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Could you help me with a proper use of articles?

A. I was at a Madonna concert in London last week.

B. I was at a Madonna's concert in London last week.

C. I was at Madonna concert in London last week.

D. I was at a Madonna's concert in London last week.

What about names and surnames?

E. I was at an Ewa Farna concert in London last week.

F. I was at an Ewa Farna's concert in London last week.

G. I was at Ewa Farna concert in London last week.

H. I was at Ewa Farna's concert in London last week.

And finally what about bands, especially in plural or in foreign language?

Wilki in English means (Wolves)

I. I was at a Wilki concert in London last week.

J. I was at Wilki concert in London last week.

K. I was at Wilki's concert in London last week.

L. I was at a Scorpions concert in London last week.

M. I was at Scorpions concert in London last week.

N. I was at Scorpions' concert in London last week.

O. I was at Scorpions's concert in London last week.

Which versions are correct? What should I use?

Could you provide a good explanation?

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  • The name doesn't matter. The determiner modifies the word concert, not the name that precedes it.
    – P. E. Dant Reinstate Monica
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 21:11

1 Answer 1

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It's either:

I was at a Madonna concert last week.

or:

I was at Madonna's concert last week.

(You should use either an article or the possessive, but not both.)

The correct sentences in your question are A, E, H, I, K, L, and N. (Some might find O an acceptable alternative to N; consult your favorite style guide for more information.)

As a footnote, the definite article can also be used:

I was at the Madonna concert last week.

(That version would be more likely if the listener already had prior knowledge of the concert.)

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  • What about names in plural like in the last example? Wilki means Wolves, so it's plural. Is "a" acceptable?
    – user46036
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 21:18
  • The "a" modifies concert, not the name of the group. I was at a Talking Heads concert last night. The only reason "a" would not be acceptable is if you went to two (or more) concerts, but even then you'd use "a" when listing them individually. I went to two concerts last week: a Ramones concert and a Black Keys concert. (As you can see, the "a" has nothing to do with the group's name being plural.)
    – J.R. ♦
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 21:21
  • I don't know why "Madonna concert" conveys to me a concert whose name is Madonna. Especially with the definite article.
    – Cardinal
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 21:27
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    @Cardinal - No doubt there is room for ambiguity. If I said, "I was at a Winthrop concert last week," then Winthrop could be the name of an individual, the name of the performing group, the name of the venue or concert series, or even the name of the town where the concert was held. Presumably, common knowledge between speaker and listener would remove the confusion.
    – J.R. ♦
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 21:33
  • @user46036 - You accepted this answer way too quickly. (Somebody might want to explain why I went to the Ramones' concert last week is acceptable.)
    – J.R. ♦
    Commented Jun 21, 2017 at 21:36

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