Go to bed means to get into bed in order to sleep. It describes lying down in bed, and you may fall asleep later: I usually go to bed at eleven. Lie to sleep is not an English phrase.
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go to bed (no the) + early/late; go to bed at + time; be in bed; put + child + to bed
- I try to go to bed before midnight on weeknights, but it doesn't always work.
- After the long flight, we went straight to bed without unpacking.
- We put the kids to bed at eight and finally had dinner in peace.
What changed
First versionYesterday I went to the bed at two in the morning because of the project.
RevisionYesterday I went to bed at two in the morning because of the project.
Bed is a countable noun, so it is tempting to put the in front of it. But go to bed is a fixed phrase without an article: bed here means sleep, not the piece of furniture, just as school in go to school means lessons, not the building. Go to the bed means to walk over to the bed. The was removed.
To start sleeping is go to sleep or fall asleep: The baby finally went to sleep. If someone is already lying in bed, say be in bed: I was already in bed when you called. Put someone to bed means to get someone, for example a child, into bed to sleep.
Your turn
I ___ at eleven, but I couldn't fall asleep until after two.
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went to bed — The speaker got into bed at eleven but couldn't fall asleep until after two, so went to bed is right. With fell asleep, the sentence would say I fell asleep at eleven but couldn't fall asleep until after two, which contradicts itself.
Describe your usual evening before a working day or a day of classes. Say what time you go to bed and what you do before that.
Before a working day, I read for half an hour and then go to bed at about eleven.
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