1. He was late for school.
2. He was late for the school.
(What is the difference between them? Does #1 mean that he was late for his school? Does #2 mean that he was later for another school, not his school?)
3. He was lare for class.
4. He was late for the class.
(What is the difference between them here?)
The reference "the school," as I wrote at least once before, refers to a particular building or group of buildings that houses a school. Do not use #2.
There's not much difference between 3 and 4, though. Using "class" could mean any class, while "the class" means a particular class that both the speaker and the listener know of.
The difference between sentences 1 and 2 is related to the use of the word "the" before the word "school." In sentence 1, "He was late for school," the absence of the article "the" suggests that the person was late for school in general. It does not specify a particular or specific school. It could refer to his own school or any school in general.
On the other hand, in sentence 2, "He was late for the school," the use of the definite article "the" before the word "school" implies that it refers to a specific school. This could mean that the person was late for a particular school they were expected to be at, such as their own school.
Regarding the difference between sentences 3 and 4, the same principle applies. In sentence 3, "He was late for class," the absence of the article "the" suggests a general reference to class in general, without specifying a particular class.
However, in sentence 4, "He was late for the class," the use of the definite article "the" before the word "class" implies that it refers to a specific class. This could mean that the person was late for a particular class they were expected to attend.