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Gkanka1 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
A question about the conjunction and
Hi,
One grammar guide teaches that if two modifiers of similar kind refers to the same noun (thing or person) only the first is preceded by an article, while the noun is in the singular (The black and white dress she had on was very becoming); but if they refer to different things the noun is in the plural, with an article preceding each modifier (The black and the white dresses were very becoming). This, as I have understood it, means that, for example, the phrase a/the political, economic, and social sphere implies that the sphere is at once economic, political, and social. But how should I understand (if the above rule really governs the structure) an example where the noun is in the plural but only the first modifier is preceded by an article as it is in a sentence you can read in the CollinsCobuild dictionary--We are doing this work in the context of reforms in the economic, social and cultural spheres. The use of the plural noun means that the three spheres are considered different things by the writer, and thus, the the would have to stand before each adjective like here-- the economic, the social, and the cultural spheres. Via the Internet, you can find a lot of examples being much like the former but almost nothing resembling the latter. Does this mean that the grammar guide lies and the rule is wrong or incomplete, or I have misunderstood something?
One grammar guide teaches that if two modifiers of similar kind refers to the same noun (thing or person) only the first is preceded by an article, while the noun is in the singular (The black and white dress she had on was very becoming); but if they refer to different things the noun is in the plural, with an article preceding each modifier (The black and the white dresses were very becoming). This, as I have understood it, means that, for example, the phrase a/the political, economic, and social sphere implies that the sphere is at once economic, political, and social. But how should I understand (if the above rule really governs the structure) an example where the noun is in the plural but only the first modifier is preceded by an article as it is in a sentence you can read in the CollinsCobuild dictionary--We are doing this work in the context of reforms in the economic, social and cultural spheres. The use of the plural noun means that the three spheres are considered different things by the writer, and thus, the the would have to stand before each adjective like here-- the economic, the social, and the cultural spheres. Via the Internet, you can find a lot of examples being much like the former but almost nothing resembling the latter. Does this mean that the grammar guide lies and the rule is wrong or incomplete, or I have misunderstood something?
Top answer
Maybe the key word is "guide". The book is designed to guide you (help you), probably not to specify with any precision how English grammar works in each and every detail. In this case they seem to be interpreting "two modifiers of a similar kind" as two modifiers which are very, very similar indeed.
- Maybe the key word is "guide".
- The book is designed to guide you (help you), probably not to specify with any precision how English grammar works in each and every detail.
- In this case they seem to be interpreting "two modifiers of a similar kind" as two modifiers which are very, very similar indeed.
- Their example is of two colors, black and white.
- Technically, you have three, not two, modifiers in your other example, and you can argue that the writer did not consider them as similar as two colors might be.
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1 Answers
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Maybe the key word is "guide". The book is designed to guide you (help you), probably not to specify with any precision how English grammar works in each and every detail.
In this case they seem to be interpreting "two modifiers of a similar kind" as two modifiers which are very, very similar indeed. Their example is of two colors, black and white. Technically, you have three, not two,
In this case they seem to be interpreting "two modifiers of a similar kind" as two modifiers which are very, very similar indeed. Their example is of two colors, black and white. Technically, you have three, not two,
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