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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
French writer - article check
Hello,
Either is acceptable (in terms of articles), right? I mentioning him for the first time in these examples.
1) One such stylist was Marcel Proust, a French writer who gave the world In Search of Lost Time.
(Here I am introducing him: he is a French writer who [additionally] gave the world In Search of Lost Time; it's like two sentences in one.)
2) One such stylist was Marcel Proust, the French writer who gave the world In Search of Lost Time.
(Here this is one sentence: the implication is that he is that French writer who gave the world that book).
Is this reasonable?
Either is acceptable (in terms of articles), right? I mentioning him for the first time in these examples.
1) One such stylist was Marcel Proust, a French writer who gave the world In Search of Lost Time.
(Here I am introducing him: he is a French writer who [additionally] gave the world In Search of Lost Time; it's like two sentences in one.)
2) One such stylist was Marcel Proust, the French writer who gave the world In Search of Lost Time.
(Here this is one sentence: the implication is that he is that French writer who gave the world that book).
Is this reasonable?
Top answer
Anonymous Here I am introducing him Not really; most readers have heard of him. Anonymous Either is acceptable (in terms of articles), right? Yes, but the only reasonable choice is 'the'.
- Anonymous Here I am introducing him Not really; most readers have heard of him.
- Anonymous Either is acceptable (in terms of articles), right?
- Yes, but the only reasonable choice is 'the'.
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8 Answers
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AnonymousHere I am introducing himNot really; most readers have heard of him.
AnonymousEither is acceptable (in terms of articles), right?Yes, but the only reasonable choice is 'the'.
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Thank you.
Mister MicawberYes, but the only reasonable choice is 'the'.Because most readers have heard of him or because he was the only one who wrote the book?
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Just to expand a bit . . .
John Smith was a billionaire tycoon who was convicted of murder in 1950.
Here "a" is more reasonable than "the", wouldn't you say? Even though there was probably only one billionaire tycoon convicted of murder in 1950 Maybe because I write "he was a . . ." "who . . ."
John Smith was a billionaire tycoon who was convicted of murder in 1950.
Here "a" is more reasonable than "the", wouldn't you say? Even though there was probably only one billionaire tycoon convicted of murder in 1950 Maybe because I write "he was a . . ." "who . . ."
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AnonymousBecause most readers have heard of himHe is a quite famous writer.
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AnonymousJohn Smith was a billionaire tycoon who was convicted of murder in 1950. Here "a" is more reasonable than "the", wouldn't you say?Yes, right. That's the idea.
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AnonymousJohn SmithNobody will have heard of John Smith.
John Smith was a billionaire tycoon who was convicted of murder in 1950.
But if they don't know O. J. Simpson, they have been living the life of a cave hermit.
O.J. Simpson, the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback who was acquitted of murder in 1994 ....
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Thanks, MM and AlpheccaStars.
This just shows how context-sensitive this is. Yes, Proust is very well known. So is OJ Simpson. But I was reading a textbook the other day and there was a sentence:
This was also mentioned by Rita Hausbaum, the militant communist despised by Trotsky.
To be honest, I've never heard of this Rita Hausbaum (I can't
This just shows how context-sensitive this is. Yes, Proust is very well known. So is OJ Simpson. But I was reading a textbook the other day and there was a sentence:
This was also mentioned by Rita Hausbaum, the militant communist despised by Trotsky.
To be honest, I've never heard of this Rita Hausbaum (I can't
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Anonymous the choice of articles here is not really a mistake, more of an assumption.Yes, and in the cases above, the other article is not wrong, it is just the poorer choice.
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