A quote from the NYT:
The Justice Department argues that the merger with American would
prompt US Airways to shift more travelers to higher-priced flights at
American’s larger hubs.Could we use the zero article before merger here, since the word may be used as a mass noun, according to the Oxford Dictionary?
The Justice Department argues that _ merger with American would
prompt US Airways to shift more travelers to higher-priced flights at
American’s larger hubs.
Answer
That sentence by itself would read just fine as:
The Justice Department argues that a merger with American would prompt US Airways to shift more travelers to higher-priced flights at American’s larger hubs.
However, in the context of this news article, a particular merger is being discussed, so I believe the word the works better:
The Justice Department argues that the [particular] merger [we are discussing in this news story] with American would prompt US Airways to shift more travelers to higher-priced flights at American’s larger hubs.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : CowperKettle , Answer Author : J.R.
