Omission of the

Question

Would it be okay to say:1. She is eligible for president.Alice: What are the roles she is eligible for?Bob: She is eligible for president.2. She is eligible for (the) presidency.- Is it ok to omit "the"?

BillJ · Accepted Answer

[1] She is eligible for president.

[2] She is eligible for (the) presidency.

Only in [1] can the article be omitted.

Singular NPs (noun phrases) denoting a role or office can occur without a determiner, providing they are not the subject or object of the clause. Such NPs are called 'bare role' NPs – 'bare' in the sense that they do not contain a determiner.

In [2] the NP does not qualify as a bare role NP since presidency has more of the flavour of an abstract noun than a singular count noun like president. For example you can't say *She is (the) presidency or *She is eligible for the role of presidency, or *They elected her presidency.

The determiner is thus obligatory in [2].

Omission of the

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