The suggestion by R. Quirk et al. (1985) that, in certain prepositional locative phrases, e.g., 'in school' or 'in church', a metaphorical interpretation can result from the insertion of an article is considered. The precise relationship between articles and such 'in/out'-phrases and their metaphorical components is examined with an emphasis on mental states. It is noted that metaphorical effect is primarily culture-specific and the differing uses of articles in American and British English are addressed. Also discussed are connections between article usage and noun class, article usage and semantics, and grammatical relations (e.g., subject and object). A schema for determining metaphorical use of location is proposed. It is concluded that further research - in particular of stylistic and dialectal effects and parameters - is necessary. (Copyright 1997, Sociological Abstracts, Inc., all rights reserved.) (A. Cohen-Siegel in LLBA 1997, vol. 31, n. 4)