Questions tagged [indefinite-article]
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.
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Why Does “Step BY Step” Have No Indefinite Article?
We use by to mean something each or separate (e.g., one by one, step by step, electoral votes by state, wine consumption by country, etc.), and these bys suppress the following nouns' indefinite ...
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Is “the sound of a good many voices” correct in this sentence and why? [duplicate]
From Alice in Wonderland:
She waited for some time without hearing anything more: at last came a rumbling of little cartwheels, and the sound of a good many voices all talking together: she made out ...
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Is the definite article necessary before “treatment” in these sentences?
Can I use the definite article before the word "treatment" in a generic sense? If not, what's the difference in the meaning of these sentences?
Several therapeutic agents have been ...
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Are feelings countable or uncountable in this example?
There was (a) strange puzzlement in his eyes.
Is the article incorrect or not in this sentence?
To my ear, both cases are correct. Adding the article before the adjective makes the feeling (...
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This is a bill of the food vs. This is the bill of the food
This is the bill of the food I ate last night.
This is a bill of the food I ate last night.
According to me, #1 suggests that we are talking about just 1 specific bill. Whereas, I think, but not sure,...
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Is “the large number of genes” grammatically wrong or is it a glitch from Grammarly?
Grammarly asks me to change the "this process is infeasible due to the computational cost of the optimization process and the large number of genes. " sentence to "this process is ...
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A dynamic state is understood as a state in which…/The dynamic state is understood as the state in which…?
Which one is correct:
"An invention should be described in its dynamic state. A dynamic state is understood as a state in which... "
"An invention should be described in its dynamic ...
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a/the loss of 8 wickets
The Australian cricket team scored 200 runs with the/a loss of 8 wickets in 20 overs.
I am confused if I should use an indefinite article or the definite article in the above sentence . According to ...
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in such case or in such a case?
In the following sentence, is the indefinite article necessary? The word "case" is a countable noun, and I expected an indefinite article in front when it's used in singular form.
If you ...
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This is (a) proof that you… (with or without “a”?)
Is there a difference between these two examples?
This is a proof that you are not telling me the truth.
This is proof that you are not telling me the truth.
Sometimes the word "proof" is ...
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Is “how is this a syllabus” correct?
Is "how is this a syllabus" correct? Can I use the article "a" in that question?
The situation is following: I've asked my son's history teacher to provide his teaching plan for ...
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the indefinite article and post-modifiers of nouns
China [in Asia] is comprised of 1.4 billion people.
The Grand Canion [in the United States of America] is so big.
[A] horn of a unicorn is very unique.
Which of these brackets are correct and which ...
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Article usage in this particular sentence
I've got this sentence I struggle a bit with.
After all, the game is always evolving and our developers do pay
attention to (the) balance and (the) feedback the players provide.
Given that the ...
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36 views
Is it correct to omit the indefinite article after the colon sign from the title of a scientific paper?
I am wondering if it is correct to replace,
Learning English Language: A New Policy For Using Ell.stackexchange
by
Learning English Language: New Policy For Using Ell.stackexchange
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1answer
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How to use articles with jobs
I agree that we use the indefinite article when talking about not unique jobs/occupations. But does it somehow change depending on the position of the job word in a sentence? I mean, "Builder ...
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Usage of the indefinite article in “different choice of a nail would result in”
I am choosing (say) a nail of one or another type.
Should I say
"a different choice of a nail would result in ..."; or
"a different choice of nail would result in ..."?
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1answer
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Which is correct: “a html game” or “an html game”?
Which is correct: "a html game" or "an html game"?
I think that "a html game" is correct, cause "a game" is definitely correct. But "a html" sounds ...
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Whether to use definite or indefinite article in sentences like “Don't put a space between a dash and a/the following punctuation mark”
Don't put a space between an em-dash and the adjacent words.From Quick and Dirty Tips
In English, you don’t put a space between a word and a question mark.From Quora
These sentences look very ...
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1answer
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Usage of 'a' and 'the'
I have a question about the usage of 'a' and 'the' in English. I know that the rules depend on countable/non-countable nouns and general/specific nouns. Like described in this tutorial and in other ...
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“A last couple of week” vs. “the last couple of weeks”
What is the difference in meaning between a last couple of weeks and the last couple of weeks? I thought that the former was totally wrong, but in the second episode of the fourth season of Breaking ...
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3answers
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When to use “as” or “as a”
I saw the same question but it's always regarding professions like:
a) As teacher, I meet many children.
b) As a teacher, I meet many children.
In this case I would automatically say b) because it's ...
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A or an? Should I consider the phrase after it?
Briefly, which one is correct?
A, again, beautiful home ...
or
An, again, beautiful home ...
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1answer
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Use of articles in software documentation
I have some questions about the use of articles in the documentation of the Laravel framework.
The chunk method breaks the collection into multiple, smaller collections of a given size
Why is used ...
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The indefinite articles
”I bought a book yesterday.”
”A man knocked on my door yesterday.”
I have been taught that the rules of ”a” and ”an” are to introduce something to the reader or listener, or to refer to any non-...
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The rules of the definite and the indefinite articles
I’m having some trouble understanding ”a/an”.
In sentences like this one:
”A gunman entered my store and held a gun to my head.”
What is ”a” really telling me as a reader about the gunman and the gun?...
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Which abstract nouns do we use indefinite articles with?
Which abstract nouns do we use indefinite articles with? I always can't decide whether I have to add an article before non-specific abstract noun or not. Please, give me some instructions.
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A light/ light/the light
Everyone! Why is this correct:
There was someone in the house because there was a light on inside.
As I know, light is uncountable. So correct to say the light/ light but not a light, isn't it?
...
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1answer
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“for _ dinner” vs “for A walk”
Why do we say "to invite someone for _ dinner" without any article whereas in "to go for a walk" we use one?
Is there any general rule covering the cases or should they just be ...
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1answer
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Why indefinite article is used before adj+“time”
One person is writing a letter to his friend ,who had recommended this trip to him, about trip and following sentence is from that letter.
We had a fantastic time in South Africa.
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1answer
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“Remember a time when…” or “remember the time when…”?
Could you tell which article I use in the following sentence: a or the?
Do you remember a/the time when we went fishing and we forgot bait.
If both article possible, could you tell me what would ...
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1answer
36 views
How to avoid excessive usage of a/an?
How should I go about such cases when I present something new in my narration and, therefore, should use indefinite article "a/an" right before each new thing, but there are two many of those new ...
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2answers
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a lb or an lb, which is right?
At just two weeks old, he weighs less than a lb.
or
At just two weeks old, he weighs less than an lb.
Grammar Checker says "an lb" is right, really?
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2answers
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I have a\the daughter
I don't really understand why we say
I have a daughter
using the "a" article. It's not a random person in the street, it's not one of my 78 daughters, this is the only daughter I have. I have no ...
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Is the phrase “the new staff at Tech company” correct?
An IELTS helper post says
I'm currently the new staff at Tech company with a specialty in IT
Is that correct? Does it need a article in between "at Tech company"?
I'm currently the new staff ...
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1answer
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The atom or an atom?
I have found the following definition of the proton:
the subatomic particle found in the atom's dense central core that has a positive charge
Why is "the" used before "atom"? Would not it be ...
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1answer
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“under the sunlight” VS “in the sunlight” VS “under sunlight” VS “in sunlight”?
Suppose that you want to say that you have put your wet shirt outside so that the sunlight dries it off. Now if you want to mention the sunlight in your sentence with a prepositional phrase, how would ...
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1answer
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“For a second” vs. “for the second”
Could you tell me if the use of the but not a affect the meaning of the following sentence in any way?
Could you lay your phone aside and listen to me for a second.
Could you lay your phone ...
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Is the definite article idiomatic in: “Look! The cat is eating the meat”
You and your child are walking on a street and suddenly see a cat eating some meat.
At that moment, both you and your child know what the cat looks like (white fur, etc) and know what the meat looks ...
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Do I need to use “an” in this sentence?
I need to write a sentence, and I have problems with whether I need to use "an" or not.
I use the text of books to search for similar sentences, since i'm a beginner and I have problems with grammar.
...
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An SNL skit or a SNL skit? [duplicate]
An SNL skit or a SNL skit?
I am pretty sure it's "an", but I wasn't exactly sure, because I was news articles use "a" instead.
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1answer
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Usage of articles for animals
While I was reading my grammar book I found below sentences with explanations:
1) A Cow is a useful Animal.
2)The Dog is a faithful animal.
I don’t know why “A cow” is used and why “The dog” ...
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2answers
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How much “the” is too much?
I've always wondered what is the right use of "the" between nouns. From what I'd learned years ago, you have to use "a" or "the" before each noun. But sometimes it looks too much, and it clutters the ...
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1answer
38 views
“Develop a feel for something” or “develop the feel for something”?
Could you tell if I have to use "a" or "the" before feel in the following sentences?
If you don't use the word correctly, don't be frustrated as you will develop a/the feel for ...
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2answers
38 views
Omission of articles in phrases
No article is used before a noun used in phrases as: to leave home, to send word, to caught fire, etc etc. Examples: He sent me word to see him. He left home. Here is my question: why not these ...
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What does it mean “a” and “ the” before “ Billion ” in these sentences?
I have read two examples about "Billion" word and I got confused with why are existences "a" and " the" in these contexts . Is it mentioned "definite" and "indefinite" meaing ?
Examples-
1. The ...
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The article choice in the instruction / programming code commentary
I'm writing the commentary to a programming code / instruction which should give the reader an idea of what is happening at the corresponding step and can't understand if it's an abstract or concrete ...
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When refer something immediately after it, should I use “a” or “the”?
I guess I understand the basic rules of "A/an and the" in Cambridge Dictionary grammar tutorial.
However, I have no idea which rule in that tutorial fits the following situation.
A post use article "...
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1answer
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English Articles: Perilla oil is an/the edible vegetable oil derived from perilla seeds
This is a sentence from Wikipedia.
Perilla oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from perilla seeds.
I don't understand why it is an edible vegetable oil. We can only have one oil from perilla, i....
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‘The great storm in/of 1987’
My father lost his life during the great storm of 1987.
I’m not familiar with the structure ‘the ... of (time)’. I would say a great storm in 1987. Does the great storm of 1987 refer to a particular ...
