0
Danyoo Posted 20 years ago
Vocabulary

Doubt vs. Question

0 01table01tr01td01td02tr02table
05000 02td02br
02br
02td
02br
02br
00I posted this a while ago, appended to someone else's post, but never got a reply. So I will try again.02br
02br
00Can anyone comment about the article usage in two cases below:02br
02br
001. Without a doubt, Michael Jordan is the best basketball player ever to have played in the NBA.02br
02br
002. Without question, Michael Jordan is the best basketball player ever to have played in the NBA.02br
02br
00Why would you says "without a doubt" vs "without question?"02br
02br
00-----------030src/Themes/default/images/spacer.gif
  

Top answer

0Hi,02br 02br 01font 001. 02font 02br 02br 01font 002. 02br 02br 00In #1, the 'a' is not needed but is occasionally used.

— Clive

  • 0Hi,02br 02br 01font 001.
  • 02font 02br 02br 01font 002.
  • 02br 02br 00In #1, the 'a' is not needed but is occasionally used.
  • In #2, the 'a' is not commonly used, but I wouldn't say it's wrong if you did include it.
  • More common, in both cases, would be to use 'any' rather than 'a'.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

8 Answers
0
0Hi,02br
02br
01font001. Without a doubt, Michael Jordan is the best basketball player ever to have played in the NBA.02font02br
02br
01font002. Without question, Michael Jordan is the best basketball player ever to have played in the NBA.02font02br
02br
00In thes
0
0
0Thanks Clive.02br
02br
00But I am still wondering if there is any grammatical rule or logic which might dictate why you may or may not include "a" in the above sentences. 02br
02br
00To me, the phrase "without a doubt...." and "without question" are extremely common in the U.S. I am a little surprised it is not so in Canada.0-
0
0
0Hi,02br
02br
00I googled and got these results.02br
02br
01font00without doubt02font00 8.58 million02br
02br
01font00without a doubt02font00 16.1 million02br
02br
01font00without any doubt02font00
0
0
0Well that's just my point. How can 'doubt' be a countable noun. You can't say one doubt, two doubts, etc.02br
02br
00Could it be that you really mean "without a trace of doubt?"0-
0
0
0 I think that doubt can be a countable noun. You can say "I have my doubts about X" or "X has doubts" if he is struggling with his beliefs. 0-
0
0
0Hi,02br
02br
01font00You can't say one doubt, two doubts, etc.02font00 These sound fine to me!02br
02br
00For the phrase 'two doubts', Google gives 43,900,000 hits.02br
02br
00Best wishes, Clive 0-
0
0
0Can I throw in my two cents?02br
02br
00I think if I write "without a doubt," I'm saying there's no doubt in my mind. If I write "without question," I'm saying there should be no question in YOUR mind. "Without question" is a little more forceful (in my opinion) because it carries an implication that you will absolutely agree with me.02br
02br
00Of cou
0
0
0This seems similar to the difference between uncountable "enquiry" (the process of enquiring) and countable "enquiry" (a specific act of enquiry).02br
02br
001. Without a doubt, Michael Jordan is the best basketball player ever to have played in the NBA.02br
02br
00— here, "a doubt" is a specific act of doubting.02br
02br
001a. Without
0

Related Questions