Articles a, an, & the

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A.  I handled two functions simultaneously as senior auditor and acting supervisor.B.  I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and acting supervisor.C.  I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and an acting supervisor.D.  I handled two functions simultaneously as the senior auditor and acting supervisor.1.  Which of the above statements are correct?2.  If two or more are possible, how are they different from one another?

Dave Phillips · Accepted Answer

C & D are correct.  How many Senior auditors were there?  If you were the only one use D (the), if more than one use C.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you for your helpful response.

There was only one Senior auditor. Is this following also correct?

I handled two functions simultaneously as a Senior auditor and the acting supervisor of our team.

By the way, I noticed you capitalise 'Senior'. I was wondering if the word 'auditor', 'acting' and 'supervisor' should be capitalised as well for titles. Please advise. Thanks.

Anonymous · Answer

Sorry, I meant there were two Senior auditors.

Avangi · Answer

A. I handled two functions simultaneously as senior auditor and acting supervisor.
B. I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and acting supervisor.
C. I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and an acting supervisor.
D. I handled two functions simultaneously as the senior auditor and acting supervisor.

Hi,

I accept only A and D.

The portions after "simultaneously" give your "job description." The prior portion is additional information.

It's not the other way around. (Note that the "as" is never repeated.)

If you reverse the order, the choices become clear:

As senior auditor and acting supervisor (what I was) (,) I handled two functions simultaneously (what I did).

If you had two titles, it would be natural to repeat the "as."

- A.

Anonymous · Answer

AvangiA. I handled two functions simultaneously as senior auditor and acting supervisor.
B. I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and acting supervisor.
C. I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and an acting supervisor.
D. I handled two functions simultaneously as the senior auditor and acting supervisor.

Thanks Avangi.

I'm sorry, but I'm a bit confused here since one says it should be C and D, while another says it should be A and D. Could you please explain why one wouldn't accept the other?

Can I also say 'I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and the acting supervisor of the team"? (Note: There were two senior auditors and one supervisor in the team.)

I would also appreciate another opinion from someone else either to support or dispute the answers already given.

Avangi · Answer

There are certainly different ways to look at it.
Sometimes I can see a structure better if I simplify it:

I handled two functions simultaneously as chief cook and bottle washer.
(That was my job title, but I performed two separate functions.)

This is a humorous job title which is older than I am. It has two million Google hits.
It has the form of your example (A), which to my ear is the natural choice.

In my opinion, the question centers around who decides what your title is.
I believe that privilige should fall to someone of a higher rank than you.

If in your company these have traditionally been two separate jobs with two separate titles, then you and/or your boss have various options. (By the way, I think you should receive full compensation for both jobs!)
You can retain both job titles, or you can create a new one.
You also have the option of being referred to by the generic job types.

I worked as a senior auditor and as an acting supervisor simultaneously.

My job title was, "senior auditor and acting supervisor."

I was the senior auditor. I was also the acting supervisor.

I was the/a senior auditor and the/an acting supervisor. (one, or more than one of each)

My reason for rejecting (B) is that it implies that there are multiple individuals acting in both capacities. You are only one of them. (Of course this may be the case!)

I reject (C) because I feel the "as" should be repeated: "as X and as Y"

Dave Phillips · Answer

I included C as to me it stresses the fact you were doing two people's jobs.  I fully understand Avangi's point of view, and don't disagree with his logic.  - It sounds like something you are putting in a cover letter or CV.  That was the rational behind my choice.  I think we both agreed with D.

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks so much Avangi for your detailed explanation. Just for clarification, could you please confirm if my understanding of what you've explained is correct for each highlighted sentence below? Thanks.

A. I handled two functions simultaneously as senior auditor and acting supervisor.
This would be appropriate if I chose to use one title "senior auditor and acting supervisor".

B. I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and acting supervisor.
This is one job title, but this is incorrect because it is not likely that there are two or more acting supervisors in a team.

C. I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and an acting supervisor.
This seems there are two job titles, therefore "as" should be repeated as in sentence G. However, if I was writing for a cover letter or CV, as Dave Phillips mentioned, this would be correct because this implies I was doing two people's jobs, which is actually my case.

"A senior auditor" suggests there are more than one acting in this capacity in the team and "an acting supervisor" suggests the same as well. Would this mean I am not the only acting supervisor in the team? Or this simply means I am one of the acting supervisors in the department, and not necessarily in the team? Being an acting supervisor of the team is another role in addition to my job as senior auditor.

D. I handled two functions simultaneously as the senior auditor and acting supervisor.
This is one job title and indicates there is only one senior auditor and acting supervisor. Can this also suggest two job titles with 'the' implied before 'acting supervisor'? Because I've read from another post that 'the' is sometimes implied like in the following example sentences. Both have the same meaning. See

The team members could directly communicate with the managers and (the) partners.
The team members could directly communicate with the managers and the partners.

E. I handled two functions simultaneously as the senior auditor and the acting supervisor.
There are two job titles and there is one senior auditor and one acting supervisor in the same team.

F. I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and the acting supervisor.
There are two job titles and there are more than one senior auditor, but only one acting supervisor in the team.

G. I handled two functions simultaneously as senior auditor and as acting supervisor.
There are two job titles, but it doesn't tell how many are acting in these capacities.

H. I handled two functions simultaneously as a senior auditor and as an acting supervisor.
There are two job titles, and it tells there are more than one acting in these capacities.

As regards G and H, I'm really not sure if my interpretations are correct. Could you please explain the difference, if any?

In my case, my job title was officially 'senior auditor' and we were two senior auditors in the team. 'Acting supervisor' was just an additional role ever since my supervisor left. Since I was doing two people's jobs and am writing for a cover letter, would you prefer C or H or another choice?

Thank you so much in advance for your assistance. I would really appreciate it.

Avangi · Answer

Taking into account that there were two senior accountants, and that there were probably numerous supervisors; and considering the purpose of your statement, I'd go with H.

Re G. vs. H., when you add the articles, the expressions sound less like "job titles" and more like generic job descriptions.
Also, the articles can be taken as suggesting that you were only one among several.

I wouldn't call either of these restrictions 100%.

I remind you that to my ear the sentence reads better with the order reversed, but for your purposes, it's probably better to begin with "I handled."

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Just a little warning.

The employer who reads your letter is unlikely to spend a lot of time analysing your meaning. He may not even be good with grammar himself.

It is always a good idea to state your meaning as simply, clearly and unambiguously as you can.

Clive

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