0
JungKim Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

not to be (a) cliche but...

In the dictionary, cliche is marked as "countable".
So when you say, "not to be cliche, but..." you should actually say "not to be a cliche, but..." should you not?
The reason I'm asking this is that some native speakers have been seen to use "cliche" without "a" in such context.
In comparison, I believe no native speakers would say "I made mistake" and omit "a" in front of "mistake".
  

Top answer

-- No. trite; hackneyed; stereotyped; clichéd.

— Mister Micawber

  • -- No.
  • trite; hackneyed; stereotyped; clichéd.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

5 Answers
0
In the dictionary, cliche is marked as "countable".So when you say, "not to be cliche, but..." you should actually say "not to be a cliche, but..." should you not?--No. That is a different use of the word, as an adjective:

adjective

5.trite; hackneyed; stereotyped; clichéd.
0
0
Mister MicawberNo. That is a different use of the word, as an adjective:adjective5.trite; hackneyed; stereotyped; clichéd.
Two following questions:
(1) FYI, all the dictionaries I consulted present "cliche" as noun.
0
0
1-- It is listed as an adjective here: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cliche?r=66 . Yes, it is a common use in standard English.
2-- Why would you use "cliche" as an adjective when you have a different word "cliched" for
0
0
Mister Micawber1-- It is listed as an adjective here: . Yes, it is a common use in standard English.2-- Why would you use "cliche" as an adjective when you have a different word "cliched" for it?-- We have plenty of different words for the same thing. I would use it because it is a standard English alternative. And it's shorter.
Thank you Micawber.
Now I
0
0
I use Onelook ( http://www.onelook.com/ ), and the American Heritage Dictionary is usually my first stop. This website will not link to that dictionary, so I usually link to Merriam-Webster ( / ). Beware the oddball lexicons there, though, like W
0

Related Questions