0

I hear it's not correct to use an indefinite article after "of". But i don't know exactly in which cases it's correct and in which not.

And also, maybe it doesn't only apply to the word "of". Maybe there are other words like that after which people don't use articles.

The question is: when do i use an article, and when not, when it comes to such a word as "of"?

And also, do i use it correctly in this sentence?

Search by the name of a form of study

Improve this question
4
  • Perhaps you mean indefinite or definite article? And the sentence is fine with the indefinite article as you have it.
    – Robusto
    Jan 12, 2019 at 20:59
  • Ok, I edited the question. You're saying that my question is fine - alright, that's good. But why would it be incorrect if the sentence were "search by the name of a form of a study"?
    – Марк Павлович
    Jan 12, 2019 at 21:06
  • Because the indefinite article in that instance makes it refer to a specific study—something published in a scientific journal, perhaps—not the general concept of study, and in that case you've already used a specifier: "a form of ..." You want study to refer to a class, not an instance of a class.
    – Robusto
    Jan 12, 2019 at 21:15
  • "I hear it's not correct" isn't helpful. A more substantial starting point would be nice. Anyway, article use is tied to the noun following it, not a preposition or word before it.
    – user3169
    Jan 13, 2019 at 1:45

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

As User3169 commented, "article use is tied to the noun following it, not a preposition or word before it." The standard rules of articles apply in all cases.

In your example, "study" refers generally to the concept, just as "research" would. If "study" were referring to a specific study, then "the study" would be correct. If "study" were referring to any single study out of many possible studies, then "a study" would be correct.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .