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Anonymous Posted 4 years ago
Grammar

Calling it ‘ridiculous theater’

I am just wondering whether an article is needed before "ridiculous theater" or not. I, a Persian native speaker, consider the last part of the following sentence ungrammatical as there is no article before "ridiculous theater".


The original version:

During a speech at the University of South Florida Governor Ron DeSantis turned to students who were stood directly behind him and asked them to take off their face masks, calling it ‘ridiculous theater’.

My version:

During a speech at the University of South Florida Governor Ron DeSantis turned to students who were stood directly behind him and asked them to take off their face masks, calling it[a/the]‘ridiculous theater’.

  

Top answer

anonymous I am just wondering whether an article is needed before "ridiculous theater" or not. I, a Persian native speaker, consider the last part of the following sentence ungrammatical as there is no article before "ridiculous theater". It is correct with no article, and it would be wrong with one.

— Anonymous

  • anonymous I am just wondering whether an article is needed before "ridiculous theater" or not.
  • I, a Persian native speaker, consider the last part of the following sentence ungrammatical as there is no article before "ridiculous theater".
  • It is correct with no article, and it would be wrong with one.
  • "Theater" is uncountable in this context, as if it were "pretense".
  • The ungrammatical part is "who were stood directly behind".
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2 Answers
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anonymousI am just wondering whether an article is needed before "ridiculous theater" or not. I, a Persian native speaker, consider the last part of the following sentence ungrammatical as there is no article before "ridiculous theater".

It is correct with no article, and it would be wrong with one. "Theater" is uncountable in this context, as if it were "p

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anonymouswho were stood

who stood or who were standing

(... in spite of the fact that some of the British say things like "We were stood standing there for hours".)

CJ

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