Re: Article question -slowdown

Clive,

Thanks. Don't mean to challenge your authrity, however, I want to talk about 'slowdown' in general, do I still need that article. Or, how can I make the sentence sound more general?

BTW - I searched both '"signs of a slowdown" and "signs of slowdown'" on Google books, and found almost equal number of entries for both cases.

MG

Hi,
No sweat, I don't have any 'authority', I just give my opinions.

Management noted the emergence of early signs of slowdown in demand over the last six months.

Yes, omitting the article makes it a more general reference.

I just figured that management were probably referring to some slowdo

Thanks.

I would use the indefinite article if I were writing it. It's not a generic concept of a slowdown - they saw specific signs that pointed toward a particular slowdown.

Grammar Geek,

Thanks.

Grammar Geek wrote :
It's not a generic concept of a slowdown

I am confused now. Can you give me a couple of examples, where 'slowdown' is used in a general sense.

Thanks.

MG.

To be honest, even writing in the general sense, I'd use the indefinite article.

Early signs of an economic slowdown can include...

The cyclical nature of this industry results in period of high activity followed by a slowdown.

Grammar Geek,

Thanks.