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Joe2012 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

A or the: preposition confusion

Sentence: "Health reform bill is the/a last nail in the coffin of democracy"

My question/doubt: I'm not sure what preposition (the or a) I should use in this sentence: "....the/a last nail" ?

Thanks
  

Top answer

Hi Razer, A and the are articles, not prepositions. " Are you familiar with the metaphor being used here? " If people are putting nails in the coffin, then the chance of success is getting very, very small.

— BarbaraPA

  • Hi Razer, A and the are articles, not prepositions.
  • " Are you familiar with the metaphor being used here?
  • " If people are putting nails in the coffin, then the chance of success is getting very, very small.
  • When the last nail goes in, it's dead.
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3 Answers
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Hi Razer,
A and the are articles, not prepositions.

Only one thing can be the last, so it's "the last nail."

You can have "another nail" but only "the last nail."

Are you familiar with the metaphor being used here? Something that no longer has any chance of success is "dead." If people are putting nails in the coffin, then the chance of success is getting very, very
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Oh sorry!Emotion: embarrassed I know they are articles, don't how I called them preposition it was an honest mistake! Thanks for your reply/hel
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It's okay. Sometimes I call my daughters by the wrong names too. They don't seem to mind unless I call them by the cat's name.
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