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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
indefinite article before proper name
Is there any rule for using the indefinite article before a proper name as in these examples?
I gave the present to an unsuspecting Helen.
or
Alfie then shut the gate and ambled off to the house, shaking his head in perplexity, to complain to a sympathetic Dora in the kitchen.
I gave the present to an unsuspecting Helen.
or
Alfie then shut the gate and ambled off to the house, shaking his head in perplexity, to complain to a sympathetic Dora in the kitchen.
Top answer
Anonymous Is there any rule for using the indefinite article before a proper name as in these examples? I gave the present to an unsuspecting Helen. or Alfie then shut the gate and ambled off to the house, shaking his head in perplexity, to complain to a sympathetic Dora in the kitchen.
- Anonymous Is there any rule for using the indefinite article before a proper name as in these examples?
- I gave the present to an unsuspecting Helen.
- or Alfie then shut the gate and ambled off to the house, shaking his head in perplexity, to complain to a sympathetic Dora in the kitchen.
- It's what we do.
- If there is a rule, it is something to the effect of 'use the indefinite article before a proper name that has an intervening adjective'.
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6 Answers
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AnonymousIs there any rule for using the indefinite article before a proper name as in these examples?
I gave the present to an unsuspecting Helen.
or
Alfie then shut the gate and ambled off to the house, shaking his head in perplexity, to complain to a sympathetic Dora in the kitchen.
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Hi Philip! Hi everyone!
I have got a couple of examples that cannot be explained by the mentioned above:
He is a Mr. Godfrey Norton, of the Inner Temple. (Sir A. Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia)
This is a Charlie... (telephone message, Kinky Boots movie)
How would you clarify these?
Thanks in advance!
I have got a couple of examples that cannot be explained by the mentioned above:
He is a Mr. Godfrey Norton, of the Inner Temple. (Sir A. Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia)
This is a Charlie... (telephone message, Kinky Boots movie)
How would you clarify these?
Thanks in advance!
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mikadoHe is a Mr. Godfrey Norton, of the Inner Temple. (Sir A. Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia)In older literature, the pronoun "one" or the indefinite article was used before a person's name when the character was first introduced to the reader. The setting usually was a conversation between two people talking about the third c
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Hi,
This is a Charlie... (telephone message, Kinky Boots movie)
Consider this.
Secretary to boss: Hi, a Charlie Smith called for you while you were out.
She uses the indefinite article to tell her boss that neither she nor he knows who this Charlie Smith is. You could look on it as a recognition of the fact that there are lots of people called Ch
This is a Charlie... (telephone message, Kinky Boots movie)
Consider this.
Secretary to boss: Hi, a Charlie Smith called for you while you were out.
She uses the indefinite article to tell her boss that neither she nor he knows who this Charlie Smith is. You could look on it as a recognition of the fact that there are lots of people called Ch
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Thank you, AlpheccaStars! Thank you Clive!
as for the first one, now it is clear.
as for A Charlie, one of the protagonists is Charlie and he is calling his friend who is not answering the phone. Then goes answering machine, and Charlie starts his message: "Hi Lola! This is a Charlie..." and then goes his message. He is asking for an apology and saying he was not right etc
as for the first one, now it is clear.
as for A Charlie, one of the protagonists is Charlie and he is calling his friend who is not answering the phone. Then goes answering machine, and Charlie starts his message: "Hi Lola! This is a Charlie..." and then goes his message. He is asking for an apology and saying he was not right etc
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Hi,
as for A Charlie, one of the protagonists is Charlie and he is calling his friend who is not answering the phone. Then goes answering machine, and Charlie starts his message: "Hi Lola! This is a Charlie..." and then goes his message. He is asking for an apology and saying he was not right etc.
In fact, it looks like it can be the meaning of "an idiot". As if he is playing
as for A Charlie, one of the protagonists is Charlie and he is calling his friend who is not answering the phone. Then goes answering machine, and Charlie starts his message: "Hi Lola! This is a Charlie..." and then goes his message. He is asking for an apology and saying he was not right etc.
In fact, it looks like it can be the meaning of "an idiot". As if he is playing
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