Search results for 'tag:Definite articles tag:Articles' matching tags 'Definite articles' and 'Articles'

Re: Omission of the definite article in "Steve jobs, CEO of Apple"

richard_s — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:32:51 GMT

theÂ is optional before titles such as manager, CEO, or prime minister / president. Â This is because it can be viewed as a person's name or as a job position. Â The job position takes the article; the person's name does not.

Omission of the definite article in "Steve jobs, CEO of Apple"

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:10:16 GMT

Hi,

I wonder why there is no definite article in "Steve jobs, CEO of Apple".
"Steve jobs, the CEO of Apple" is wrong?

Thanks in advance

indefinite article before uncountable nouns

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 01:38:20 GMT

Hi, I think it is a common knowledge that some uncountable nouns can be changed to countable nouns (are susceptable to such transformations) if they are made into types. Does that mean if we could place the phrase "a type" and "a sort" before such a noun, then we would have a correct transformation of that noun? Could we have placed the phrase "a type" and "a sort" instead of making them countable?

... is a development unlike anything we have seen before is occurring in this very instance in this land
... is a coverage of the incidence that happened yesterday was phenomenal and needs to be applauded for its excellent coverage of it.
... gave a legitimacy unlike any other ones out there and pulled the general consensus to their side.

Re: a school and a pizza correspondence?

Avangi — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 04:56:35 GMT

Hi,

Not sure I understand your question. Your use of "specific" is a little fuzzy.

We use the idea of "specific" when distinguishing between the definite article (the) and the indefinite article (a/an). In that sense, the examples you quote are not specific.

Mary just got a job at Pinkerton Academy. She will begin working at the school next Monday. (specific school, definite article) She has never worked at a school before. (non-specific school, indefinite article.)

When deciding between the indefinite article and no article, it's an entirely different issue. It's one school/pizza/piece of pizza vs. the concept, or general idea of school/pizza.

I hate school but I love pizza. No article. I remember a school in New York. The school was fantastic! True, it's a specific school, but until it's identified in some way, we don't use the definite article. In this case, the first sentence identifies it for the second sentence.

I attended school in New York.(no article) There may have been one school or several, but we're talking about the idea of school.

Best regards, - A.

Re: Worth...

Blink — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:41:52 GMT

Mister Micawber, I've got two more question to you.

Which one of these two construction (is worth attention/is worthy of attention) is more frequently used?

Do we use the indefinite article before the abbreviation like (an) MBA essay or (a) GCSE coursework?

Many thanks.

Re: Comes at too high a price...

Madhulk — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:01:18 GMT

Thanks, Philip!

But can you clarify me 'Come at too high a price'? Is it an idiom?

Because when I watched the episode I heard it as 'come at too high price'.

You know, without the indefinite article 'a'. And I thought of it to mean 'to face the consequences'.

But then I read the subs and noticed the presence of 'a'.

So can you analyse the whole thing for me?

Re: syntax analysis

Cool Breeze — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:23:25 GMT

ericsteef
It was claimed that only man could use language as a medium of communication.

I'm not sure what kind of syntactic analysis you have in mind. I tend to dispense with needless analysis and labelling anyway. The sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause, which is the object of the main clause.

No one person is referred to, which is evident from man without an article. The entire human race is meant as opposed to animals. Nor does the speaker have any specific language in mind as there is no article before language.

ericsteef
It was claimed that only the man could use the language as a medium of communication.

Even though the sentence is grammatically correct, it would not be uttered in ordinary circumstances because of the definite articles. The reference would have to be to one specific man and a specific language.

Re: Where does the article go?

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:24:00 GMT

Thank you so much, but I asked the question because I believe I asked a similar question in the past and a guru have answered it that the indefinite article does go with a phrase similar to 'other activity' in the original example sentence.

Normally, I think the word 'other' is used/left to modify an uncountable noun and not a countable noun, but I have seen cases where a countable noun is modified by an indefinite article, 'a', later in the order/sequence.

Where does the article go?

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 22:25:09 GMT

Hi,

Would you say the indefinite article 'a' goes with the phrase 'other activity' too?

Students analyze their own thought processes following a reading or other activity.

If so, what is the difference between that example and this in terms of how the article applies to other elements in the sentence?

Students should bring a pen and other brush.

Could I take the 'other brush' to mean 'another brush'?

Article and restaurant food name

Anonymous — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 06:55:46 GMT

Hi, Could we put the definite or indefinite articles "the" and "a" in front of restaurant food names?

I had the (a??) Tenderloin Steak with *** sauce.
I had the (a??) Creme Normandy for dessert.

Normally, I think one would find the above names in a menu like this:

Tenderloin Steak with *** sauce $ ***.***
Creme Normandy $ X.***