0
Red cat 879 Posted 8 years ago
Grammar
How should use articles, hyphenate words, etc., in British-English?
I am a British-English learner and there a few things about British-English grammar rules that I would really like to know -- if you could answer all of the following questions in detail, and perhaps with a few examples or something, then it truly would be appreciated as I am very stuck on these kinds of things -- I'd also like to apologize in advance for any grammar or punctual error:
- When should one use articles? For example when would it be proper according to British-English grammar rule for one to say, "The love between parent and child should be unbreakable", as opposed to "The love between a parent and a child should be unbreakable". I have noticed that the former is used sometimes and I am just wondering why and when it is grammatically correct for one use that function.
- Why is it when one sometimes speaks of a collective body of persons or things that one uses a singular noun as opposed to a plural or collective noun? For example if one were to say: "Equality between human and animal must exist", why not say "Equality between humans and animals must exist"? Why is this utilised? What is it called when one uses a singular noun to refer to a group of things or persons?
There are some questions about hyphens that I have:
1. When should one hyphenate to join words that are not usually together together -- e.g. why say "human-made" instead of "human made"?
2. Is it ok for one to create words with hyphens that are nonstandard, even unheard of, out of nowhere for particular purposes as long as it can be understood about what one is speaking -- e.g. the conjunction of the words 'omni', meaning 'all', and 'good' to create the word 'omni-good', which is, of course, an adjective? Can one also do the same or a similar thing with nouns -- i.e. create hyphenated neo-nouns for specific purposes?
- When can I capitalize the beginning of a word(s) that is not standardly capitalised -- for example if I wished to do this to denote something specific, to indicate specialness, etc -- one can see this when the word 'Man' is used to speak of the human race. The word 'Man' is sometimes capitalised to let the non-writer know that the persons about whom are being spoken are not only males, but humankind as a whole?
- When should one use articles? For example when would it be proper according to British-English grammar rule for one to say, "The love between parent and child should be unbreakable", as opposed to "The love between a parent and a child should be unbreakable". I have noticed that the former is used sometimes and I am just wondering why and when it is grammatically correct for one use that function.
- Why is it when one sometimes speaks of a collective body of persons or things that one uses a singular noun as opposed to a plural or collective noun? For example if one were to say: "Equality between human and animal must exist", why not say "Equality between humans and animals must exist"? Why is this utilised? What is it called when one uses a singular noun to refer to a group of things or persons?
There are some questions about hyphens that I have:
1. When should one hyphenate to join words that are not usually together together -- e.g. why say "human-made" instead of "human made"?
2. Is it ok for one to create words with hyphens that are nonstandard, even unheard of, out of nowhere for particular purposes as long as it can be understood about what one is speaking -- e.g. the conjunction of the words 'omni', meaning 'all', and 'good' to create the word 'omni-good', which is, of course, an adjective? Can one also do the same or a similar thing with nouns -- i.e. create hyphenated neo-nouns for specific purposes?
- When can I capitalize the beginning of a word(s) that is not standardly capitalised -- for example if I wished to do this to denote something specific, to indicate specialness, etc -- one can see this when the word 'Man' is used to speak of the human race. The word 'Man' is sometimes capitalised to let the non-writer know that the persons about whom are being spoken are not only males, but humankind as a whole?
Top answer
Each one of your questions could be a chapter in a grammar book. Article usage is very complex and has lots of nuances and exceptions. We can best deal with specific instances, not very general questions.
- Each one of your questions could be a chapter in a grammar book.
- Article usage is very complex and has lots of nuances and exceptions.
- We can best deal with specific instances, not very general questions.
- red cat 879 "The love between parent and child should be unbreakable", This is a generalization.
- It is not referring to a specific parent and a specific child, but the parent-child relationship.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
Each one of your questions could be a chapter in a grammar book.
Article usage is very complex and has lots of nuances and exceptions.
We can best deal with specific instances, not very general questions.
red cat 879"The love between parent and child should be unbreakable",
This is a generalization. It is not referring to a specific parent a
0
Related Questions