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ESL forum >
Ask for help > IN or AT
IN or AT
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silvanija
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IN or AT
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Help 
We pray at church or in church? Or may be the definite article is necessary?  |
13 Feb 2009
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Ivona
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I would say �in � church .. though, i don �t know to explain why.
But there �s no need for an article. Because if someone is �in hospital �, they are there because they are ill, and if they are �in THE hospital �, they are there to visit someone or do some repairs or sth. The same should go for �church �, too.
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13 Feb 2009
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MissMelissa12
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this sounds the correct one to me:
 WE PRAY IN CHURCH -- it only means you are inside the church praying.
-> "the" is not used when the places mentioned are visited or used for their primary purpose.
For example:
Im in bed: It means sleeping or resting.
Im in hospital = as patient.
Im in the hospital = maybe you just stoped by to say hi a friend.
****************
WE PRAY AT THE CHURCH-- it means you are praying in some point inside or maybe outside the church.
-> AT gives me the idea that I could be on the ground, or on the first floor, you know any point refered to the church (bulding).
Miss Melissa. 
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13 Feb 2009
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libertybelle
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You pray in church because you are in the church.
You meet at the corner because it is a defined, restricted area.
You meet at the bar, at school, at the hospital - then you go in.
Hope this helps.
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13 Feb 2009
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Apryll12
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As I know - but I may be mistaken - in is rather used when we refer actually to the building. Like in these examples: We ate at a restaurant yesterday. i.e. not at home, We ate in the restaurant, i.e. not in the garden of restaurant but inside the building.
I �m all ears what natives will say about it. 
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13 Feb 2009
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sea camel
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So �at � is at the area, the piece of ground the building is on, really close to, nearby. When you direct people to go there you could also say: �Stop at the church, turn around, go... � And �in � really is inside as in �He �s in church ( as �in hospital �) now praying �. Should this be it?
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13 Feb 2009
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silvanija
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Thank you for your ideas.
Libertybelle, I �ve found two sentences about school in my Oxford dictionary :
All my kids are still at school. (BrE)
All my kids are still in school. (NAmE) |
13 Feb 2009
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Lou2002
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I �m English and would definitely say " I pray in church". I think Libertybelle �s reasoning behind it sounds spot on (correct!). 
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13 Feb 2009
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Jayho
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Aaaaah, prepositions can be so unpredictable! As a native Aussie I sometimes find it difficult to explain it to my students because we just know what sounds right and what doesn �t.
Libertybelle �s explanation is good. If you have grammar guru Michel Swan �s Practical English Usage then check that out too- it is clearly explained. I couldn �t cope without his book - it �s just fantastic.
You don �t need the article if you are referring to your regular church.
With Silvanija �s blog - both are acceptable in Australia however we would generally say the former if we were referring to our children being at school v working (are your children at school or in the workforce), and the latter if we were referring to a particular time of day (where are your children at the moment). But it �s a fine line and both are ok. |
13 Feb 2009
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douglas
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In America, in my native speaker experience, we don �t say "in hospital" we only use "in the hospital" which usually means your a patient.
I say pray in church too, but can �t explain why.
Douglas |
16 Feb 2009
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