Question

1. I went to an academy.
2. I went to academy.
3. I went to Chicago Academy.
4. I went to the academy.
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Students go to a private institute after school to study further. Which expressions do we have to use?

Answer 1

All except # 2 are correct in American English. The British often don't use an article before university, so I assume they may not use an article before academy.

If the name of this academy is well-known among the listners, then, # 4 is best.

Answer 2

Thank you, Sue.
What is the difference between them?

1. I went to school.
2. I went to academy.

Can we use 'private institute' instead of 'academy'?

Answer 3

Knowing when to use an article before a noun is probably one of the most difficult details for ESL students to master. There really isn't a good explanation. It seems to take years of constantly hearing and reading English to learn when we use the article and when we don't.

The best explanation I can give is that "I went to school" is such a common term, that years ago we dropped the article. It isn't wrong to say, "I went to academy." But most native speakers would say "the academy," perhaps because it's not a very common expression.