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PamQueue Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Of (An) Unknown Cause
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/oct/24/voluntarysector
"There is, for example, much interest currently in ensuring that laboratory-based findings are taken forward to make real change for patient benefit - so-called 'translational research'. While a charity funding studies into an illness of unknown cause might not best serve its patient constituency by backing speculative treatment trials, this sort of breakdown can alert the sector to gaps and opportunities."
I think "cause" is very much countable, so shouldn't there be "an" before "unknown illness" in "an illness of unknown cause"?
"There is, for example, much interest currently in ensuring that laboratory-based findings are taken forward to make real change for patient benefit - so-called 'translational research'. While a charity funding studies into an illness of unknown cause might not best serve its patient constituency by backing speculative treatment trials, this sort of breakdown can alert the sector to gaps and opportunities."
I think "cause" is very much countable, so shouldn't there be "an" before "unknown illness" in "an illness of unknown cause"?
Top answer
I don't understand your question. Are you saying, should the sentence read "an unknown illness" versus "an illness of unknown cause"? It seems the article is saying the illness is known but the cause is not.
- I don't understand your question.
- Are you saying, should the sentence read "an unknown illness" versus "an illness of unknown cause"?
- It seems the article is saying the illness is known but the cause is not.
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1 Answers
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I don't understand your question. Are you saying, should the sentence read "an unknown illness" versus "an illness of unknown cause"?
It seems the article is saying the illness is known but the cause is not.
It seems the article is saying the illness is known but the cause is not.
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