
Prepositions at the end of questions
Wh- questions often end in a preposition because the question word is the object; formal English moves it to the front.
Take the free A1 to C2 level test to find your starting point.