in(to) school/in(to) the school

当 school, college, university, church, jail, prison, sea, town 等名词指的是实际的建筑物或具体的场所时，在这些名词之前照例要加定冠词或不定冠词，无论是英国英语还是美国英语，都是如此。

1. Towards six o'clock Luke and I walked back to the college. (Snow) 快到6点时，卢克和我步行返回学院。

2. Manchester is a dirty and smoky town. (Palmer) 曼彻斯特是一个肮脏、多烟雾的城市。

3. The church is very well attended. 来教堂的人很多。

4. They broke into the prison and set free more than 500 patriots imprisoned by the enemy. 他们冲进监狱，释放了500多名被敌人关押的爱国者。

5. We will go to the sea this summer. 今年夏天我们将去海滨。

6. Two men escaped from a prison in south London. 有两个人从伦敦南部的一个监狱逃走了。

当这些名词不是指实际的建筑物或具体的场所,而是指与它们相关联的机构或活动,或者说,当它们具有抽象化的意义时,则必须去掉冠词。

1. When will he be old enough to go to school? 他什么时候才到上学年龄？

2. We shall keep him at school for another year. 我们让他再读一年书。

3. He was educated at college. 他受过高等教育。

4. He is in college. 他在读大学。

5. The Depression forced him to leave college. 大萧条迫使他离开了大学。(在大学辍学)

6. They are in church. 他们在教堂里做礼拜。

7. He never went to church. 他从不去教堂做礼拜。

8. I'm going into town to buy a dress. 我要进城去买件衣服。

9. She has been in prison for 5 years. 她坐了五年牢。

10. She was let out of prison. 她被释放出狱。

11. He went to sea at eighteen years of age. 他18岁当了水手。

12. Why was your cousin put in jail? (TOEFL) 你的堂兄为什么被判入狱？

从上面的例句可以看出，in(at) school, in(at) college, 不是指随便什么人在具体的学校、大学的建筑物里，而是专指学生“上学”“上课”这样一些脱离具体建筑物内容的含义。in prison 也不是指随便什么人在具体的监狱的建筑物里，而是专指犯人“坐牢”，go to sea 不是指“去海边”，而是指“当水手”。

但是,在美国英语里,hospital 和 university 是例外的情况。它们即使在不是指具体的建筑物的时候,也要使用冠词。

He is still in hospital. (英国英语)

1. $\$left\{ \begin{array}{ll}\mathrm{He}\text{is still in hospital.} (\text{英国英语})\\ \mathrm{He}\text{is still in the hospital.} (\text{美国英语}) \end{array} \right. 他还在住院。

2. [What subjects are you going to take at university? (英国英语)]

3. {What subjects are you going to take at university? (美国英语) 你打算在大学里读什么课程？