Questions tagged [articles]
An Article is used before a noun to indicate if the noun is something particular (the) or a member of a class (a/an).
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"the" in "Algebra, arithmetic, ... are <the> branches of mathematics." and "Algebra, arithmetic, ... are <the> branches mathematics has."
learnersdictionary.com:
(1a) Algebra, arithmetic, calculus, geometry, and trigonometry are branches of mathematics.
I would like to know what role the presenсe and the absence of "the" ...
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What does it mean by calling articles "particles"?
Copi's Introduction to Logic says:
The grammatical particles "a" and "an" may also serve to indicate quantity, but
whether they are being used to mean "all" or "...
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Which of the two options is more appropriate? "A bit of delay" or "a bit of A delay"? Could you please give some advice?
What should I do to expand my knowledge so that I don't get stuck with such amateur questions in the future? :)
I am more inclined towards an articled option, 'cause I believe we can count delays, ...
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Using articles in english, articles before dates
I have been asking by my daughter about which articles shall be used in following sentence, although her teacher has given different explication which i am not 100% convinced.
June the first is ...
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indefinite article for generic reference
I understand that an indefinite article + noun can refer to the whole class, but also refer to one of them. which of the following sentences are generic reference? Thank you.
A horse is a useful ...
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"an example of [countable noun]" v. "an example of a [countable noun]"
Which one would be correct English:
The tiger is an example of feline species.
or
The tiger is an example of a feline species.
It may be related to one of my previous questions titled 'One type of ...
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Any difference in meaning: "We see these families that ....." / "We see the families that ....?
We see THESE families that are desperate for housing. Council houses (see: 12:19-12:24)
We see THE families that are desperate for housing.
I, as a non-native speaker of English, would think that we ...
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Is there an implicit "the" in this sentence?
I'm looking at the sentence "The Big E and the Topsfield Fair are coming."
These are both names of festivals. The full name of the first is "The Big E," while the latter is ...
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Alternation of definite and indefinite articles
Could you give an explicit example of the behavior of a wave function near zero, so that the wave function is continuous, but its magnitude squared is not?
Do the highlighted words constitute ...
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I'm a bit uncertain about articles usage in the example below
"Unfortunately, these screenshot are not a reliable proof of the abscence of funds."
The context is, a user was asked for a certain document to prove that the funds that were sent to him ...
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Why is there an indefinite article before the proper noun in "He lacked the analytic processing power of a Hamilton"?
I was reading an article here and came across the article "a" before the proper names in this sentence.
Take Benjamin Franklin. He lacked the analytic processing power of a Hamilton and the ...
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When do we use and when do we not use an indefinite article in front of the noun “job”?
Can anybody explain why we use and do not use an indefinite article in front of the noun “job”?
Examples:
It is a job he desired all his life.
What job would you like to do?
Is it because the ...
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We can't remove article from a singular countable noun. So is that a noun modifier or complement?
We can't remove article from a singular countable noun. So is that a noun modifier or complement?
We generally call it a modifier though it's mandatory...But why?🤔
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during a year/during the year [closed]
Which article should be used?
1 A lot of tourists come to our town during the year/a year.
2 How many days are there in the/a year?
I come across either.
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... when there was the lockdown
They sold different things when there was the lockdown.
I doubt whether "there was the" is correct. Is it wrong? If yes, how else can the idea be expressed?
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Do you offer the meat pie? - a correct way to ask?
1)
Do you offer meat pies?
2)
Do you offer the meat pie?
I know (1) is probably the standard way to ask whether they sell meat pies.
Can I use (2)? I remember when you add "the" before a ...
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Please tell me if the office takes an article or not in the below sentence? [closed]
Do you have office today? -> Is this sentence grammatically correct or not? I believe Office would take an article over here but google translate is saying that in this sentence office wouldn't ...
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What is the difference between "with an assumption that" and "with the assumption that"
I'm trying to learn English articles better, and I came across this particular example where I can't figure out the differences in meaning between the phrases "with an assumption that" and &...
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About a group of 5, why do you say "...a fourth..." about "the fourth one" but "...the fifth" when it comes to the fifth one?
This is from the BBC News, Australia mushroom poisoning
Two Saturdays ago, five people sat down for a family meal in a tiny Australian town.
Within a week, three would be dead, a fourth fighting for ...
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I got first class or a first class in my exam
When we were studying Intermediate, we used to say that "I got first class in my Tenth class public Examination". Our English lecturer would repeatedly correct us by saying that" I got ...
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What's the difference between "much the more" and "much more"?
for example:
(1) X is much the more common than Y.
I don't understand the role of "the" here.
What does "the" mean in (1)?
(2) X is much more common than Y.
What's the difference ...
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article + personal pronoun: "After I lose some weight, I will be <a> lighter me."
wordreference.com:
(1) After I lose some weight, I will be a lighter me.
my variant:
(2) After I lose some weight, I will be lighter me.
"A" is an article, so it cannot be before a personal ...
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Articles and vowels a,e,i,u,o, question about a & o & e
I have some problems with articles and vowels: a,e,u,i,o.
Some days ago my teacher told me if you want to use article with university, you have to use a university not an university.
He even told me ...
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Why is "an university" used, not "a university"?
I happened to read J.S.Mill's writing, and found "an unversity" used in it, instead of "a university". I think "a university" is the right choice in the present-day ...
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Why can I write "Please open window" without an article?
"Please open window" is a sign I saw on a London bus. What rule let the author omit an article? It was written right on the window, so I'm wondering why they didn't write "Please open ...
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Why are articles sometimes NOT used before common nouns?
Take a sentence like:
'Excellent lady that she was, Lady Gigabytes invited us over for dinner.'
Or:
'Lady Gigabytes (excellent lady that she was) invited us over for dinner.'
What both these sentences ...
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Could anyone explain why is the article used before percentage? Is there any grammatical rule regarding this?
Could anyone explain why is the article used before percentage? Is there any grammatical rule regarding this?
Most countries would be very happy with a 7% growth in this environment. Link
But ...
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I get better at guitar, I get better at playing the guitar or I get better at playing guitar
Which of these sentences is correct in British english?
I get better at guitar
I get better at playing the guitar
I get better at playing guitar
And if all of them are correct, Which one is the most ...
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Article "a" in "as good a job as"
As a learner, "as ... as" is always a little confusing. Say somebody said the following.
You should do at least as good a job as them.
Now I can understand how there is a noun between two ...
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"Coffee/The coffee that is served at this café is delicious." - What are the differences in meaning?
When using a relative clause to modify an uncountable noun, should we include "the" before the noun?
What are the differences in meaning?
Example 1
"The coffee that is served at this ...
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If this question is grammatically correct?
Some CO2 moves from the roots of plants to microbes in the soil
May I ask if this question is grammatically correct? I thought "the" didn't come with a plural noun (rootS). If that sentence ...
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In a year vs in the year: "This is a small town and not much is going on in a year here"
This is a small town and not much is going on in a year here, except for a few music events and fairs.
Here I'm trying to say that in my town years go by without much happening. I wonder if we can ...
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<a> restoration of stolen property; <a> restoration of the law
three examples from britannica.com:
(1a) a restoration of stolen property
(1b) restoration of stolen property
(2a) The town called for a restoration of the law.
my versions:
(2b) The town called for ...
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Why does this native speaker (Youtuber) say "...a island" but not "...an island": "I thought the 50 grand was getting me a island."
This is from an American Youtuber's video. Mr. Beast comparing most expensive and the cheapest hotels (see: 4:06-4:08)
In the video, they compare the cheapest and the most expensive hotels, and while ...
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commit (a) sacrilege (what's the differnce with 'a' or without 'a'?)
commit (a) sacrilege
Wonder whether there is any difference in 'meaning' or in 'tone'
Is there any rule we should know that 'a' is not needed or omitted?
The only difference is 'a' or without 'a'.
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What is difference between "you value the most" and "you value most"? [duplicate]
I have a sentance "...remember the purpose and principles you value most". How would it be different from "....value the most"?
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He sent me a file of (a) very large size
I was told that both are correct.
He sent me a file of a very large size
He sent me a file of very large size
How is that possible?
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Why, if ever, is it wrong to say "I hope it's not much of a trouble/hassle on your part"?
I read on one grammar website that the quoted sentence above was wrong, but the forum didn't provide any reason as to why that was so. One person on that website just said that a more acceptable ...
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Correct words to use in a From certain date to certain date doing something [closed]
So this is what I could come up with, but for some reason, it sounds wrong to me, and it is bugging me
As of 29.05.2023. Through and including the 29.08.2023, we will have new regulations in ...
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Why there is not an "the" put before "opnion"？
It is now nearly axiomatic that people will work for a range of employers in a variety of roles over their lifetimes, with a much more flexible schedule than in the past. Opinion is still divided over ...
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Should "a lecture on (the) laser technology" have a definite article?
I was tasked to find grammatical error, if any, in below sentence:
Being a well-known physicist, he (1) was invited to deliver (2) a lecture on laser technology.(3)
No Error (4)
The correct answer ...
Vipul Tyagi
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Common noun and article, determiners
Should we use articles and determiners before a singular-count common noun all the time? Are there exceptions?
For example:
A teacher plays an important role.
but why fish lives in water?
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It's not that big a deal? Why is 'a' needed?
I have only known the expression, "it's not a big deal".
Just now I got to know there is another expression, "it's not that big a deal". I wonder why it is not used like "it's ...
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choice between 'the' and 'an' here [duplicate]
This is from a webpage :
As such, there is relevance for anyone in these flight reviews, even
if they aren’t as well known! In fact, his influence and status as the
world’s most followed aviation ...
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Commas and articles in dissertation title
Given these options, what is the correct title for a PhD dissertation:
Efficient Parallelizable Algorithm for Redundant Manipulators
An Efficient Parallelizable Algorithm for Redundant Manipulators
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"Do assessment of the problem" vs. "do an assessment of the problem"
Would you tell me if using the article a adds anything to the sentence's meaning below?
Before fixing it right away, I suggest we do assessment of the problem first.
Before fixing it right away, I ...
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When can I use "math class" with an article?
I am searching for the information about countability of class, but cannot find it.
The situation where I would like to use "math class" is like this: You are looking at your school ...
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A school exam about other and the other
Can you please explain how I can choose between these two options?
This peach is rotten, but _______ in the box are good.
other peaches
the other peaches
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To terminal 2 or to the terminal 2
I am an airport agent at an airline in Brazil.
As soon as some passengers arrive from their origins and need to check their bags for the domestic connection, they come to an area called 're-checkin'.
...
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Articles with professions: "The job of teacher" vs "The job of a teacher"
The job of teacher, for which patience is required, would not suit me.
Why don't we say "the job of a teacher"? As far as I know with professions we always use the indefinite article
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