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Simon_phlui Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
Is cat a mammal
Which of the following is/are correct, and which expression
is more common?
1. Is cat a mammal?
2. Is a cat a mammal?
3. Is the cat a mammal?
4. Are cats mammals?
I have difficulty deciding when an article should be
used. For instance, "cat" is a singular count
noun and is supposed to require an article. So (1)
should be wrong. But I do hear people saying
sentences like that. Are they wrong?
Thanks.
is more common?
1. Is cat a mammal?
2. Is a cat a mammal?
3. Is the cat a mammal?
4. Are cats mammals?
I have difficulty deciding when an article should be
used. For instance, "cat" is a singular count
noun and is supposed to require an article. So (1)
should be wrong. But I do hear people saying
sentences like that. Are they wrong?
Thanks.
Top answer
1 is definitely wrong. All the others are fine. This is a GENERIC question, so the cat is neither definite nor indefinite, singular nor plural - in short, you can use any combination of article and number you like ...
- 1 is definitely wrong.
- All the others are fine.
- This is a GENERIC question, so the cat is neither definite nor indefinite, singular nor plural - in short, you can use any combination of article and number you like ...
- except one.
- You can't get away with "Is cat a mammal" because that usage implies that "cat" is a MASS NOUN - which is usually isn't.
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3 Answers
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1 is definitely wrong. All the others are fine. This is a GENERIC question, so the cat is neither definite nor indefinite, singular nor plural - in short, you can use any combination of article and number you like ... except one.
You can't get away with "Is cat a mammal" because that usage implies that "cat" is a MASS NOUN - which is usually isn't. The construction would be fine for "Is
You can't get away with "Is cat a mammal" because that usage implies that "cat" is a MASS NOUN - which is usually isn't. The construction would be fine for "Is
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Hi,
As to the exception, you said that one can make a proper noun by capitalizing the first letter of a noun like "Cat." I am not familiar with this change-to-proper noun thing. Can you elaborate with some examples?
As to the exception, you said that one can make a proper noun by capitalizing the first letter of a noun like "Cat." I am not familiar with this change-to-proper noun thing. Can you elaborate with some examples?
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Hi,
It only applies if it is already a proper noun. The example given was of a character in a tv show whose actual name was 'Cat', so therefore it has a capital letter. If I had a dog, I could name it Fred, Snowy, or even Dog. It would then be a dog called Dog.
A better example is the White House. It is a white house but its actual name is the White House - it gains capital lett
It only applies if it is already a proper noun. The example given was of a character in a tv show whose actual name was 'Cat', so therefore it has a capital letter. If I had a dog, I could name it Fred, Snowy, or even Dog. It would then be a dog called Dog.
A better example is the White House. It is a white house but its actual name is the White House - it gains capital lett
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