0

I have a sentence:

The Theorem states the properties of the solution of the model.

Too many "the" here... Is there anything wrong in grammar?

4
  • 2
    You could use fewer of-phrases and say the model's solution. Replacing the by another determiner might work as well (this for example).
    – Vlammuh
    Commented Aug 8, 2015 at 12:30
  • 3
    Grammatically, there's nothing wrong. In principle you could extend it to The theorem states the properties of the orbits of the planets in the solar system, or construct even longer sequences. If you don't like it for stylistic reasons you can always rephrase things, but you don't have to. I suspect most native speakers wouldn't really notice the repetition anyway, if it were in a context where each individual article was a "reasonable" usage (for example, the theorem and the model both imply that these things have already been mentioned). Commented Aug 8, 2015 at 15:20
  • 1
    I agree with @Sander. There is nothing wrong with that sentence, but "The theorem states the properties of the model's solution" would work nicely!
    – 13509
    Commented Aug 8, 2015 at 16:11
  • I agree with the others; no cause for concern here. You're certainly not breaking any rules. If you think the sentence reads a bit awkwardly, you might be able to change the first "The" to "This", depending on the surrounding context: This theorem states the properties of the solution of the model.
    – J.R.
    Commented Aug 9, 2015 at 10:25

2 Answers 2

1

You're relying too heavily on the phrase "of the" to attribute nouns to other nouns in terms of ownership.

You can add verbs to this sentence to help remove the "thes" if you don't like the sentence now. However, nothing is technically wrong with it. The verbs will perform the attributing for you, instead of "of."

The Theorem states properties exhibited by the model's solution.

I don't know if "exhibited" is the right verb here. You'll have to analyze your own context to use the correct word.

You can also attribute these nouns to their owners or creators via possession to further eliminate usage of "the." For example:

Einstein's Theorem states properties exhibited by his model's solution.

Or:

Einstein's Theorem states the properties of his solution of the model.

Again, you'll have to analyze your own context to figure out what nouns need to be attributed to whom.

-2

those THEs can be replaced by any other determinants too.

1
  • 1
    Determiner not *determinant.
    – tchrist
    Commented Aug 11, 2015 at 11:27

You must log in to answer this question.

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