4
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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
If there is a unique correct way, then "the correct way".
If there are several different ways, all of which are "correct" then "a correct way"
The correct way to spell &...
- 170k
4
votes
Is (the) article necessary in "All the light we cannot see"?
I feel that removing the article makes the title make less sense. In "all the light", the definite article the means some specific light - in this case, the specific light that we cannot ...
- 38.5k
3
votes
Accepted
Why isn't there an article before "proportion"?
What is functioning as a determiner, so you cannot use an article as well.
What town do you come from?
What song did they play?
(You may occasionally encounter what a or what the, but only in ...
- 70k
3
votes
There is a / the most important thing
A sentence beginning with There is usually announces the existence of something.
There is someone asking for you on the phone.
There is a fly in my soup.
As you know, the definite article usually ...
- 39.3k
2
votes
There is a / the most important thing
When used as an adverb of degree, 'most' has two uses. Webster's dictionary gives these two definitions:
to the greatest or highest degree
to a very great degree
So it can mean the highest, or just ...
- 83.5k
2
votes
Accepted
Should we use a/an before a bracket starting with a vowel?
From comments:
The brackets don't affect the pronunciation, so it's an as though the bracket wasn't there.
Also:
Alternative ways of setting off parenthetical matter, such as commas, or em dashes, ...
2
votes
By bus - by a big bus
By bus indicates the mode of transport rather than the particular vehicle. If you want to describe the bus itself, say on/in a big bus.
- 39.3k
2
votes
autocorrect -- articles
You are right that Microsoft capitalises AutoCorrect because it is the proper name for their spelling correction software. Apple seems to use Auto-Correction. However, it is quite common for specific ...
- 83.5k
1
vote
Accepted
By bus - by a big bus
The word "big" is a red herring here. The important word is "a".
When you say "by bus" you are referring to the bus system. It actually doesn't say how many bus ...
- 170k
1
vote
Accepted
Changes have been submitted vs the changes have been submitted
You should say:
the changes were committed
because they are specific changes that ideally you would have documented with your commit.
If you told me "changes were committed," I might feel ...
- 5,413
1
vote
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
"Hey George, what is the correct way of reporting my working time?
Here, "the" implies that there is only one correct way. (There may be a lot of incorrect ways.) The makes its noun (...
- 1,821
1
vote
Accepted
--/an/the only one
(1)
As I parse this: 'one way' is a singular noun, qualified by the adjective 'only'. It is singular.
There are indefinite pronouns, including 'no-one', 'someone', 'anyone', and everyone. These refer ...
- 136
1
vote
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
Although there may be valid reasons for using the string 'a best practice', and certainly 'a best-seller', 'We each had a best friend we would never abandon', the usual rule, as you suggest, is that ...
- 1,276
1
vote
you have had a giant win streak -- pronunciation of "a"
Actually, if you stress the a, you are emphasizing the fact that there is one giant win streak. In other words, you're saying he's had less giant win streaks than others.
You should stress the "...
- 603
1
vote
Accepted
Articles with professions/roles
In example 1, generally talking about the profession, you would use A.
In example 2, explaining what the role of the person is, you would use The.
In example 3, explaining what a person of a certain ...
- 603
1
vote
There is a / the most important thing
Starting with 'there is the/a' doesn't really function well, no matter where you are heading with the overall sentence. You could get away with "There is one important thing", which at least ...
- 13.5k
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