Random and slightly odd Brit-picking question
Okay, so one day, I was watching the show Skins online (shame, really, that you can't even buy the dvds here in the US), and Sid said something along the lines of, "I thought Cassie was still in hospital."
At the time, I was like, that's weird. Whatever.
And then I started seeing it in fics and stuff, but the thing is -- I've never noticed it before. I mean, usually, I just see, "in the hospital." So what I'm wondering is... does British English eliminate the "the," and have I just been filing it in subconsciously, or is it a regional thing, or am I just horrible at speaking my own native language (and am the only one who puts a "the" in there)? Okay, probably not the last one, but...
Anyway, basically, if I put "in hospital" in a fic, which of the following would be most likely to happen?
1.) The beta leaves it alone, because it is a well-known Britishism, and I'm just dense,
2.) The beta flags it, as it is only regional/not very well-known, but they're not sure,
3.) The beta corrects it and doesn't bother to flag it, because it's obscure/Sid forgot to say "the,"
or
4.) The beta (who in this scenario is definitely a speaker of British English) emails the fic back with a note telling me how stupid I am, and that nouns require whatever the technical term for words like "the" are (I forgot. That's what happens when you go off to uni and no longer are forced to sit through the obligatory grammar lesson...).
EDIT: A fifth alternative, now that I think of it:
5.) The beta flags it, as it may only refer to mental hospitalization? Because I realized that Cassie was in the hospital for psychological reasons... Putting this here just in case.
Oh, and if it's a regional thing, do any of you know which regions use that phrasing? (I'm guessing Bristol is one, if that's the case, unless if the screenwriters just didn't care about regionalisms?)
At the time, I was like, that's weird. Whatever.
And then I started seeing it in fics and stuff, but the thing is -- I've never noticed it before. I mean, usually, I just see, "in the hospital." So what I'm wondering is... does British English eliminate the "the," and have I just been filing it in subconsciously, or is it a regional thing, or am I just horrible at speaking my own native language (and am the only one who puts a "the" in there)? Okay, probably not the last one, but...
Anyway, basically, if I put "in hospital" in a fic, which of the following would be most likely to happen?
1.) The beta leaves it alone, because it is a well-known Britishism, and I'm just dense,
2.) The beta flags it, as it is only regional/not very well-known, but they're not sure,
3.) The beta corrects it and doesn't bother to flag it, because it's obscure/Sid forgot to say "the,"
or
4.) The beta (who in this scenario is definitely a speaker of British English) emails the fic back with a note telling me how stupid I am, and that nouns require whatever the technical term for words like "the" are (I forgot. That's what happens when you go off to uni and no longer are forced to sit through the obligatory grammar lesson...).
EDIT: A fifth alternative, now that I think of it:
5.) The beta flags it, as it may only refer to mental hospitalization? Because I realized that Cassie was in the hospital for psychological reasons... Putting this here just in case.
Oh, and if it's a regional thing, do any of you know which regions use that phrasing? (I'm guessing Bristol is one, if that's the case, unless if the screenwriters just didn't care about regionalisms?)