Lesson The article. The indefinite article. The absence and omission of the article

The use of articles with names of seasons.
Names of seasons are used without articles if they show a certain time of the year.
It was spring. I like spring.
The definite article is used when these nouns are modified by a particularizing attribute or when the situation makes them definite.
It happened in the spring of 1930.
The spring was cold and rainy.
The indefinite article is used when these nouns are modified by a descriptive attribute.
It was a cold spring.
When names of seasons are modified by the adjectives early or late, no articles are used.
It was early spring.
The use of articles with the nouns school, college, university, bed, prison, jail, church.
The nouns school, college, university, bed, prison, jail, church are used without an article when they lose their concrete meaning and ex­press the purpose for which the objects denoted by these nouns serve.
When these nouns denote concrete objects the articles are used according to the general principle.
(a)School, college, university, church.
to be at school- to be a schoolboy (schoolgirl)
to go to school - to be a schoolboy (schoolgirl)
to be at college/university — to be a student of a college/university
to leave school — to finish or drop one's studies
to be at/in church - for a religious service
to go to church - for a religious service
School begins at five.
She went to College in the North. (Gowand D'Usseau)
His history since he left school had been indicated in the last page. (Thackeray)
Pat and Charles go to church every Sunday.
to go to the school — not as a pupil (the building is meant)
to leave the school — to leave the building
Mother went to the school yesterday to attend a parents' meet­ing.
Excuse me, where is the university, please? (a particular building)
(b)Bed.
to go to bed — ложиться спать
to be in bed — лежать в постели
And now you had better go to bed. Good-night. (Voynich)
to be in the bed - an article of furniture is meant
to be on the bed - an article of furniture is meant
Her portrait was on the wall beside the bed. (Voynich)
(c) Prison, jail.
to be in prison (in jail) — to be a prisoner
to be sent to prison - as a prisoner
to be put in prison - as a prisoner
Mr. Dorrit was in prison many years.
Mr. Dorrit was sent to prison for debt.
The last they had heard of him was that he was in jail for having killed a person in a fight. (Abrahams)
to be in the prison– – not a as prisoner (the building is meant)
to go to the prison – not a as prisoner (the building is meant)
Mr. Dorrit's family lived in the prison.
The prison proper dated from 1822. (Dreiser)