Ask About English Q40: 'house and home'

Hi,

What is the difference between "house" and "home"?

Can I use the following: to go home, to go house?

Thank you for your help.


Hi,

House describes a particular type of building, as compared to other types such as: a block of flats, a church, a museum etc.

Home is the place where you live and where you are comfortable being or where you feel that you belong. It could be a house, a flat, a caravan, a country or even a cardboard box.
As they say, 'Home is where the heart is'

Therefore:

'to go home' usually means to go to the place where I live/feel comfortable
*It is also possible for someone form a foreign country to say, "I'm going home for Easter": this could mean they are going back to their country of birth.

'to go to my house' would mean to go to the physical building, which is a house, where I live.
*Note: the preposition 'to' is needed, plus an article (the or a) or as in this case a pronoun

Note also the differences in meaning and use between 'houseproud', 'housework' and 'homework', 'homesick' and 'homeless'.

Study the following:

* 'I did my housework (i.e. cleaning the house) this morning and my homework (work given to me by my school to do at home) this afternoon.'

* 'People say that I’m houseproud because I spend so much time cleaning the house so that others will admire it.'

* 'She said that she was missing her home and family so much. She sounded really homesick.'

* 'I am homeless. I have no home to go to.

Hope this helps

Matt