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Stenka25 Posted 9 years ago
Grammar
An indefinite article problem
An indefinite article problem
The sentence below comes from Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson.
Sometimes a happy delusion is better than grim reality.
I'd like to ask about the usage of the underlined indefinite article 'a'.
I know there can't be any one and absolute rule in the use of an indefinite article and there should be a whole lot of variations based on contexts and the sentence above is all right in the usage.
But I can't understand why there isn't 'a' before 'grim reality'.
With my sense of English grammar since there is 'a' before 'happy delusion' I would also put 'a' in front of 'grim reality' if I were the author.
Am I right, and is there just no problem with or without 'a' in this context, and this is just another case that we cannot define what it is in a grammar?
Or Am I wrong and is there any logic or rule on this that I should know about?
Regards.
The sentence below comes from Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson.
Sometimes a happy delusion is better than grim reality.
I'd like to ask about the usage of the underlined indefinite article 'a'.
I know there can't be any one and absolute rule in the use of an indefinite article and there should be a whole lot of variations based on contexts and the sentence above is all right in the usage.
But I can't understand why there isn't 'a' before 'grim reality'.
With my sense of English grammar since there is 'a' before 'happy delusion' I would also put 'a' in front of 'grim reality' if I were the author.
Am I right, and is there just no problem with or without 'a' in this context, and this is just another case that we cannot define what it is in a grammar?
Or Am I wrong and is there any logic or rule on this that I should know about?
Regards.
Top answer
There is no problem with the original sentence. "delusion" and "reality" can both be countable or uncountable, so other article combinations are also possible, but the author has chosen a sensible one.
- There is no problem with the original sentence.
- "delusion" and "reality" can both be countable or uncountable, so other article combinations are also possible, but the author has chosen a sensible one.
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5 Answers
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There is no problem with the original sentence. "delusion" and "reality" can both be countable or uncountable, so other article combinations are also possible, but the author has chosen a sensible one.
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Thanks for your reply, GPY.
I think there's many things in English that natives are familiar with through their everyday usage but are hard to explain to non-natives how they work in a logical way.
But in your reply that word 'sensible' made me think that, though you said both are OK, you believe without 'a' before 'grim reality' is more sensible than with 'a' in this context.
If my th
I think there's many things in English that natives are familiar with through their everyday usage but are hard to explain to non-natives how they work in a logical way.
But in your reply that word 'sensible' made me think that, though you said both are OK, you believe without 'a' before 'grim reality' is more sensible than with 'a' in this context.
If my th
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"Sometimes a happy delusion is better than a grim reality" is also correct English. On balance, though, "reality" is most often uncountable.
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Stenka25is there any logic or rule on this that I should know about?Not in the world of grammar. No. Maybe my take on it is somewhat fanciful, and maybe it attempts to psychoanalyze the human unconscious too much, but here's what I think because this is how it strikes me:
The grim-reality-substance (uncountable)
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