Articles or not?

Question

Do these need an article (e.g. the King of England, the father of..., the chairman of...")?

I am King of England.
I am Captain of Owsla.
I am Treasurer of the Scottish Cycling Council.
But I am victim of my own background.
"I am mother of the heir …"
I am father of four children.
I am chairman of the Africa committee of the British Refugee Council.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

.
What do you think first, Molly? We always like our anonymous students to make a first effort.
.

Anonymous · Answer

They feel right to me without articles, but I can't say why.Ccan you tell me whether they are OK without articles, Mr M?

<We always like our anonymous students to make a first effort.>

Interesting that you assume the anonymous student will not have made the first effort before he/she came here for help.

Philip · Answer

Anonymous<We always like our anonymous students to make a first effort.>

Interesting that you assume the anonymous student will not have made the first effort before he/she came here for help.

It is usually easier to explain what is correct or incorrect if we know what the student, anonymous or not, thinks. That way, we have a basis for explanation.

Additionally, if the student has registered and has a screen name, we can get to know that student and the range of problems he or she faces in learning a new language. In fact, we have people here who are even better at addressing a problem if they know the native language of the person posting the question, because of their familiarity with that language.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousDo these need an article

If you're thinking of these as titles or roles, you don't need the article.
I have trouble thinking of "victim of my own background", "mother", and "father" as titles or roles, so I would use the article in those cases. In the others you cite, I would say that the article is optional.
CJ

Kooyeen · Answer

They sound like a translation from Italian, LOL. We would say "He was father of two children". But in English I would use the article. My dictionary seems to like the article too, except in "to fall victim to", so I will stick with the article and stay out of trouble. <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/5.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/5.gif' alt='Emotion: wink'/>

Cool Breeze · Answer

CalifJimIn the others you cite, I would say that the article is optional.

Helsinki English shares your opinion, Jim!
CB

Yankee · Answer

Cool BreezeHelsinki English shares your opinion, Jim!

And Connecticut English would like to join in the chorus. [Y]

Anonymous · Answer

OK, thanks all. How do the above differ from:

I am father to two children
I am victim to his needs.

Cool Breeze · Answer

AnonymousOK, thanks all. How do the above differ from:

I am father to two children
I am victim to his needs.

Can't you see it yourself? To is used in the above examples instead of of. Why people don't use an article in these cases is something there probably is no explanation for. Usage gets fixed over a very long period of time and when people speak or write, they don't necessarily think of a reason for what they say. They just say what they say and when enough people say something for a long enough time, what they say becomes accepted idiomatic usage.
All Modern English is a good example of that. If you try to read an English text from the 8th century, you won't understand a single sentence. There has been a continuous change in the language for as long as it has existed but the change has been so slow that people living at the same time have usually understood one another.
CB

Anonymous · Answer

Would you say that this mini-dialogue is non-idiomatic?

Jeff: Hi, I'm Jeff. I've got two kids.

Martin: Hi, Jeff. I'm Martin, group-leader, and this is, Alan, father of four children.

Articles or not?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions