thinking in types of them

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Believer  #334481  Thu, 01 Mar 07 10:30 AM

Hi,

I am thinking of the following uncountable nouns in terms of their types as seem to note in the third sentences of each set of question sentences and can you check all the following are possible? As to all three cases, the words 'terror', 'mercy' and 'disaster' seem to be suitable candidates for this relatively easy transformation. Sorry if I ask too many questions on articles. I am just trying to understand.

1. Kick them with terror.

Kick them with great terror.

Kick them with a great terror. (thinking in terms of a type of great terror)

2. Have mercy  in me.

Have great mercy in me.

Have a great mercy in me. (again, thinking in terms of a type of mercy)

3. Bring disaster on this place.

Bring great disaster on this place.

Bring a great disaster on this place. (again, thinking in terms of a type of disaster)      

  
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Marius Hancu  #334482  Thu, 01 Mar 07 10:34 AM
1, 2 -  yours don't work.

3 - perhaps.
but your version is specific, while the original is a bit more poetical.

  
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Believer  #334768  Fri, 02 Mar 07 03:13 AM

Thank you, MH.

Let us concentrate on No. 2 for its easiness of illustration (as it seems to me).

Have a great mercy in me

Scene where this could work:

Dear John,

Thank you for the assistance you gave me last February by sending me 100,000 won. You had mercy in me and I thank you for that. Today, I checked the balance in my checking account and found out that you transfered an even larger amount, 200,000 won. I thank you again for having mercy in me. Now, I have an unexpected need to have a much greater sum than the two previous amounts because my relative became ill with cancer and need to be hospitalized in the intensive care immediately. Please have a great mercy in me for what possibly could be an once-in-a-lifetime plight and send me an initial sum of 1,000,000,000 won. I might need more later but have to see. Thank you for being there for me whenever I needed help financially. 

Did I set up the context right and is the word 'mercy' the (a??) right candidate for this? transformation?        

  
Clive  #334802  Fri, 02 Mar 07 05:43 AM

Hi,

I have a couple of comments that are not related to your questions about articles.

Have mercy in me. The correct preposition is Have mercy on me.

In addition, the word 'mercy' is not normally used in the sense of  simple 'compassion' or 'kindness', as you are using it here. There is almost always a sense that the person requesting or receiving mercy is in some way an offender. eg A judge may have mercy on a criminal.

Best wishes, Clive

  
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El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo
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