1) Which is correct:
A) At weekends, afternoon tea is a special occasion.
B) At weekends, the afternoon tea is a special occasion.
2) Should I say "at the weekends"?
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You don't need the articles, but I can't explain why. Your first version is correct.– MickCommented Jan 24, 2017 at 10:31
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There is a similar discussion here.– Teacher KSHuangCommented Jan 24, 2017 at 11:14
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1 Answer
1) "At weekends, afternoon tea is a special occasion."
You are talking about "afternoon tea" in general, so no "the" is needed.
2) Meanwhile, both "at weekends" and "at the weekend" are acceptable in British English. In American English, it would be "on weekends" and "on the weekend(s)."
Source: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/75466/at-on-the-weekends
answered Jan 24, 2017 at 11:18
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As I understood from your link that "at the weekends" is not acceptable. Only at weekends or at the weekend Commented Jan 24, 2017 at 11:44
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This particular case, yes, describes a general tradition that the British enjoy "at the weekend" and "the" is not necessary. But this may not be true for all general cases. For example "At our country club, the afternoon tea is a special occasion" used to distinguish this particular event from other, similar events.– AndrewCommented May 29, 2017 at 15:02