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Johnson13 Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
The refused prayer of Christ in Gethsemane is answer enough to that.
In English, when we use the word ANSWER, we need to use articles if not in the plural form. The only exception I can think of is:
-As if in answer to our prayers, she offered to lend us £10000. (from the OALD)
In other words, it's a so-called countable noun. (of course a native speaker will not make a conscious choice, and describing it so simply because we want to make things easier.)
I've been reading CS Lewis, who should also be a modern writer, but in his essays very often I find this writer, who knows literature probably too well, uses nouns with a shadow of non-modern literature.
For example, in 'The Efficacy of Prayer', there is a sentence:
The refused prayer of Christ in Gethsemane is answer enough to that.
My only explanation for this ANSWER is, Lewis sees it as a mass idea; do you think it's 21st century English?
in other instances, Lewis uses A BLACKMAIL, but in four modern dictionaries I can't find BLACKMAIL included as a countable noun; is it modern English?
-As if in answer to our prayers, she offered to lend us £10000. (from the OALD)
In other words, it's a so-called countable noun. (of course a native speaker will not make a conscious choice, and describing it so simply because we want to make things easier.)
I've been reading CS Lewis, who should also be a modern writer, but in his essays very often I find this writer, who knows literature probably too well, uses nouns with a shadow of non-modern literature.
For example, in 'The Efficacy of Prayer', there is a sentence:
The refused prayer of Christ in Gethsemane is answer enough to that.
My only explanation for this ANSWER is, Lewis sees it as a mass idea; do you think it's 21st century English?
in other instances, Lewis uses A BLACKMAIL, but in four modern dictionaries I can't find BLACKMAIL included as a countable noun; is it modern English?
Top answer
In English, when we use the word ANSWER, we need to use articles if not in the plural form. The only exception I can think of is: -As if in answer to our prayers, she offered to lend us £10000. (from the OALD Also eg Answer came there none.
- In English, when we use the word ANSWER, we need to use articles if not in the plural form.
- The only exception I can think of is: -As if in answer to our prayers, she offered to lend us £10000.
- (from the OALD Also eg Answer came there none.
- And there are probably other fixed-type phrases I can't think of right now.
- In other words, it's a so-called countable noun.
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6 Answers
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In English, when we use the word ANSWER, we need to use articles if not in the plural form. The only exception I can think of is:
-As if in answer to our prayers, she offered to lend us £10000. (from the OALD
Also eg Answer came there none.
And there are probably other fixed-type phrases I can't think of ri
-As if in answer to our prayers, she offered to lend us £10000. (from the OALD
Also eg Answer came there none.
And there are probably other fixed-type phrases I can't think of ri
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Johnson13As if in answer to our prayers'in answer to' is a common idiom. There are many such idioms in which an expected article is dropped.
In answer to your letter of August 12, ...
Also, in reply to, in response to.
Johnson13is answer enough to that.I'd say it's the construction with 'eno
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Thanks all the answers.
But a problem arises, because the OALD and some other learner dictionaries all say PROOF and REASON can be uncountable, but not ANSWER. Of course even in modern English when such a dictionary lists words as countable but not uncountable, it only means the usual way of using the word now is countable. In this case, a non-native English speaker will find it impossibl
But a problem arises, because the OALD and some other learner dictionaries all say PROOF and REASON can be uncountable, but not ANSWER. Of course even in modern English when such a dictionary lists words as countable but not uncountable, it only means the usual way of using the word now is countable. In this case, a non-native English speaker will find it impossibl
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Johnson13Of course even in modern English when such a dictionary lists words as countable but not uncountable, it only means the usual way of using the word now is countable. In this case, a non-native English speaker will find it impossible to judge whether a word is only countable or not.If your only resource is that dictionary, then yes, you will find it i
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Quote:This is not an unusual construction.
Is this setence usual:
-For answer, the little man rose and crossed the room to where newspapers were filed.
Is this setence usual:
-For answer, the little man rose and crossed the room to where newspapers were filed.
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It's literary, stylish phrasing. Not common, but not odd in that kind of context.
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