In Indefinite articles^x, Plurals^x

Thanks for the reply Mr M I ve understood that it is possible to use either the indefinite article or zero article in such a case But I am still wondering whether you decide to have an indefinite article does it make much difference in meaning Or Is it like Liverpool is leading by 1 0 Liverpool...

Hi Lyn Here is one of my posts from a previous thread on the topic of articles It might help Posted 03 30 2005 12 26 PM The correct use of articles is acknowledged to be one of the most difficult points of English grammar so don t be despondant Ali mistakes don t usually matter too much as you...

An excellent reply Jazz I hope you won t mind if I expand on it a little The correct use of articles is acknowledged to be one of the most difficult points of English grammar so don t be despondant Ali mistakes don t usually matter too much as you will still be understood First we don t usually...

In the fifth sentence it s a young tiger not an young tiger Other than that all six are acceptable They re all correct The plural of bear is either bear or bears so you re OK on that score Generic statements can usually be expressed with the definite article the in the singular the indefinite...

I don t think it s so much a question of grammatical versus ungrammatical as it s simply not idiomatic Why we should have a plural form but avoid using it with the indefinite article in some situations puzzles me But a difficulty I see in suggesting it doesn t exist at all is that I ve just used...

Hello MrP So I can only assume that either Dickens got his idiom slightly wrong or Child as he was had a simple complementary sense in his day I feel your sense that children are not immune to hunger and misery is very modern one Children of poor social classes in Dickens times would be put in...

a or an i e the indefinite article can serve as the article for more than one noun without any problem an earthquake or explosion an earthquake or an explosion an apple or pear an apple or a pear On the other hand expressions like hundreds of thousands of etc all take a plural so it has to be...

I think you have fished a meaning out of my murky muddle Paco To take a common example 1 This is too good an opportunity to miss If we want to create a plural version we have to find a plural equivalent for too good an opportunity But no direct plural equivalent exists because a has no plural so...

Hello Paco First I should answer your previous question about the emphatic forms with no reasonable normal form My thought here is that it s perfectly idiomatic to say You are too good a cook to sack which looks like the same construction as this is too tough a question to answer So it ought to...

These are my thoughts on the structure Please feel free to comment adversely The underlying structure of the normal form is article demonstrative possessive pronoun noun copular verb too adj to verb e g 1 The question is too difficult to answer 2 The goalkeeper is too easy to beat 3 That knot...