0
Ana poland Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

same/ the same

Hi,
I was wondering about the use of the word same without the article. I come across it a lot (especially in AmE) but my non-native teachers keep telling me it's wrong.
I'm not talking about idiomatic sentences like e.g. "same old, same old" or "same here".

For example, how do you like a sentence like that:
We bought them same skirts so they wouldn't argue over who looks better
  

Top answer

ana poland We bought them the same skirts so they wouldn't argue over who looks better. The article is required. The omission that you come across is probably non-native.

— RandomGuy

  • ana poland We bought them the same skirts so they wouldn't argue over who looks better.
  • The article is required.
  • The omission that you come across is probably non-native.
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.

3 Answers
0
ana polandWe bought them the same skirts so they wouldn't argue over who looks better.
The article is required. The omission that you come across is probably non-native.
0
0
Thank you, but I still have some doubts. What about if it's sensence initial?

This is a sentence I just found:

"A variation I've heard is: I'll do you one better. Same meaning as in: I'll do even more than you ask me to/ for."

Isn't it common to use it without the the if it's sentence initial?
0
0
Yes. A more common example of this is Same thing happened to me. This is very casual.
0

Related Questions