I wrote, "I like to swim in summer." My teacher marked it wrong and said it should read "I like to swim in THE summer." Can anyone offer an explanation, please, why my way is wrong?

Question

I don't know why it was marked wrong. Both with and without "the" are correct. It sounds as if your teacher has heard it and seen it his/her way, so anything else sounds odd.

I feel that way about two other terms:
~~Sounds right: I graduated from high school.
~~Sounds wrong: I graduated high school.
and
~~Sounds right: She is in the hospital.
~~Sounds wrong: She is in hospital.

I know that both versions of both phrasings are in use and considered correct. I just am used to the ones that sound right to me.

You might ask your teacher why that "correction" was made.

??

Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. Although I agree with Writeteacher, perhaps you might apply the following:

1. Mark of a substantive. (noun)

187. (from LousyWriter.com)