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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

about "the"

This line is from a movie and I want to know why there is no "the" before "tea bags"

Mary's father worked in a factory, attaching the strings to tea bags.
  

Top answer

Farassoo This line is from a movie and I want to know why there is no "the" before "tea bags" Plural nouns frequently omit the article when their specificity is evident from the context.

  • Farassoo This line is from a movie and I want to know why there is no "the" before "tea bags" Plural nouns frequently omit the article when their specificity is evident from the context.
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7 Answers
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FarassooThis line is from a movie and I want to know why there is no "the" before "tea bags"
Plural nouns frequently omit the article when their specificity is evident from the context.
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Thank you Mister Micawber
I'm confused so can I ask another question?
Is this correct too?
attaching strings to tea bags?
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FarassooIs this correct too?attaching strings to tea bags?
Yes, that would be fine—better, actually, since your sentence does not reveal what kind of factory it is until 'tea bags' are mentioned. In fact, because of that and with no further context, 'the' would certainly be wrong for 'teabags'! I missed that fact in my earlier remark.
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(By the way, I'm interested in your avatar—two crows on a wire. What significance does that have for you?)
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My English is not that good to answer your question. So I'm sorry if my sentences are not correct
In fact I didn't notice what kind of birds they were. I just felt alone when I saw that picture and then I saved it on my pc.
Thank you again for answering my questions.
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The narrator(in the movie) said that sentence while Mary's father was attaching the strings to tea bags. So if I want to describe a person's job I can say : "Mary's father attaches strings to tea bags in a factory" ? I mean without "the"?
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FarassooSo if I want to describe a person's job I can say : "Mary's father attaches strings to tea bags in a factory" ? I mean without "the"?
Yes, that would be very natural.

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