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MUSCOVITE Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
passable but only in computer speak?
Dear English teachers!
Merry Christmas!
Happiness, health and prosperity to you and your families in the coming year!
I have got a question about the noun "permission". I notice that phrases such as "users requests a permission to share a file" or "your account permissions are not enough for you to do so and so" become more and more frequent in the Internet/computer vernacular.
We are all computer/Internet users nowadays but... Are you (native speakers) OK with handling "permission", "software", "hardware" etc. as countable nouns (in computer speak at least?).
If asked to choose between the two, would you write
(1) the users requests A PERMISSION to do smth or
(2) the user requests PERMISSION ..."?
Thank you!
mus-te
Merry Christmas!
Happiness, health and prosperity to you and your families in the coming year!
I have got a question about the noun "permission". I notice that phrases such as "users requests a permission to share a file" or "your account permissions are not enough for you to do so and so" become more and more frequent in the Internet/computer vernacular.
We are all computer/Internet users nowadays but... Are you (native speakers) OK with handling "permission", "software", "hardware" etc. as countable nouns (in computer speak at least?).
If asked to choose between the two, would you write
(1) the users requests A PERMISSION to do smth or
(2) the user requests PERMISSION ..."?
Thank you!
mus-te
Top answer
In this particular context, only (2) is correct. "Permission" is a mass noun, not a count noun. A user requests permission to do something; "a permission" makes no sense.
- In this particular context, only (2) is correct.
- "Permission" is a mass noun, not a count noun.
- A user requests permission to do something; "a permission" makes no sense.
- There is a technical, computer-related usage for "permission", in which it is in fact a count noun.
- But it's very uncommon, and it's certainly not what you're using here.
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1 Answers
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In this particular context, only (2) is correct. "Permission" is a mass noun, not a count noun. A user requests permission to do something; "a permission" makes no sense.
There is a technical, computer-related usage for "permission", in which it is in fact a count noun. But it's very uncommon, and it's certainly not what you're using here. It is used to indicate that a user or group of
There is a technical, computer-related usage for "permission", in which it is in fact a count noun. But it's very uncommon, and it's certainly not what you're using here. It is used to indicate that a user or group of
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