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Somnians Posted 5 years ago
Grammar

Articles with numerals

She is quite aged for _____ eighty, isn't she? What I would call _____ old eighty.

I would use zero article in the first gap. However, what should be used in the second case and why?

  

Top answer

"Aged" (pronounced with two syllables in this use) simply means advanced in years. You can't be aged for eighty. Oddly enough, what you are trying to say is that she is quite old for eighty, because "old" carries connotations of decrepitude that "aged" does not, and that is just the way we say it.

— Anonymous

  • "Aged" (pronounced with two syllables in this use) simply means advanced in years.
  • You can't be aged for eighty.
  • Oddly enough, what you are trying to say is that she is quite old for eighty, because "old" carries connotations of decrepitude that "aged" does not, and that is just the way we say it.
  • If we make "aged" "old", the first sentence gets no article, as you say.
  • The second gets "an" because it is her eighty among all the other eighties.
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2 Answers
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"Aged" (pronounced with two syllables in this use) simply means advanced in years. You can't be aged for eighty. Oddly enough, what you are trying to say is that she is quite old for eighty, because "old" carries connotations of decrepitude that "aged" does not, and that is just the way we say it.

If we make "aged" "old", the first sentence gets no article, as you say. The second gets "a

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Your examples aren't very natural. Here are some examples with numerals.

She looks quite young for 80, doesn't she?
I wouldn't call 50 old.

CJ

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