Questions tagged [zero-article]
For questions about noun phrases that contain no articles, definite or indefinite.
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Why do we not use the definite article in "Where can I find the room 401?"
Last week in college, a student [with a thick South Asian accent] asked me:
"Excuse me, where can I find the room 401?".
I realized that to my native English ears, the word "the" sounded non-...
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3
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In which situations is it OK to omit articles in short sentences?
Recently, in many new online software I often see that developers omit articles in short sentences, especially on action buttons or tooltips.
For instance: "Add new task" (not "Add a new task"), "...
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When can an article be omitted? [duplicate]
I am aware that articles are the modifiers, which introduce a noun/noun_phrase in a sentence, and by the rules of English grammar we should use an article before referring to a noun in a sentence.
...
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5
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"police said" - why not "the police said"?
Example with a context (news article: Russian police arrest three after dramatic Moscow shootout):
In their last crime, the alleged robbers had grabbed more than 8 million rubles ($146,000) in an ...
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6
votes
3
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“the top levels of government” -- why not "of THE government"?
Example taken from: Russia questions five suspects over Nemtsov killing:
However no information has emerged as to the possible motive the men could have had in killing the charismatic opposition ...
- 37.4k
14
votes
5
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"I was reading posts there" vs. "I was reading the posts there"
This is my post from History Stack Exchange. I was reading posts there and one specific issue interested me. That's why I wrote that post.
Should I use the when referring to posts on History SE in ...
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20
votes
10
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"She speaks an impeccable English" vs "She speaks impeccable English"
What is the difference between these sentences?
She speaks an impeccable English.
She speaks impeccable English.
I understand both are correct but is one simply more specific because of ...
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4
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A secretary with ____ good knowledge of English: "a" or no article?
I'm trying to pass a test on "Articles exercise" as they call it on the EnglishGrammar site.
Reviewing my answers I got stuck about the two I posted on the picture below.
As I understand both words ...
- 253
4
votes
2
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"She's the author of" or "She's author of"? - which one is correct?
What's the difference in the usage of the article "the" with the word "author"? Why is the article "the" left in the second sentence?
She's the author of "The Power of Glamour," "The Future and Its
...
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1
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When to use "such" before a noun and when to use "such a/an"?
Should you put an “a” here in the blank after such?
Alpha is supposed to warrant the connection between Beta and Gamma. But ____ connection seems to be already warranted.
Which one is correct ...
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(The?) Lions in the zoo are very aggressive [duplicate]
We use a plural count noun with no article if we mean all or any of
that thing. For example:
Lions are very aggressive.
I don't like lions.
We only use the with general ...
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11
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5
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what kind of an animal vs. what kind of animal
An excerpt from Java for Dummies, 6th Edition:
If you already know what kind of an animal Java is and know that you want to use Java, skip Chapter 1 and go straight to Chapter 2. Believe me, I won’...
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votes
2
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"Have you ever had surgery?" Why does surgery in this sentence have no article?
Can't we ask instead, Have you ever had a surgery? Is surgery a countable noun? I guess we can speak of surgeries in the plural form. Why should we use zero article in this sentence?
Update:
What ...
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3
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Why is there no article in "We are Family"?
Sister Sledge - We Are Family - YouTube
I've searched on YouTube a song named 'We are Family'
Why use the sentence without an article 'a' or 'the'?
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"What was best" vs "what was the best"?
Do both have the same meaning? Or they are subtly different?
Example sentence:
What was (the) best? To go left or right, up or down?
In an answer on englishforums.com it says that both are exactly ...
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4
votes
1
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Lack of Articles in Headlines
Are there any rules as to an article before a noun in the singular in headlines please, i.e. lack of an article?
Description of Type of Investment
user18856
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2
answers
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should there be a definite article before "eye level"? (a quote from Salinger)
From Salinger's Zooey:
There were scars much nearer to eye level, too, from a rather awesome
variety of airborne objects—beanbags, baseballs, marbles, skate
keys, soap erasers, and ...
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3
votes
2
answers
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Without (the / no article) air and water, living things could not survive
Could you please advise whether I should use definite article 'the' in the below sentence?
I'm helping my little sister with an exercise of filling suitable article(s) into the blank of the sentence:
...
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2
votes
1
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Using "the" in this sentence: "I won the first place at the tournament"
Here is the sentence where I am confused as to whether I should put the or not:
"I won first place at the tournament"
OR
"I won the first place at the tournament"
Which one is correct ...
Shrey
2
votes
3
answers
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(The|A) stor(y|ies) about James and Susie?
This question may seem too basic, but after reading through 3 grammar and usage guides, I still can't find the sufficient information on this distinction.
Consider these phrases with their different ...
user1513
2
votes
1
answer
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'at very high altitude', 'at very high altitudes': both are okay in this sentence?
I'd like to know and ask whether both the sentences below are correct.
At very high altitude you will have difficulty breathing.
At very high altitudes you will have difficulty breathing.
My ...
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2
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1
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280
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Why there's no article with 'Mexican' and 'an' with American in sentence:
"She’s Mexican. But she’s married to an American."
(Pimsleur English course)
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2
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Why should we use "the" in "the political implications"?
Which of the following expressions is correct?:
The political implications of ...
Political implications of ...
Is the The necessary here? When I search the web using Google, in most cases The is ...
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1
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Article or no article?
Why not use the article?
The starting point of all achievements is the/a desire
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11
votes
2
answers
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Do you have a / the time?
I am trying to cope with the ever increasing trend of new phrases in English language and found something.
I have heard many a times people use "Do you have a/the time?" In reply, either we say "Yes/...
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5
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psychologist John Hayes (THE, zero article before false titles)
An example (from The New Yorker) of a phrase with a false title (psychologist John Hayes):
After Simon and Chase’s paper, for example, the psychologist John
Hayes looked at seventy-six famous ...
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9
votes
2
answers
4k
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Is Vietnamese a noun or an adjective?
If I say I am Vietnamese. Is Vietnamese a noun or an adjective? According to OALD, Vietnamese can be a noun or an adjective. If it’s a noun, why don’t we say I am a Vietnamese? Because its meaning is ...
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votes
3
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How to distinguish countable and uncountable senses?
The general rule is to use an article for countable nouns (i.e. nouns permitting a plural) and no article for uncountable nouns. However, some nouns may be countable in one sense and uncountable in ...
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2
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Omitting the article before defining relative clause
We use the definite article before defining a relative clause when we mean specific instances— this is a well-known rule. What if we omit an article in order to say something in a more general way, ...
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5
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1
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Zero article before emperor in "You will not be emperor"
Emperor is a countable noun according to the Cambridge dictionary. Why the zero article is used in the following sentence?
You will not be emperor. (Gladiator)
Comparing to the similar construction ...
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votes
3
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Zero article before "advice", "fish and chips", "lunch"
Please explain next example:
My neighbour is a photographer; let's ask him for (!) advice about colour films.
We had (!) fish and (!) chips for (!) lunch. That doesn't sound a very interesting lunch....
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usage of THE with the plural subject (or noun)
I have following construction.
Table 4 shows the parameters used by the filtering approach. The
parameters are determined by the knowledge about the data and landscape.
I want to clarify, ...
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2
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“the assistant nurse” vs. “an assistant nurse”
Which article (an/the) is correct in this context?
This is an exercise we had to complete in our grammar class. I filled it up like this:
Write the missing articles, if one is needed.
A: Who ...
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votes
1
answer
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Why isn't there an article in "if you're not family"? [duplicate]
[Fred] “Merry Christmans!” [George] "Hey, look –– Harry's got
a Weasley sweater, too!" Fred and George were wearing blue
sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G. "Harry'...
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votes
2
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'[That] includes publisher and date' — no article?
I stumbled upon this text:
Many thanks go, first of all, to the authors of more than a thousand sentences quoted in Artful Sentences: Syntax as Style. Each author's name and the title of the work ...
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votes
3
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Why is "a" used here?
This pain that has troubled me on a Sunday evening...
Why "a" instead of "on Sunday evening"?
What's the difference?
It's like not every Sunday evening but every other week or so?
it's present ...
user25470
3
votes
1
answer
184
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suspend implementation for a week -- why no article?
Usage example with a context:
Tusk said the EU would go ahead anyway with new sanctions against 19 Russian and Ukrainian individuals and nine entities next week, despite having agreed on Monday to ...
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3
votes
2
answers
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why no article before G.D.P.?
A quote from NY Times:
For the first quarter, the bureau now says G.D.P. grew at a 1.1
percent rate — after a series of reductions from its initial estimate
of 2.5 percent.
Why is there no ...
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3
votes
1
answer
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Exxon and (∅, the) other oil majors
A quote from The Economist:
Yet Exxon and the other oil supermajors are more vulnerable than they look.
What if we insert a zero article in THE's position before the "other":
Yet Exxon and ...
- 36.5k
3
votes
2
answers
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Why neither "the" or "a" is used to identify a mug (see details below)?
Just noticed my coffee mug lid has text saying "See important warning on bottom of mug". Why it's not "bottom of the mug"? It is very specific mug this lid connected to, this is why I expect it to be "...
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2
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He was state champion and national record holder
Why is there no article used with state champion and national record holder in this sentence?
In high school he was state champion and national record holder.
What would happen if a or the were ...
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2
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Zero article meaning some particular thing
Please, help me with the meaning of the sentence:
"Flowers in my room brighten it up"
1) Can zero article here mean that I talk about real flowers that are now in my room, in general meaning?
2) Or ...
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1
answer
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English Definite Article "the" with "Same"
I know we often use the English article "the" before nouns. But I have noticed this is not always true.
According to the Oxford dictionary, "Same" is used as Adjective, Pronoun, and Adverb.
Oxford ...
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2
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(The) companies engaged in this field - is article needed?
In the year 2014, Uzbekistan's chemical production grew by 9% relative to 2013. In the period under report, the companies engaged in the field increased their outputs of the following products: ...
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2
votes
2
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Would you use "the" in "(the) division of opinions"?
The division of opinions among political parties is good for democracy in new nations.
Division of opinions among political parties is good for democracy in new nations.
I don't know if "the&...
user167211
2
votes
1
answer
538
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Can a singular noun follow zero-article?
I go to the bank, and ask:
Which type of account should I open if I want to receive money from my foreign friend?
"Account" is a singular noun; is it correct that a singular noun follows zero-...
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"If you own" or "If you own a" when talking about a product in an ad
Let's say there is a game console called Bumby that can be used to play every single game available.
"If you own Bumby, you won't need another console."
"If you own a Bumby, you won't need ...
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1
answer
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'Level' - no article? With an article?
The world 'level' is a bit tricky for me as it appears either with or without the definite article. I'm trying to understand when I can get rid of the definite article and when it should stay. I ...
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2
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740
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dreams of empire -- why no article in front of "empire"?
Usage example with a context:
Close to the end of the World War II, as Nazi dreams of empire were collapsing in flames, a noted French collaborationist explained how the Germans did it all wrong.
...
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2
votes
2
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from chilliest era of the Cold War -- where did the article go?
Source: A new Cold War with Russia?
Last week the U.S. House voted overwhelmingly in favor of an anti-Russia resolution so full of war propaganda that it rivals the rhetoric from chilliest era of ...
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