Questions tagged [zero-article]
For questions about noun phrases that contain no articles, definite or indefinite.
384
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"The" with plural, definite nouns
Let's say I am talking to a friend of mine:
I had a walk in the forest yesterday. (the?) Trees had scratch
marks on them. They must have been left by bears.
Note that both the speaker and listener ...
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2
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57
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"traffic volume in Kyoto" or "the traffic volume in Kyoto"
(1) Traffic volume in the city of Kyoto is displayed in the graph.
(2) The traffic volume in the city of Kyoto is displayed in the graph.
Question: Which sentence is correct?
I asked two Japanese ...
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2
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Is the definite article 'the' necessary in phrases like 'neither of the cats'?
When I want to say
neither of the cats
either of the cats
none of the cats
half the cats
a lot of the cats
most of the cats
each of the cats
every one of the cats
all the cats
That 'the' is ...
0
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2
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Why is there no A/AN before the word pepper? I bought pepper [closed]
Why is there no A/AN before the word pepper?
I bought pepper.
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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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3
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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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2
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1
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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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4
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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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Why does the phrase "a letter from employer" not require an article before "employer"?
Could somebody please explain why the phrase "a letter from employer" uses a zero article before the word "employer"? I understand that an indefinite article may be used here but ...
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48
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definite article or zero article?
"power grids" in the below refers to the power grids supplying electricity to the region from Texas to California, so I think "THE power grids" is right. Similarly, "demand&...
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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
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Why isn't there an article before "proportion"? [duplicate]
Why isn't there an article before " proportion" in the following sentence?
What proportion of people who are HIV-positive go on to develop AIDS?
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78
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Changes have been submitted vs the changes have been submitted
I was chatting today about one task with my colleague, so the dialog was:
C: you have it committed to the branch?
Me: Yes, there will be a new branch, i will ping you when my changes
committed;
C: ok
...
- 103
0
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3
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How to pick right article here? The correct way of doing smth vs. a correct way of doing smth. vs correct way of doing smth
I was chatting with my boss and asking him about the correct way of reporting my working hours. I realized that I don't know what kind of article I should use in my question.
George, what is ['a/'the'...
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Articles before common nouns when they are used with proper nouns (names)
I read an article about (a/the/-) Winterlude festival (festival here
is not part of the event's name).
In 2015, she published (a/the/-)
book Innocent thoughts of the Innocent mind.
Should I use ...
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0
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When do you say skin and when the skin?
According to my American friend, "you can have glowing skin" but "cream makes the skin softer" and "smth penetrates into the skin".
Is there some rule I can use to ...
1
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1
answer
46
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Articles: Definite/zero with plural
yesterday I went to a restaurant. I talked to _ waiters, I gave
compliments to the hostess.
Is it true that this sentence will be equally fine whether I use "_ waiters" or "the waiters&...
2
votes
2
answers
207
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"Turn off water" or "turn off the water" in context
Can you please tell me if I need to use the before water in the context below?
Because the pumping station was badly damaged, the authorities turned off (the) water in the whole city.
Generally I'm ...
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1
answer
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"Letter 'y'," "a letter 'y'" or "the letter 'y'" in context
Can you please tell which one is correct: letter "y," a letter "y," or the letter "y" in the context below?
If you agree with the statements, just put letter "y&...
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the with plural
We know that the definite article can often be used with things that are "expected to be" in the context (even when they haven't been mentioned).
e.g. When I wake up I go to the kitchen
(&...
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1
answer
26
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Zero article in "to orbit"
I am trying to get better with my English articles, but sometimes they get a bit confusing, especially when there are none.
In my favorite game Deep Rock Galactic, I stumbled upon the phrase:
Drop ...
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2
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Which one is most correct and natural: "due to fear of...," "due to a fear of..." or "due to the fear of..."?
Can you please tell me which one is most correct and natural: due to fear of..., due to a fear of... or due to the fear of...? For example:
I don't eat too much sugar due to fear of developing ...
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2
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How to understand whether 'use' acts as a countable or uncountable noun [duplicate]
According to Macmillan Dictionary, the noun 'use' can be both countable and uncountable. How to understand whether it is countable or uncountable in a given context?
Here're some examples I saw that ...
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1
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Zero article before the word "settlement"
After the middle of the fourth millennium the increase of permanently
settled population in central Babylonia was minor and can be explained
as the result of natural growth. In the south around the ...
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Why is the `the` determiner missing before the word camp?
In the following sentence:
I don't think I can make it back to camp—you go on without me!
Source
I would expect it to be "to the camp".
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answer
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Should I use the article "the" for a new phenomenon
This paragraph is in a long essay about changes in reading habits:
Ziming Liu from San Jose State University has conducted a series of studies which indicate that the ‘new norm’ in reading is skimming,...
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1
answer
417
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Can I use the word "data" without an article in the sentence? [closed]
The sentence goes "At the same time, data shows that…"
Can I use the word "data" without an article in the sentence?
1
vote
1
answer
646
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"in the hundreds" vs "in hundreds"
I'd like to know the difference between "in the hundreds" and "in hundreds". For this purpose I've found some examples:
collinsdictionary.com: 1a The temperature was in the ...
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0
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77
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Singular noun with no article as generic noun
According to the grammar book I'm reading, the sentence
The telephone rules my life.
is not about a particular telephone, but the general concept. I was wondering what happens if we omit the article ...
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Should I use zero article when elaborating existing things using "current/existing"?
I'm working on the abstract of my paper. According to the edition of my professor, the last sentence of the abstract is like:
The results also reveal some limitations of current outlier detection ...
0
votes
1
answer
190
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Zero article with ordinal numbers
Recently I've seen several examples of phrases like 'awarded for first place' on Wikipedia etc. (E.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_ribbon)
I think I understand when definite or indefinite ...
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1
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0
answers
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How to say a fact in general? [duplicate]
When you want to talk about cheetahs in general,
A cheetah can run fast.
The cheetah can run fast.
Cheetahs can run fast.
The cheetahs can run fast.
are they all correct? Which one would you use in ...
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2
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"Solid Like Stone" vs "Solid Like A Stone", which one would you prefer?
I found both forms (with and without "a") on the Internet. I don't know which one is more acceptable.
Is it an idiom?
https://wolfstone.za.com/blog/1-solid-like-stone-to-stone-like-solid
...
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3
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Why doesn't "autism spectrum disorder" require an indefinite article?
Example sentence:
He may have a personality disorder, a depressive disorder, or autism
spectrum disorder.
Why is that personality disorder and depressive disorder requires an a but not autism ...
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215
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omission of the article a/an when multiple nouns are listed
I know that a or an in sentences like the following is your choice--it can be used there or omitted as you prefer.
We need a car or (a) bike to get out of this area. Russian soldiers will be here ...
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1
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with good grip or with a good grip?
I'm talking about a pair of boots. "You need to buy boots with good grip" or "You need to buy boots with a good grip."
1
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1
answer
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Why do so many websites write "earn minimum wage" when "wage" is a countable noun?
When I searched from the NOW corpus, I found that there are more instances of "earn minimum wage" than "earn the minimum wage", with many results from big US news websites. Why is ...
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1
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Regarless of income and despite infirmity
"He remains a great leader despite infirmity.
"The allowance is paid regardless of income"
Why have we not used "an income" and "an infirmity" with "regardless&...
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Is the rule of when to add the articles: (a, the, no article) before a noun, too flexible in English?
This is from William Gibson's Neuromancer:
The impact with pavement drove dull rods of pain through his shins.
Why is there no article before pavement?
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1
answer
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the University of California, San Diego [duplicate]
Is it correct to use or remove the definite article in the following sentence?
Beachgoers discovered a 4-foot lancetfish washed up near the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of ...
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Articles as manager/as a manager [duplicate]
I'd be happy to see Jim as manager.
That might be a little confusing because they know me as manager.
We will work with him on the issue, in his capacity as manager of the company.
But as manager, you ...
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Can I omit the article "the" in "A specific principle for the material supply"?
Can I omit the article here? If yes, why? If no, why? Some translation software suggests me to.
A specific principle for the material supply of small batch manufacturing
areas
I think I can't omit ...
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2
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Tickets cost 20 dollars or so. (Where is "the" article?)
Tickets cost 20 dollars or so.
The sentence is from a dictionary. (Source)
Why there is no "the" article if it is definitely said about particular tickets?
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half goat and half sheep
a.) This animal is half goat and half sheep.
b.) This animal looks half like a goat and half like a sheep.
In sentence a, half does not need to be followed by an indefinite article, does it? But why?...
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1
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Should the indefinite or zero article be used with the phrase "low cost"
You can build your first app on a small, single database at low cost in the serverless compute tier or a small compute size in the provisioned.
Should we use the indefinite article (a low cost) or ...
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131
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Can I use the definite article before "less frequently used {noun}"?
In the following sentence in a problem I was assigned, can I use the definite article before "less frequently used"?
___(/,The) less frequently used words or constructions are more likely ...
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1
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49
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Why don't the nouns "human", "anatomy lab", and "happy hour" have articles in this passage?
I don't understand why the articles were missing in the following writing in a book:
"It was hard to recognize this pile of tissue as human. Anatomy lab, at the end, becomes less a violation of ...
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0
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Using the definite article before the first noun in the phrase [noun] + of + [noun]
I asked this question stating whether we should use the definite article before the noun "manipulation" in the phrase "manipulation of formal symbols" or not, and I was told that ...
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Should the definite article before the word "manipulation" not be omitted?
I have seen the following sentence:
He claims that thinking is merely the manipulation of formal symbols.
However, in my opinion, the definite article before the word "manipulation should be ...
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101
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Definite article 'the' with the word 'painting' when speaking about crafts
I'm writing an article about Russian traditional handicrafts, such as Khokhloma, Zhostovo, and Gzhel. I know the names of these styles/techniques do not require any determiner before them when I use ...
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