Say I have three kinds of items that I call A, B, and C. Now, I want to ask someone to create one. Which form is the correct one?
Create an item A.
or
Create an A item.
?
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1Can you explain why "item" is needed at all? Generally one simply says "create a (widget)" "create a (thing)". Perhaps show us an actual example?– Catija ♦Jun 15, 2015 at 15:38
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@Catija A,B,C are the categories of items, I want to make it clear which one I ask a user to create. and "item" is necessary– Marc AndresonJun 15, 2015 at 15:51
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Create item A, Create item B, Create item C - should not raise any eyebrows.– MistiJun 15, 2015 at 16:03
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@MystiSinha and I don't need an article at all?– Marc AndresonJun 15, 2015 at 16:10
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1A, B, C are very unhelpful as categories here. They tell us absolutely nothing about what type of “category of items” you are talking about, which is crucial to knowing which construction to use. Will the item created be of type A/B/C? Or will the item be named A/B/C once it’s created? What are A/B/C? Please edit the question to include this very vital information. There is no possible way to answer the question otherwise.– Janus Bahs JacquetJun 17, 2015 at 12:39
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2 Answers
If you want to ask someone to create one.
Create Item A
Create Item B
Create Item C
Because 'item A' is the name of the item.
Item A is used like a proper noun, e.g. John Smith. So create Item A is the correct construction.
It's like "Draw Tom, then Harry ", not "Draw a Tom, then a Harry." Create Item A, then Item B.
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so can I use "Create an item A" ? and then I refer to it "use A", or "use item A", or with an article: "use an item A" ? Jun 17, 2015 at 13:33
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Again, my ears find "create Item A" and "use Item A" idiomatic. Choice is yours.– MistiJun 17, 2015 at 13:39
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and what if I want to add an adjective: "Create a colorful item A" or "Create colorful item A" ? Jun 19, 2015 at 10:48
Do we want to create an 'A' of item (there could be an 'A' of variable or 'A' of parameter) or an item of 'A' (there could be other items)?
Because adjectives are rarely postpositive in English--they usually come before the noun--
Create an 'A' item.
implies we want to create an item of 'A', and
Create an item 'A'.
implies we want to create an 'A' of item.
The choice is yours.
