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"A" is correct here, and "the" would be odd.
Normally, "the" is the article used with an ordinal because what is being described is a specific item in a specific ordering of a set. There is no vagueness about what is being referred to.
In this specific example, however, there is, as yet, no such item to be referenced specifically. The sentence is ...
5
1) "A" meaning "the value: one" (as in a dollar/a hundred dollars/a million dollars) can only be used when the phrase represents a value, not when the phrase is part of a compound noun. For example:
I have one million dollars ✓
I have a million dollars ✓
I have five one-dollar bills ✓
I have five a-dollar bills X
I have a one-hundred dollar bill ✓
I have ...
5
No
A person whose wealth is at least a million dollars (or other units of currency in countries that do not use dollars) is "a millionaire". A person with several times this amount is "a multi-millionaire" (or just "a very rich person").
The phrase "an a millionaire" is not grammatical. The phrase "a one-millionaire" (and similar forms with other numbers) ...
4
Interesting question.
I haven't found any sources on it, but to me "a/an" with an ordinal can be used when the ordinal is beyond the end of the series expected, or originally counted.
This is especially when there was only expected to be one item (as in your example).
If somebody calls a second time ...
implies that this is unexpected, the norm ...
4
Yes - you are introducing and specifying a new noun-object (range), so use of the definite article is correct.
4
"Rain" is often used with no article:
Rain is falling.
We expect rain this evening.
We expect it to rain this evening.
We expect rain to start this evening.
If you've mentioned a particular rainfall event, you might refer back to it with "the rain":
There was terrible storm last night. The rain went on for hours.
The rain kept us from taking our walk.
"A ...
3
On top is an adverbial expression. Expressions like this generally don't include an article:
in front
on/in time
on show
with/in force
at ease
These are all grammatically "preposition noun", but they are treated as unanalysable units.
Many of them can also occur with an article, or other specifier, but usually have a different ...
3
You should usually consider what is in the brackets, if it is part of the text. In this case "infinite" is part of the text and you would use "an".
Imagine you are reading the text to someone. Would you speak the words in the brackets? if so then you should consider the sound of those words.
It is hard to imagine situation where you wouldn't use "an". ...
2
... I called customer service to follow up my claim and ...
"customer service" here is a department or section of an organization, in the example probably of the railroad. In many ways it is equivalent to "the complaint department", but grammatically similar to "I called reception" or 'I called student affairs" or "I called taxpayer assistance". None of ...
1
… and sponsorship of same would be very welcome.
It turns out that the head of same is a prominent member …
In these two examples, same is equivalent to ‘the aforementioned’, without implying similarity to anything else. This is a stuffy formal usage, smelling of legalese, so I wouldn't bother trying to compare it with other senses of same.
(It is also ...
1
The first article is unnecessary, since "changes" is plural, but is needed in the singular "food chain". If one is picky, it might be better to use parallel construction and have them both plural: if there are isolated ecosystems, then there would be multiple food chains. In that case, no article is needed there, either.
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Answered in the comments:
"The entire thing seems like it was written by a non-native speaker, or at the least, the text was rather poorly edited. It's a mistake; don't copy it." – choster
1
"Top" is not being used as a noun in this phrase.
Top - highest in position, rank, or degree
It would also be correct to say:
The duck is on the top.
But in this case, it means something slightly different:
Top - the highest or uppermost point, part, or surface of something.
All definitions sources from Google Dictionary
1
These are fine. With "names" of tasks you often use "headlinese", and drop particles and articles. The main function is that the name should be clear, short and easy to understand and remember, rather than "idiomatic".
As part of a text or in speech, you would normally use "the". It isn't needed as a "headline". However you may want to use a different ...
1
You need the "the" in both. Also, you should use "that" in both.
The results speak to the organization the infrastructure lacks.
First off, this needs the "the" before organization. This is referring to a specific thing that the infrastructure lacks and needs the definite article ("the") there.
An important note: this should have a "that" after ...
1
The best way to say this would be:
This is the first discussion out of many I am planning.
It really doesn't matter if the audience already knows you were planning the discussions or not. We typically use the instead of a(n) where there is only one of something, and, when something is "first", there is only one of it.
If there is more than one, ...
1
We, non-native English speaking teachers, teach our students that nationality words meaning all the people of a particular country/nation ending in fricatives are used with the definite article: the Dutch, the Swedish etc
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