1

I've noticed 2 instances of usage of a the prefix where it doesn't seem to correspond with standard usage of English.

The flu

I'd expect a flu or just flu:

  • He caught a flu
  • She's infected with flu
  • They have flu

Instead, the common usage seems to be the flu, such as Is It a Cold or the Flu? How to Tell the Difference or Dispelling misinformation about the flu vaccine (with more examples inside).

The movies

Mid-way of writing my argument for this one, I've noticed it had been asked and answered, albeit I was not convinced why "the movies" as a way to describe walking to a cinema to watch a movie, stayed as an idiomatic phrase today (a relic from a past usage of "moving pictures") and wasn't replaced by the simpler, singular form of a movie.

Happy to hear your thoughts for this one here or in the original thread.

Ofer Zelig
  • 363
  • This has been asked and answered here easily a hundred times. – Hot Licks Jan 30 '20 at 01:46
  • You may get better explanations at ell.stackexchange.com – GEdgar Jan 30 '20 at 02:29
  • @HotLicks links would be helpful (I cited the only one I found, for only one of the usages) – Ofer Zelig Jan 30 '20 at 02:39
  • @GEdgar seems like here is more appropriate – Ofer Zelig Jan 30 '20 at 02:41
  • Influenza spreads around the world in yearly outbreaks. Although there may be differences in these outbreaks, the differences fade beneath the commonalities. Influenza seems like one thing, advancing, striking its victims and retreating--and then returning. It seems like one particular thing, a definite thing, and thus the definite article. – Zan700 Jan 30 '20 at 03:43
  • https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/flu?q=flu – CJ Dennis Jan 30 '20 at 04:28
  • @CJDennis it displays the usage, doesn't explain the why – Ofer Zelig Jan 30 '20 at 06:29
  • @OferZelig "Why" is usually a very bad question to ask in linguistics because the answer is usually "It just is". – CJ Dennis Jan 30 '20 at 06:45

0 Answers0