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Dib Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Article a and the confusions

1. My book says : "The definite article is used when an object or group of objects is unique or considered to be unique for example the earth, the sea, the stars, the sky"
Than why is this sentence grammatically incorrect :" He told me that he once met an alien from THE space." Why not the space here when outer space is unique like the stars or the sea?

2. can the statement "price of gas keeps rising." be grammatically correct in some cases? or do we have to always use "the" in the beginning of the sentence that is "price of gas keeps rising"

3. Whats the difference between "Being a straight shooter that I am" and simply saying "being a straight shooter"
4 .Which is correct : The German language or "German language"
5. How can time be both count and non count noun in a somewhat exact similar case.
"I bought a new car a while ago" ----- time is count noun here
"I bought a new car some time ago" ------time is non count here
Is" I bought a new car a time ago" correct sentence?
  

Top answer

Dib Than why is this sentence grammatically incorrect :" He told me that he once met an alien from THE space. Space , in the sense of what is beyond the earth's atmosphere, happens to be a non-count noun. Dib do we have to always use "the" in the beginning of the sentence that is "price of gas keeps rising" Yes.

— Fivejedjon

  • Dib Than why is this sentence grammatically incorrect :" He told me that he once met an alien from THE space.
  • Space , in the sense of what is beyond the earth's atmosphere, happens to be a non-count noun.
  • Dib do we have to always use "the" in the beginning of the sentence that is "price of gas keeps rising" Yes.
  • Dib 3.
  • Whats the difference between "Being a straight shooter that I am" and simply saying "being a straight shooter" The first is incorrect.
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6 Answers
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DibThan why is this sentence grammatically incorrect :" He told me that he once met an alien from THE space.
Space, in the sense of what is beyond the earth's atmosphere, happens to be a non-count noun.
Dibdo we have to always use "the" in the beginning of the sentence that is "price of gas keeps rising"
Yes.
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Thanks for the reply

You have used while, not time.
yeah but while is a unit of time just like minute , hour etc, isn't it?

It needs to be 'Being the straight shooter that I am, .
Are we also supposed to say " Being a claustrophobe that I am, I fear open crowds" or " Being a claustrophe, I fear open crowds" is also
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Dibwhy is this sentence grammatically incorrect :" He told me that he once met an alien from THE space."
'Space' works like any other non-count noun.

When a non-count noun (sugar, wine, sand, milk) refers to all of that entity that exists in the entire universe, it occurs without an article. When it refers not to all of that entity in the univ
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Dibbut while is a unit of time just like minute , hour etc, isn't it?
Exactly. a while, a minute, an hour, a day, etc. These are all units of time. But time is not a unit of time!

(Actually 'a while' is not a unit of time because it's an indefinite amount of time. Nevertheless, the same grammar applies.)
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DibBeing the claustrophobe that I am, I fear open crowds ... Being a claustrophobe, I fear open crowds ...
Both are correct as shown.

CJ
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DibIf oil supplies run out, man may have to fall back on the horse."
Why not "If THE oil supplies" as we are talking about particular oil supplies?
Both are correct, but "man" means all of mankind, so the statement is rather universal and general in
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