“THE Prom” Or Just “Prom”?
Posted on May 15, 2010 by promtacular! in Uncategorized | 31 Comments
The creator of Promtacular! (that’d be me, featured left*; let’s pretend I’m contemplating grammar) had the good fortune of being asked to do an online Q&A with John Kelly of the Washington Post last Friday.
Questions were presented by Mr. Kelly and by readers, which explains why — if you read through the hilarious and meandering transcript — many of the questions were less about proms and more about other topics Mr. Kelly has discussed recently, including but not limited to: the drinking policies of Preakness, DC’s new soda tax, the politics of diamonds, and the evils of high fructose corn syrup.
Do you have any idea what it feels like to be interjecting “serious” commentary about pictures of people with bad perms while readers from 3000 miles away are engaging in an embittered conversation about soda?
Distinguished. It feels distinguished.
Anyway.
One of the best questions was about why I tend to refer to prom as “prom” and not “THE prom.” And you know what? That’s a damn good question.
Where I grew up (Fairfield County, Connecticut), we always called it THE prom. But since I now live in California and my prom was *cough* a few years ago, I have to rely on what the kids on TV call it to keep myself up-to-date. Which is why I now generally refer to it as “prom.” No “the.”
But tell me: Am I wrong? What do you call it? Is it prom or THE prom? (And please include your age and location in your answer.) Let’s settle this once and for all.
*I included this ridiculous photo of me because posts without photos are boring, right? You’re welcome.
I went to the prom in 1978 and it wasn't until I heard Andie shout at Blaine, “WHAT ABOUT PROM, BLAINE?? WHAT ABOUT PROM?”…that I ever heard the omission of the “the”. I thought it sounded stupid but it caught on and I can't remember the last time I included a “the”.
Definitely “PROM.” I'm 30 and grew up in LA. My cousin is going to her “PROM” in LA this month, and there's still no “the.”
You made me stop and think . . . we always said The Prom. Washington state, graduated 1980. You always start my day off with a smile, thanks!
Just prom. Rural southeast Texas. 1994.
For us, it was The Prom. This was in 1989, Northwestern Pennsylvania, where it was “pop” rather than “soda,” where “creek” was pronounced “crick,” and where we'd say “youn's” or “yousn's” as southerners say “y'all.”
Weston Ct 1983, we went to THE Prom
2008 Wallingford CT. We just went to Prom.
I didn't go to The Prom. F*ck Prom.
I’m a seventh grader in Utah. I always say THE prom.
My proms were 2001-2005, and more often than not they were “the” prom. This is in VA, by the way.
I went to The Prom in 1992, Michigan. Since then moved to AZ, and the kids here refer to it just as “Prom”. However, at my high school we also only had one – it was a Senior Prom. Younger kids could be dates, but only seniors could invite people. Maybe this single-class aspect is why it was THE prom. Don’t know.
Also though, as for changing terms, I remember when in 6th-7th grade (mid-80s), we would refer to kids who were dating as one “going with” the other, as opposed to “going out with”. I suppose when you’re 12 you don’t really go -out- anywhere, it’s mostly going around the hallways at school and such, but I don’t hear anyone use that phrase anymore – only in some 70s-80s movies.