Search results for 'tag:Genitives tag:Indefinite articles' matching tags 'Genitives' and 'Indefinite articles'

Re: genitive as a noun

Believer — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:24:40 GMT

Thank you, Eimai_Anglos.

Are you saying a genitive cannot be made a countable noun or used as a countable noun? I think a guru has delivered expert advice on that aspect of grammar and I think it has been said a construction like "a shaking of a ground" means "an instance of shaking of a ground." Please note that it is a shaking in what seems to be a countable noun form.

Can you give me your expertise in this matter?

1. Why can some genitives have the indefinite article "a" like the genitive noun word "shaking"?

2. At the same time, why don't I never seem to have encountered a plural form of the word "shaking" as "shakings"?

3. Here, "with shouting, yelling and swearing, the motorists ...," would you say the phrase "with shouting, yelling and swearing" is correctly written? If it is correctly written, then what kind of noun are they? My dictionary seems to note that "shouting" is a countable noun but for the two others, I am not sure.

Thank you.

Re: how would you write it?

Feebs11 — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 11:43:42 GMT

Believer wrote:
I have a sentence I think I saw written somewhere. How would you rewrite it so it is correct? I think it is incorrect.

Our company has a children's center for our employees [who are] in need of child care.    I can't see a problem with this sentence otherwise. The indefinite article is fine in this context

I think when you have a name in the genitive, normally the article refers to the noun that immediately follows it.

I have a student who has graduated from a CET's course.

Here, let us assume CET stands for (the??) Certified Electrical Technician and for the above sentence, a modifies the abbreviation 'CET', doesn't it?     No - it relates to "course"; CET is merely used adjectively to identify the course. The course is unspecified apart from being a CET course, therefore "a" is correct. If the course was specifiied as a particular course in a particular institution, then "the" would be required. "....the CET course at *** College."

Do you have any suggestions that will help me to decide correctly whether there a need to put the underlined article there?

genitive VS compound noun

Hela — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:31:13 GMT

Dear teachers,

First, happy New Year to you all, and thank you for your kindness and dedication. I want to tell you that you've helped a lot throughout these years and I feel deeply endebted to you.

My question for today is: Can I use the indefinite article with the genitive? Is it correct to say: "It's A five kilometres' walk" ?

What's the difference between : "It's a five kilometres' walk" (genitive); and

"It's a five-kilometre walk" (compound noun) ?

What should I say:

a) "There is two weeks delay" ; (with or without an apostrophe after "weeks" ?)

b) "There is a two weeks delay" ; (with or without an apostrophe after "weeks" ?)

c) "There is a two-week delay" ?

Many thanks,

Hela

Re: quiz questions

Cool Breeze — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 19:55:59 GMT

Hi Believer

In all your examples, of is not a part of the co-called of-genitive and thus does not require the.

Knowledge is an exceptional uncountable noun, it can take the indefinite article although it is never used in the plural:
He has a working knowledge of English.
I have a poor knowledge of history.

In Q3, Q5 and Q7 there is an adjectival attribute before a noun and in English such adjectives tend to bring on a or an before nouns that don't necessarily require an article in other contexts.

Cheers
CB

Re: One dictionary says...

paco2004 — Sun, 19 Dec 2004 02:39:22 GMT

Hi MrP and Casi

Here's another article supposedly relating to our discussion, which I just skimmed it. Sounds the construction "[adj] or [a noun] of [a noun]" is an expression used to show speaker's emotion.
Ora Matsushansky

By the way OED mentions about the construct [so/how/that/too a noun] in a part of the entry of the indefinite article a like this:

A follows the adjectives as in many a, such a, what a! and the obsolete or dialectal each a, which a; it follows any adjectives preceded by how, so, as, too, as how large a sum; and in earlier English the genitive phrases what manner, no manner, whatkins, nakins, what sort, etc., as what manner a man (= cu jus modi homo?) In none of these was the a found in Old English.
Many a is not to be confused with the approximative a many. Such a was earlier a such. Each a and which a survive in the north, as ilk a, whilk a. What manner a, and its likes soon became corrupted to what manner of.

I think this is little informative but what interestes me a little is that those special constructs were created (or imported?) at the time of Middle English.

paco