Structure of proverb?

Question

Hi. Please help me with these. I am sorry for not giving you complete example sentences. Any help from you will be appreciated.

1. Could we use the indefinite article "a" before the word "life"?

The life (A life?) that is without a vision is a life not ...

2. Could we use the contractions for these?

A man who doesn't do his homework isn't going to go ...
A man who's not prudent in his household is ...

3. Would you say not matching the forms of nouns (ie, uncountable nouns and countable nouns) is OK? For example, is it OK to use the word "discussions" instead of "discussion"? I think it would be better to use "discussion" to match with the uncountable noun "feedback."

... by the means of discussions and feedback.

Enoon · Accepted Answer

Anonymous1. Could we use the indefinite article "a" before the word "life"?The life (A life?) that is without a vision is a life not ...

You should, to stay parallel with the next one.

Anonymous2. Could we use the contractions for these?A man who doesn't do his homework isn't going to go ...A man who's not prudent in his household is ...

You can do what you want. They're your proverbs. It is usually better to avoid contractions in serious writing.

Anonymous3. Would you say not matching the forms of nouns (ie, uncountable nouns and countable nouns) is OK? For example, is it OK to use the word "discussions" instead of "discussion"? I think it would be better to use "discussion" to match with the uncountable noun "feedback."

It would depend on the words surrounding it and on what you mean, but it seems OK to me to mix them.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

1. Could we use the indefinite article "a" before the word "life"? Yes. A life without love is no life at all.

2. A man who doesn't do his homework isn't going to go very far in school.

A man who's not prudent will be poor. A better style is: A man who isn't prudent...

by ~~the~~ means of discussion and feedback. You can use the plural, but the singular is better stylistically.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you both of you. Please help me with this, too. Let's say this is written to mean generally, I think we could use both phrases, "the mindset" and "a mindset" in the following example sentence part and they both are correct with the difference being whether the writer perceives the mindset to be definite or indefinite (ie, not being specific) at the time of writing. I am sorry again for not giving you a complete sentence.

If you have the mindset (a mindset? OK?) of planning things far a head of time, you will more likely to ...

Also, if you had three nouns that can either be countable or uncountable depending on context, like "death," "birth" and "tribulation," in a sentence, would you say we can have differing phrase combinations when they are in the phrasal form "through 'this', 'that' and 'that'," like "through death, births and tribulation" and "through deaths, birth and tribulation" and "through deaths, birth and tribulations," and all pretty much comes down to the issue of style? Thank you in advance for your help.

Enoon · Answer

Anonymoushe difference being whether the writer perceives the mindset to be definite or indefinite (ie, not being specific) at the time of writing. I am sorry again for not giving you a complete sentence.If you have the mindset (a mindset? OK?) of planning things far a head of time, you will more likely to ...

The definite article is not specific there. Both "the" and "a " are generic. Use "the". "Ahead" is one word.

Anonymouspretty much comes down to the issue of style?

No. It comes down to what you mean.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

If you have the mindset for planning things far a head of time, you will more likely to...

Better: disposition or penchant

Anonymouspretty much comes down to the issue of style?

The meaning will change. Write what you mean, but it's always advisable to use an elegant style.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you again both of you. After digesting what both of you have said in your responses, I think we should write, "I wish I had the body (not a body) like him." Like the case with the mindset, we only have one mindset for (or one mindset of) something at one time and thus should use the definite article "the" before both words "mindset" and "body." Am I correct?

Also, which is correct? "I like to have the body like John Doe" or "I like to have the body like John Doe's"? Thank you again for your help in advance.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

I wish I had a body like his. (Any body, as long as it has a similar shape or physique as his body.)
I'd like to have a body like John Doe's.

You can also say:
I wish I had the body of a sumo wrestler. (Here you are defining a specific body, not a body like another person's)

Structure of proverb?

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