ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: The

Clive — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:57:40 GMT

Hi,

I said earlier that Blood pressure is a term that can be treated as countable or uncountable.

Marius has chosen to treat it as countable, although my choice would be uncountable. Sometimes such things are a subjective decision.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: The

Rotter — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:43:10 GMT

Marius has written the following:

......................................................

I'd use:

2. A low blood pressure is the best insurance you can buy.

.........................................................

A car, a table, a computer, etc are fine because they are tangible as well as countable items.

I can't understand how it is correct.

Re: The

Clive — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:27:54 GMT

Hi,

We usually just say 'He is 25'.

So the following are correct. If I am wrong please tell me because this is a mistake I have been making for years.

He is a man of 25. OK

He is a man (who is) 25 years old. OK

He is a 25-year-old man. OK

If I ask someone's age, the answer is:

I am 25. OK

I am 95.OK

Or you could just say briefly '25'.

Is it incorrect to say the above? Please tell me.

Usually people don't say I am 25/95 years old. Yes, we do say this.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: The

Rotter — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:24:34 GMT

Thanks Clive

So the following are correct. If I am wrong please tell me because this is a mistake I have been making for years.

He is a man of 25.

He is a man of 25 years old.

He is a 25 year old man.

If I ask someone's age, the answer is:

I am 25.

I am 95.

Is it incorrect to say the above? Please tell me.

Usually people don't say I am 25/95 years old.

Re: The

Clive — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 23:21:43 GMT

Hi,

This is the reason for me to maintain the blood pressure like a man of 25.

What is wrong with to say 'a man of 25 years of age'?

'Like a man of 25' is not good. It''s the 'like' that doesn't work.

What is wrong with to say 'a man of 25 years of age'? Nothing. Although it's not good style to repeat 'of'.

I'd say This is the reason for me to maintain the blood pressure of a man of 25.

or This is the reason for me to maintain the blood pressure of a 25-year-old man.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: The

Rotter — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:34:58 GMT

I thank Philip and Clive for excellent replies. I am exhilarated by both replies.

This is the reason for me to maintain the blood pressure like a man of 25 years age.

The above is not correct and it should be the following:

This is the reason for me to maintain the blood pressure like a man of 25.

What is wrong with to say 'a man of 25 years of age'?

Clive says countable is not same as measureble. Of course the two are different.

I thought a measaurable item would naturally qualify as an countable.

It is not the case. I don't dispute what Clive telle me here; Clive knows better than me.

Re: The

Marius Hancu — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:27:01 GMT

I'd use:

2. A low blood pressure is the best insurance you can buy.

Therapeutic Gazette

Therapeutics - 1917

Page 852

After all his views may be considered only a subdivision of the opinions which
have been held so long by those who believe that a low blood-pressure is the ...

<> http://books.google.com/books?q=%22a+low+blood+pressure+is+the%22+&btnG=Search+Books

Re: The

Clive — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:21:01 GMT

Hi,

1.The low blood pressure is the best insurance you can buy No

2. Low blood pressure is the best insurance you can buy. Yes

Recently a cardiologist told me one of the above after measuring my blood pressure, ECG, etc. I am sorry to say that I don't recall whether he used the first sentence or the second sentence.

My blood pressure was 125/80. It is low and excellent according to him. I am training 3 times a week at the gym. This is the reason for me to maintain the blood pressure like a man of 25 years age. When you are 25, you blood pressure hovering at 125/80.

My question is whether to write 'The blood pressure' or 'blood pressure' in this context.

I know an article is not correct when it comes to uncountable words. However, when we want to generalize, we write an article. <<<No, on the contrary, you don't use an article to generalize. Consider the general statement, 'Sugar is a sweet substance'.

Your blood pressure is throughly countable. No doubt about it! No, it is measurable (125/80) , but that is not the same as being countable. It's like 'My speed is 100kph'. There is a limit for the both values. So it should be 'The blood pressure'. On the other hand, this is a general statement a by a cardiologist to a patient. Thus, you could skip the article too. I am not sure.

Should it be 'The blood pressure' or 'blood pressure'? To generalize, omit 'the'. But say 'the' in specific statements like 'the blood pressure of a man of 25'.

Blood pressure is a term that can be treated as countable or uncountable, but in this context it is uncountable.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: The

Philip — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:12:13 GMT

Of the two sentences at the top, the second is the one you want.

In the green paragraph, "the blood pressure of a man of 25........." is correct.

The

Rotter — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:46:24 GMT

1.The low blood pressure is the best insurance you can buy

2. Low blood pressure is the best insurance you can buy.

Recently a cardiologist told me one of the above after measuring my blood pressure, ECG, etc. I am sorry to say that I don't recall whether he used the first sentence or the second sentence.

My question is whether to write 'The blood pressure' or 'blood pressure' in this context.

I know an article is not correct when it comes to uncountable words. However, when we want to generalize, we write an article. Your blood pressure is throughly countable. No doubt about it! There is a limit for the both values. So it should be 'The blood pressure'. On the other hand, this is a general statement a by a cardiologist to a patient. Thus, you could skip the article too. I am not sure.

Should it be 'The blood pressure' or 'blood pressure'?