Abroad OR In the abroad (See more…)

Some people say that in Nigeria, ‘in the abroad’ is used to refer to some neighbouring countries.  Well, that at best could be regarded as Nigerian English.

The term ‘in the abroad’ may be popular in the social media space. But social media platform is largely not a formal setting. 

The phrase ‘in the abroad’ is awkward for a few reasons. Both in preposition and article usage, the phrase does not quite fit. The preposition ‘in’ and the article ‘the’ as contained in ‘in the abroad,’ talk of specifics. But ‘abroad’ is not a specific place rather it is a general concept or direction, meaning a place outside one’s country.

‘Abroad’ is an adverb. It indicates a direction, specifically outside of one’s own country or region. 

Let us see some examples.

1.My children ‘abroad’ send me gifts. (Correct)

2.My children ‘in the abroad’ send me gifts. (Wrong)

Sentence one (1) is a better choice.

In formal writing, it is more concise and natural-sounding to stick to ‘abroad’ instead of  ‘in the abroad.’

However, some authorities agree that ‘the abroad’ can be used as a noun form especially, if it is placed in the subject (beginning) of a sentence. For instance:

The abroad is John’s choice place for a holiday.

Using ‘abroad’ alone is an acceptable way to express the idea of being or going in a foreign country.