In American English, we say: I am going to the hospital. British usage seems to be: I am going to hospital. Likewise Americans say: The Doctor will see you now. The Brits say: Doctor will see you now. This seems to happen with the words; Doctor, Nurse, Hospital, University and maybe one or two others. What happened to the "the"?

Br.John

It's a Colloquialism. I happen to now live in an area of the country [Western Maryland]where people omit the words "to be" such that ~ "This needs to be painted" becomes "This needs painted" or "That needs fixed" It sounds stupid to me, but its a Colloquialism. Mar 27 06, 10:51 AM

Baloo55th

Brits say 'I am going into hospital' if they're going in overnight or longer. We say 'I am going to the hospital' or more likely 'I am going to (insert name) Hospital' if they are going in for a day ward or A&E visit, or going there to visit a patient. With universities, it's more common to say 'I'm at (insert name) University' (or uni) if one is actually on a course there, while 'I'm going to university' implies one hasn't started yet. The absence of 'the' with Doctor is now always the case. Certain nurses drop it, others don't. Ones that drop it tend to refer to the patient as 'we' as in 'We must take our medicine'. Also, where there is more than one doctor around, 'the' is more likely to be used than if there is only one in the place. Search me why! I also don't know why estate agents always say 'to' when they mean 'at'. 'Garage to rear' - no it isn't. It's not going TO anywhere, unless the property is on a clifftop and best avoided. It's AT the rear. Do American realtors use the same expression? Our estate agents have a language of their own. Mar 27 06, 10:53 AM

Baloo55th

Strange sentence there - "The absence of 'the' with Doctor is now always the case." 'Now' should read 'not'. If a passing editor or moderator could oblige, please... Mar 27 06, 10:56 AM

kaylofgorons

I don't hear "Going to university" often, but we all say that we're "Going back to college." Those cheery nurses bother me. Any how, they're substituting the title for the name so they don't have to say his name all day long. They probably address him as Doctor. When they talk to you then, they don't say "The doctor" or "Dr. Henderson", but "Doctor" instead. Mar 27 06, 3:18 PM

bloomsby

I've heard 'at the univeristy' used in British English in the sense of 'at college' but it's archaic. Mar 27 06, 6:15 PM

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What movie is this quote from: "See if you can guess what I am now"? I am going to see a modern opera tonight which is set in a famous part of London in the 19th century. What might I be seeing and by whom? Who said, "Why, you might just as well say that 'I see what I eat' is the same as 'I eat what I see'!"? "Two doctors? How did you manage that?" "No, no! My wife is a doctor too!" "Ah! So you're THREE doctors!" "No, no. I'm just one doctor, my wife is one doctor." From what classic TV comedy is this exchange taken?

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