# Why do companies sometimes not use definite articles to refer to their products?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-companies-sometimes-not-use-definite-articles-to-refer-to-their-products/692949>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 12, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-companies-sometimes-not-use-definite-articles-to-refer-to-their-products/692949 "2014-07-12T21:17:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-companies-sometimes-not-use-definite-articles-to-refer-to-their-products/692949/61 "2014-07-21T20:09:24Z")

</div>

When I was in Malaysia, if I said “I went to school for my master’s degree…” they would correct my English: “That’s not ‘school’, it’s ‘university’ lah.” To call higher education “school,” I realized, is just an Americanism.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-companies-sometimes-not-use-definite-articles-to-refer-to-their-products/692949/62 "2014-07-21T21:08:41Z")

</div>

> [@Johanna](#):
>
> When I was in Malaysia, if I said “I went to school for my master’s degree…” they would correct my English: “That’s not ‘school’, it’s ‘university’ lah.” To call higher education “school,” I realized, is just an Americanism.

It may be an Malaysianism. After all, there is the London School of Economics, and so on.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-companies-sometimes-not-use-definite-articles-to-refer-to-their-products/692949/63 "2014-07-21T21:30:03Z")

</div>

> [@Johanna](#):
>
> When I was in Malaysia, if I said “I went to school for my master’s degree…” they would correct my English: “That’s not ‘school’, it’s ‘university’ lah.” To call higher education “school,” I realized, is just an Americanism.

> [@RadicalPi](#):
>
> It may be an Malaysianism. After all, there is the London School of Economics, and so on.

It’s the same in India. If I referred to “school” (generically) they understood it to mean primary or secondary education, not higher education.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-companies-sometimes-not-use-definite-articles-to-refer-to-their-products/692949/64 "2014-07-21T22:44:04Z")

</div>

> [@Kenm](#):
>
> I finally found [**this**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_prefix) after flailing about for something to cite since last night.
> 
> A [**2011 Dope thread**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=605089) has this:

Sure. That’s a style issue, not one of grammar. Meanwhile, my Associate Press Stylebook and Libel Manual says:

> [@](#):
>
> **USS** For _United States Ship, Steamer_ or _Steamship_, preceding the name of a vessel: the _USS Iowa_.

So, nothing wrong with it. Just follow your style guide and be consistent. (There’s no entry for _HMS_).

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-companies-sometimes-not-use-definite-articles-to-refer-to-their-products/692949.md?page=3)