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Kadioguy Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

In manual/automatic/ mode

In Macmillan English Dictionary, it says:

mode n.

[countable] one of a series of ways that a machine can be made to work:
in manual/automatic mode
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If the word 'mode' is countable, why don't it place any determiner or article? for example: in a manual/automatic mode.
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Also in LDOCE6, it says:

mode noun [countable]

technical a particular way in which a machine or piece of equipment can operate:
Set the monitor to 256 colour mode.
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If the word 'mode' is countable, why don't it say 'Set the monitor to a 256 colour mode'?

Thanks!

PS I also posted the same question in https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/251261-in-manual-automatic-mode?p=1328593#post1328593, but all of your answers are unique to me. Thank you.

  

Top answer

Let's consider a machine can be made to work in manual/automatic mode. Here are my thoughts on some possible reasons that we commonly omit the article. 1) It is just idiomatic, ie we all say it that way because we all say it that way.

— Clive

  • Let's consider a machine can be made to work in manual/automatic mode.
  • Here are my thoughts on some possible reasons that we commonly omit the article.
  • 1) It is just idiomatic, ie we all say it that way because we all say it that way.
  • 2) There is a switch or control of some kind that has two settings, marked 'manual' and 'automatic', so we think of 'manual mode' and 'automatic mode' as names.
  • We do, in fact, sometimes say eg Set the switch to Automatic Mode, eg Set the switch to Automatic, I tend to favour #2 above.
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1 Answers
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Let's consider a machine can be made to work in manual/automatic mode.

Here are my thoughts on some possible reasons that we commonly omit the article.

1) It is just idiomatic, ie we all say it that way because we all say it that way.

2) There is a switch or control of some kind that has two settings, marked 'manual' and 'automatic', so we think of 'manual mode' and 'a

0

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