Questions tagged [zero-article]

For questions about clauses or sentences that omit articles.

Use this tag for questions that ask about clauses or sentences that have omitted, or left out, articles.


From Walden University,

Writers sometimes struggle with the choice to include an article or to leave it out altogether. Keep in mind that if the noun is singular, countable, and nonspecific or generic (e.g., book, author), the articles "a" and "an" may be used. However, if the noun is countable and plural (e.g.., "research studies") or uncountable (e.g., "information") and it is being used in a nonspecific or generic way, no article is used.

For a more comprehensive list of sentences without articles, see this article from English Club.

118 questions
21
votes
3 answers

Why do they not say "The Baby"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkXnhlCkVPM In this video he says "put baby in" and not "put the baby in" Also, in other baby type videos they say "place baby inside" or "now you can see that baby and mom are happy" There is no "the baby" or "the…
2
votes
1 answer

Definite article in 'of phrases'

I feel it is very confusing when I see sentences such as this one in papers published in prestigious scientific journals (written by native speakers): 35S:ZPR2-GFP plants often showed termination of meristem activity and the formation of a…
1
vote
2 answers

"A collaboration with" or "Collaboration with"

The sentence, at the beginning of a new paragraph, goes: "A collaboration with Dr. xxx and his colleagues would yyy". Is it "A collaboration with" or "Collaboration with"? Microsoft Word is unhappy with the article.
Cost
  • 161
0
votes
2 answers

Zero article and some with uncountable nouns

For the last two days I have been trying to understand the concept of using some or zero article with uncountable nouns. I have searched on internet, read the relevant sections of some books but generally the sources are focused more on "a/an vs.…
Zalajbeg
  • 111
0
votes
1 answer

Why is the article "the" not used in this sentences?

I don't understand why they wrote in the sentence below "swept away repressive dictators" instead of "swept away THE repressive dictators"? Any idea? "Some local pundits liken the protests with the Soweto uprising of 1976, when children protested…
K4l44
  • 1
0
votes
2 answers

Using a Way as a proper noun

I'm designing a pompous and pretentious poster for the way we work in our company. Let's call the company "Initech" for this discussion. I used the zero article, omitting "the", in the slogan "The Sacred Principles of Initech Way". My intention was…
0
votes
1 answer

Zero article usage

Could anyone kindly comment on the usage of zero article in ...pen in hand as it appears in the following context: Hunched over his desk, pen in hand, he was the spitting image of his father at work. dictionary.com: spit and image
Oleg
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