Zero article before nouns in the commonest sense

I am interested in whether the article can be omitted in a phrase like The Ideas About a Woman in Roman Literature (as in the name of a scientific article). Is the article needed here at all, since the noun is used in its commonest sense? Some references can be found on websites of doubtful … Read more

“The number of people” or “a number of people?

“The” and “A” have been genuinely giving me a lot of challenges ever since I could remember. I am to this day struggling to figure out when to use which. I am just now putting a sentence together and pretty much guessing. “I am personality speaking with a number of people who are close to … Read more

Definite or indefinite article when describing a historical person

According to this question: Definite and indefinite articles when introducing a person one can use a definite, indefinite or no article at all when introducing a particular person. Which option is the most natural in case of a historical figure, like ruins of a medieval castle built by the Polish king Casimir the Great or … Read more

Articles and Prepositions: “At/The mountain of…” and “…descended in/on her head”

The/A mountain of family responsibilities had already descended in/on her head. According to me, it is in her head. But I am not 100% sure about the answer because in the net various answers are given. Answer A mountain & on her head. Normally you will use on head if it’s something like a responsibility … Read more

“Small talk” or “a small talk”?

I am not sure if the following sentence is correct: I do not like a small talk. Should it be “a small talk” or “small talk”? Answer According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary: small talk : light or casual conversation : CHITCHAT They made small talk while waiting for the meeting to start. It is a compound noun with the idiomatic … Read more

Why is the article used in “downloading a scammer’s files”?

Is there a rule about such cases? I just can not understand. Downloading a scammer’s files. The name of the video from YouTube. Answer Because scammer’s is possessive singular. Using Indefinite Article: a & an Rule 1: A common noun in the singular number always requires an article before it. But a plural common noun … Read more

Is ‘parenthesis’ singular in this utterance, is it correct to introduce it with the article ‘a’?

Which is correct, introducing parenthesis with a … Which three types of punctuation can be used to separate a parenthesis from the rest of the sentence? OR omitting the article, as: Which three types of punctuation can be used to separate parenthesis from the rest of the sentence? Answer “Parenthesis” is singular. The plural is … Read more

When to use “A” before a proper noun?

I wonder if we can put “A” before a proper noun. Here’s an example I found on Google: As a Vietnam veteran I remembered that it was 16 years after my tour in Vietnam. I wish to know why the author use “A” before “Vietnam.” Thanks. Answer In this case Vietnam is descriptive, sometimes called … Read more

Not specifying the amount that you eat/drink

You don’t need to specify the amount that you eat/drink for some things: I drink cranberry juice. I eat fried chicken. I eat bread with butter. You can’t do this for other things: I eat cheeseburger. (Wrong) You need to specify the amount of cheeseburger(s) that you eat. I eat a cheeseburger. (One) I eat … Read more