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In the following sentence why is it at the school not at school?

They don't have to do their homework today because it's a holiday at the school.

Huey
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Sayed Abdalah
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  • Because the school, as an institution, has declared it a holiday. So no one is there. Which means the holiday isn't occurring on school grounds. It's abstract, not physical. – Dan Bron Jul 29 '15 at 11:43
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    The real question is why they didn't just say "because it's a school holiday". – Hot Licks Jul 29 '15 at 12:00

1 Answers1

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In the US, we'd simply say 'it's a school holiday'. "At school" would be used to describe a 'school function':

"The football team had their first practice at school, today."

"At school, we sometimes start fires in science class."

But - (not school functions)

"The Ladies' Auxiliary Committee will meet at the school."

"There was a fire at the school, that practically destroyed the gymnasium."

Oldbag
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