Questions tagged [articles]
Use this tag for questions about the usage of articles (e.g. a, an, and the).
1,506
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Should I add 'the' in titles?
I am recently writing a proposal titled "Evaluating and Optimizing (the) Utility of Explanations". But I am not sure if I should include 'the' before 'Utility' in the title. Actually this ...
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Why do we say "there is butter on your chin", not "there is the butter on your chin"? [closed]
Now I looked at your face & I saw some butter on your chin. I know what specific butter it is.
But why do I still say "there is butter on your chin", why not "there is the butter on ...
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Should I use 'the' before the word 'banking system'? [duplicate]
Should I use 'the' before the word 'banking system' when I refer banking system as a whole?
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Do I need any article in the following case? [duplicate]
Today we've designed Unforgettable Day campaign.
or
Today we've designed the Unforgettable Day campaign.
user397057
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Do names take an article? [closed]
Do I need to use the definite article the in this case?
Copycats are Google's enemies.
Copycats are the Google's enemies.
There is no context, just a statement (these enemies aren't identified).
user397057
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Do disjointed nouns (eg in lists) need articles? [duplicate]
The list items are really just titles. Do they need articles?
The meeting
Discussing problems
An unforgettable present
The audience
Targeting right audiences
user397057
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Why is 'the' usage is incorrect in the sentence below?
We enjoy the life on this planet because of diversity.
why article 'the' is incorrect when used with 'life' ?
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Why 'the' is incorrectly used here?
Bilingualism is an additional skill that can give an added advantage in career or
the cognitive development. Some opine that it must be developed easily in life, while others suggest to learn it once ...
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"generally good practice" - Where to place an article?
Sometimes we need to say that something is a good practice. I don't understand where to place an article. I checked multiple sources and it seems they use it differently: before "generally", ...
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A phrase highlighting the use of articles
Is there a canonical phrase or short text that illustrates all possible uses of articles ('a', 'the', no article) in English? Many thanks.
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"put an article on the word" is this sentence awkward?
I'm a Korean student and my high school test went wrong.
I wrote "Samsung is a company's name, so we don't put an article on it". the word 'article' refers to the grammar one.
I was not ...
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Repeat use of article 'the' [duplicate]
Which one is correct:
'The first two quarters of current financial year' Or
'The first two quarters of the current financial year'
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Articles with job position and names
Is it necessary to use the definite article while writing an official letter or filling out an application and addressing the Rector of a university?
e.g.
To (the) Rector of University
First Name/...
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"replaced with an empty string" vs "replaced with the empty string" - which is correct?
I would think that the latter is correct because there can be only one empty string, that is "", or equivalent ''. Yet the former reads somewhat more natural to me.
I came to think about ...
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Article with an appositive phrase
Please help me understand whether I need an article and why.
*"Companies I have worked with:
Wolfestone, translation agency (Swansea, UK)
[...]"*
Do I have to place an article before "...
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Use of the article before team sports
Team sports are considered as team building activities to keep an individual fit and healthy. While some people think that the team sports help in building a good personality and health.
Sports are ...
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Definite and indefinite articles with abstract nouns
I have some difficulties in choosing between definite and indefinite articles with abstract nouns. I do know when we use a zero article with abstracts. But when we talk e.g. not about love in general, ...
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Do we always use zero article before jobs, titles, honors?
Donald Trump, a 71 year old businessman, was chosen ____ President of the United States.
The answer is zero article, and the justification is that we should use zero article before job, title and ...
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Using indefinite ("a") instead of definite ("the") article with "key to success"
I have almost exclusively heard this phrase with a definite article, such as;
The key to success (in TARGET) is to do ACTION.
Is it valid to use it with a indefinite article, to emphasize that ...
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usage of article/singular/plural noun when listing two things
I was reading this book, and I came across the following sentences whose usage of articles and singular/plural nouns I couldn't understand.
A Days Inn in West Palm Beach had to pay $70,000 in ...
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"the timing of something" or "the timing of the something"
I have a question about these sentences:
(1) "This may impact the timing of the application submission."
(2) "This may impact timing of the application submission."
(3) "This ...
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article - absolute value
Is the article before the absolute value? I know that there is always an article in phrases like the absolute value of sth but I saw the sentence below without any article. Is it right? Thank you
A ...
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How is article the used to describe relations?
Which sentence is correct?: "I am the son of Mary" or " I am son of Mary"?
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answers
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Which is more natural "a wife" or "the wife"
It is a part of a short bio, and it goes more or less as follows:
"He lives in London with his wife, his son, and three cats"
If I wanted to use articles instead of "his", which ...
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Article usage with "European society"
I wonder if in a sentence "He feels privileged to be a part of the European society", the usage of the definite article is correct. On one hand, "society" is a mass noun, but here ...
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Which sentence is correct? The one using the, an or no article? [duplicate]
I have a problem with these sentences. which one is correct?and why?
He studied the role of an/the/ ' extended family in caring for older people.
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Absolute superlative
"2020 is said to be a darkest year"
I learned in my book that the superlative with most is sometimes used when there's no idea of comparison but to show the existence of a quality of a very ...
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Articles in "behind the language is the culture"
Definite
singular count noun: the book that we bought yesterday
plural count noun: the books that we bought yesterday
non-count noun: the oxygen that we bought yesterday
...
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Are you supposed to repeat "the" when two "the" nouns are used in conjunction?
Is "the red and blue", where each is a separate noun, grammatically correct? Or should it be "the red and the blue"?
(Note: they are separate nouns because the context makes it clear they are ...
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The comma, the full stop, but an asterisk, and an ellipsis?
For what reason Wikipedia lists comma as the comma, full stop as the full stop, ampersand as the ampersand, but asterisk as an asterisk, and ellipsis as an ellipsis?
For what reason Wikipedia use ...
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Definite Article and no Article with Animal Groups
I've encountered two sentences:
— Dogs make good family pets.
and
The main source of food for the Hippo is the short grass.
My question is:
Why do we use the plural form of 'dogs' with no ...
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How to understand which nouns are specific and which ones aren't
This is how most people would explain it:
I want to buy a new car. You want to buy some car. You don't know which one exactly, Toyota or BMW, which color, and so on.
The car parked near the baker's ...
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The use of the definite article in a definite context
We use the definite article to talk about specific objects, but does the same logic apply when we speak about a set of objects that is restricted by another definite noun phrase:
1) All (the) plates ...
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Definite/indefinite article when we talk about something that is known to some people only
We use the definite article for things that were already introduced to a reader or the ones already familiar to everyone.
A have a car. The car is red.
The Sun is yellow.
But what about things that ...
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"Each" vs "a" in a sentence
Is there any difference between "each" and "a" in the following context? It is assumed that there is a game that consists of several levels and we need to describe the objective of each level.
To ...
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Is it correct to write "the adjacent room" even if there are multiple adjacent rooms?
Recently, I posted a puzzle on Puzzling.SE.
The puzzle describes a prison containing thousands of hallways which all run next to each other, like the pipes in a pan flute. In my description of the ...
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The head office or head office?
I've got a question. Tried to google it, but nothing came up.
So, there is a sentence:
"How often do you visit head office?"
Why don't we use "the" before "head office"?...
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Help with an article "A Realist's Diary: the book about money, relationships and the meaning of life"
I've asked a different question previously and got very helpful replies for the first part of the title, i.e. "A Realist's Diary". Now I'd like to know your opinion about the second part:
A Realist's ...
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When talking about Google Stadia, is it incorrect to say "the Stadia" when referring to it?
I'm not really well versed in when to use the word "the" in front of something, so I'll just go ahead and say what and why I'm asking.
I was reading a tweet where they referred to Google Stadia (a ...
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"The" and "A" at the beginning of explanation [duplicate]
I am little bit confused about the usage of the article "The" and "A". For example, following pages start their description from "A".
Starts with "A"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laptop
A laptop ...
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definite article or no article with a proper name of a particular workplace
Should I use the definite article with a proper name of a particular workplace / institution, like in the example below, or is it correct to omit it in this case?
Workers servicing a steam engine ...
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Improper usage of Indefinite article [duplicate]
"Grammarly" tells me that sentence:
I am a bad table.
is correct, but the following sentence:
I am a bad trash.
is not correct.
Can you explain me why?
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Indefinite article: Turn traitor vs become a traitor
The man turned traitor after he was arrested.
He became a traitor.
Why is there an "a" in the second sentence but not in the first?
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Using the definite article with acronyms and initialisms with a number in front of it
I understand that using a definite article with an initialism. For example WKC for World Kendo Championship needs "the" if it pronounces "double-U kay si." I want to know if "the" is still need if it ...
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The window or a window?
The articles are confusing, look at these two sentences and tell me is there a difference in their meaning.
Assume ( a total of 5 windows in this case)
1a) My ball hit the window of our principal's ...
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Do I need to use the article "the" with the word "data" in the following sentence? [duplicate]
To discover the real statistics behind missing children, I turned to the following organizations for the data.
Or should it be as follows:
To discover the real statistics behind missing children, I ...
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"run (a) 1000$ giveaway"
Is it possible to omit the article in this phrase?
"I decided to run (a) $1000 giveaway"
Is the phrase correct by itself?
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Articles choice
Please help me choose "the" or "0" for the space
"My sister often reads _____ fashion pages in the newspapers to keep up with the latest styles"
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Using an article plus an adjective without a noun and another article plus a singular noun [duplicate]
Please consider the following, guys.
I met a good and a bad mother on the way here
What I am trying to say: There were two mothers, one bad and one good.
Is it okay to use that construction? Or need I ...
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The use of an article
Here is the sentence:
In 2002, as defense minister, he had, according to French prosecutors in an ongoing case, taken a 114-million-euro bribe to buy French submarines.
May I ask why there is no ...
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