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PamQueue Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Scene
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/19/books/19grim.html
"In London, scene of so many reverses, a one-man play based on “How to Lose Friends” makes a small splash and transfers to the West End, where Mr. Young replaces the original actor and plays himself. He’s no Olivier, but he holds his own, and so does the play."
"Scene" is countable according to many dictionaries. Could this be a mistake?
"In London, scene of so many reverses, a one-man play based on “How to Lose Friends” makes a small splash and transfers to the West End, where Mr. Young replaces the original actor and plays himself. He’s no Olivier, but he holds his own, and so does the play."
"Scene" is countable according to many dictionaries. Could this be a mistake?
Top answer
Could this be a mistake? No, it's correct. com/search/scene
- Could this be a mistake?
- No, it's correct.
- com/search/scene
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18 Answers
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Could this be a mistake?No, it's correct.
"scene" is used in this sense "a particular area of activity that involves many people" which according to definition number 5 here is a non-count meaning: http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/scene
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I thought definition 3 (decisively countable) is more appropriate. I could be wrong...
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PamQueueI thought definition 3 (decisively countable) is more appropriate. I could be wrong...I would argue for definition 5. The article is talking about the area of London where plays are produced and staged not an area where a single event of note occurred (such as a crime or movie shoot).
For what it's worth I take exception to the first and las
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/world/europe/02union.html
"In Bosnia and Herzegovina, scene of Europe’s bloodiest recent war and an alternately wild, entrancing and deeply divided place, the need for a sharper, more focused European foreign
"In Bosnia and Herzegovina, scene of Europe’s bloodiest recent war and an alternately wild, entrancing and deeply divided place, the need for a sharper, more focused European foreign
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Hi,
No, it's not a mistake. In some contexts it is possible to omit the article for a countable noun in order to make the writing very stylish.
My advice is not to try this until you are able to write at an advanced level of English.
Cl
No, it's not a mistake. In some contexts it is possible to omit the article for a countable noun in order to make the writing very stylish.
My advice is not to try this until you are able to write at an advanced level of English.
Cl
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CliveIn some contexts it is possible to omit the article for a countable noun in order to make the writing very stylish.Dropping the article is style!?!? Then:
"There was boy in the room." is a very stylish version of:
"There was a boy in the room."
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ClivePlease review my post. I said 'in some contexts'.Hi Clive,
Could you tell me what (limited) contexts make it acceptable to drop the articles for countable nouns?
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I'm not sure anybody has an exhaustive list of situations where such article-dropping marks a more sophisticated style of English. It appears from the example, however, that being in an appositive structure used epithetically after a proper noun certainly helps.
Paris, city of light, is located in northern France.
Louis XVI, King of France, was born at Versailles.
Paris, city of light, is located in northern France.
Louis XVI, King of France, was born at Versailles.
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CalifJim It appears from the example, however, that being in an appositive structure certainly helps.Hi CalJim,
Does it mean the following are also okay then?
"New York, city of over ten million people, is world-renowned in many ways."
"James, body of 15 years of age, is hated by his friends for his arragance."
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