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PamQueue Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Unknow Cause
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/oct/24/voluntarysector
"There is, for example, much interest currently in ensuring that laboratory-based findings are taken forward to make real change for patient benefit - so-called 'translational research'. While a charity funding studies into an illness of unknown cause might not best serve its patient constituency by backing speculative treatment trials, this sort of breakdown can alert the sector to gaps and opportunities."
I think "cause" is very much countable, so shouldn't there be "an" before "unknown cause" in "an illness of unknown cause"?
"There is, for example, much interest currently in ensuring that laboratory-based findings are taken forward to make real change for patient benefit - so-called 'translational research'. While a charity funding studies into an illness of unknown cause might not best serve its patient constituency by backing speculative treatment trials, this sort of breakdown can alert the sector to gaps and opportunities."
I think "cause" is very much countable, so shouldn't there be "an" before "unknown cause" in "an illness of unknown cause"?
Top answer
Leaving out the article in a prepositional phrase is characteristic of many idioms, and this is one of them. The intent here is to signal such illnesses in general, so any one particular unknown cause is not appropriate. It really means 'any illness of any unknown cause'.
- Leaving out the article in a prepositional phrase is characteristic of many idioms, and this is one of them.
- The intent here is to signal such illnesses in general, so any one particular unknown cause is not appropriate.
- It really means 'any illness of any unknown cause'.
- CJ
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1 Answers
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Leaving out the article in a prepositional phrase is characteristic of many idioms, and this is one of them.
The intent here is to signal such illnesses in general, so any one particular unknown cause is not appropriate. It really means 'any illness of any unknown cause'.
CJ
The intent here is to signal such illnesses in general, so any one particular unknown cause is not appropriate. It really means 'any illness of any unknown cause'.
CJ
0
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