0
Tmn111 Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
A/the articles
I've found a few phrases like this in a dictionary and a book:
1. His death marked the end of an era.
2. The circumstances of his death - which was to usher in an era of renewed upheaval across the Empire - were less than dignified.
Why is there "an", not "the" in the sentences above?
I consider "era" as a specific period of time.
Thanks for any replies.
And one more sentence:
He was stabbed by one of his own guards while urinating at a roadside, pheraps a fitting end for a man who brought such humiliation upon his office.
Why is there "a man" intead of "the man"?
This is a story about the specific man about which we know from the beginning of the chapter.
1. His death marked the end of an era.
2. The circumstances of his death - which was to usher in an era of renewed upheaval across the Empire - were less than dignified.
Why is there "an", not "the" in the sentences above?
I consider "era" as a specific period of time.
Thanks for any replies.
And one more sentence:
He was stabbed by one of his own guards while urinating at a roadside, pheraps a fitting end for a man who brought such humiliation upon his office.
Why is there "a man" intead of "the man"?
This is a story about the specific man about which we know from the beginning of the chapter.
Top answer
tmn111 1. His death marked the end of an era. There have been many eras.
- tmn111 1.
- His death marked the end of an era.
- There have been many eras.
- His death ended just one of them.
- tmn111 2.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
4 Answers
0
tmn1111. His death marked the end of an era.There have been many eras. His death ended just one of them.
tmn111What follows of
2. The circumstances of his death - which was to usher in an era of renewed upheaval across the Empire - were less than dignified.
00
Cool BreezeA relative clause can bring on the defintite or indefinite article. In this case the relative clause describes the man and therefore a is used.So does it mean that it's possible to use both the and a/an before a relative clause?
If I said: "...the man who brought such humiliation upon his office" instead of "...a man who brou
00
tmn111No no! The indefinite article is needed for your sentence. Here's ann example of a definite article broug
So does it mean that it's possible to use both the and a/an before a relative clause?
If I said: "...the man who brought such humiliation upon his office" instead of "...a man who brought...", would the meaning remain the same?
00
Thanks for your reply, but anyway the last sentence I wrote is incomprehensible to me.
0
Related Questions