Kdtyjb

What's the metal clinking sound at the end of credits in Avengers: Endgame?

How to creep the reader out with what seems like a normal person?

Why the difference in metal between 銀行 and お金?

How to replace the "space symbol" (squat-u) in listings?

Can fracking help reduce CO2?

What does "rf" mean in "rfkill"?

Reverse the word in a string with the same order in javascript

How to determine the actual or "true" resolution of a digital photograph?

What is the difference between `a[bc]d` (brackets) and `a{b,c}d` (braces)?

How can I get precisely a certain cubic cm by changing the following factors?

Cannot populate data in lightning data table

Transfer over $10k

Packing rectangles: Does rotation ever help?

In Proverbs 14:34, is sin a disgrace to a people, or is mercy a sin-offering?

Counterexample: a pair of linearly ordered sets that are isomorphic to subsets of the other, but not isomorphic between them

Can solid acids and bases have pH values? If not, how are they classified as acids or bases?

When and why did journal article titles become descriptive, rather than creatively allusive?

Reversing the direction of the arrow in gb4e

How to back up a running remote server?

Find the coordinate of two line segments that are perpendicular

What is a Recurrent Neural Network?

Pulling the rope with one hand is as heavy as with two hands?

Options leqno, reqno for documentclass or exist another option?

How to set the font color of quantity objects (Version 11.3 vs version 12)?

A question regarding using the definite article

What is the difference between “an answer” and “the answer”?Using definite article before abbreviationsDefinite article before place nameUsing the definite articleIf “noun clause” has no articles, how does it sound for native speaker?Company name with the definite articleUsing the definite article in “I love the people who make me laugh.”Italians/The Italians - using the definite articleDefinite article before “office”Using definite article“the”?

.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty{ margin-bottom:0;
}

1

Supposed that I already stated earlier that it was raining for while and I gave a good description of how it looked like. Now, I am wondering if I can use Rain without any articles so that only the general idea of raining is conveyed?

Once rain was down to drizzle, I decided to move on.

I also, searched the internet and it seems for the new status of the weather, an indefinite article is usually used. So, if my sentence is wrong without any article preceding drizzle?

articles definite-article indefinite-article zero-article

share|improve this question

edited 3 hours ago

Cardinal

asked 3 hours ago

CardinalCardinal

3,56842359

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The basic problem here is that English articles aren't optional. Omitting the article doesn't just omit the meaning of the article, it has its own meaning.
  
  – Anonymous
  59 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

1

Supposed that I already stated earlier that it was raining for while and I gave a good description of how it looked like. Now, I am wondering if I can use Rain without any articles so that only the general idea of raining is conveyed?

Once rain was down to drizzle, I decided to move on.

I also, searched the internet and it seems for the new status of the weather, an indefinite article is usually used. So, if my sentence is wrong without any article preceding drizzle?

articles definite-article indefinite-article zero-article

share|improve this question

edited 3 hours ago

Cardinal

asked 3 hours ago

CardinalCardinal

3,56842359

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The basic problem here is that English articles aren't optional. Omitting the article doesn't just omit the meaning of the article, it has its own meaning.
  
  – Anonymous
  59 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

Supposed that I already stated earlier that it was raining for while and I gave a good description of how it looked like. Now, I am wondering if I can use Rain without any articles so that only the general idea of raining is conveyed?

Once rain was down to drizzle, I decided to move on.

I also, searched the internet and it seems for the new status of the weather, an indefinite article is usually used. So, if my sentence is wrong without any article preceding drizzle?

articles definite-article indefinite-article zero-article

share|improve this question

edited 3 hours ago

Cardinal

asked 3 hours ago

CardinalCardinal

3,56842359

share|improve this question

edited 3 hours ago

Cardinal

asked 3 hours ago

CardinalCardinal

3,56842359

share|improve this question

edited 3 hours ago

Cardinal

asked 3 hours ago

CardinalCardinal

3,56842359

asked 3 hours ago

CardinalCardinal

3,56842359

asked 3 hours ago

CardinalCardinal

3,56842359

1 Answer
1

active

oldest

votes

3

You shouldn't eliminate them. Typically the articles before rain and drizzle are necessary, because it's a specific instance of rain/drizzle that is causing your decision in the rest of the sentence.

Once the rain was down to a drizzle, I decided to move on.

The fact that you've described the rain doesn't necessarily allow you to eliminate the article. If you walked into a kitchen and described the table in great detail, it still wouldn't be grammatical to say "I sat at table." Just as the table you're sitting at is a specific table, the rain you're experiencing is a specific instance of rain.

You can eliminate the article when you're talking generally, as in

• "Rain is necessary for healthy plants."


• "I hate rain."


• "Rain turns into snow below a certain temperature."

Drizzle also needs an article in your sentence, and it should be "a" like the following example:

Once the kitten had turned into a cat, he was no longer cute.

• Using "the cat" would cause confusion, because it would imply that the specific kitten had turned into a different specific cat.

I'm adding a caveat here to say that with some particular words, and in some more poetic writing, it is sometimes alright to drop the articles.

• "Spring turned into summer" is acceptable and fairly common, as is "Night became day"




• If you were attempting to be poetic, you could possibly invoke those common phrases and say "Rain turned to drizzle, and I decided to move on." But with the verbs you use in your original sentence, it doesn't sound poetic--it sounds incorrect.

share|improve this answer

edited 55 mins ago

answered 2 hours ago

KatyKaty

2,979619

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Hello, I specifically said that I already gave a description for the rain; and based on my education, I must use the definite article in such cases. I myslef am aware of this general rule of thumb, but I meant even though I already talked about the rain, I want to convey the general or abstract connotation of rain. Is that wrong?
  
  – Cardinal
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Cardinal Yes. If you're experiencing the rain and it's having an effect on your behavior, it's not an abstract connotation. It's a physical thing, and it's a particular instance of that physical thing.
  
  – Katy
  1 hour ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Nitpicking: instead of "You probably shouldn't eliminate them.", "You can't eliminate them.". And instead of "The fact that you've described the rain doesn't necessarily allow you to eliminate the article.", how about "Since you've mentioned the rain already, it requires a definite article."?
  
  – Anonymous
  59 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Anonymous Because of the caveat about poetic language that I mentioned at the end, I don't believe a blanket statement is accurate.
  
  – Katy
  57 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

Your Answer

StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "481"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});

function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});


}
});

draft saved

draft discarded

Sign up or log in

StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});

Sign up using Google

Sign up using Facebook

Sign up using Email and Password

Post as a guest

Name

Email

Required, but never shown

StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f208559%2fa-question-regarding-using-the-definite-article%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest

Name

Email

Required, but never shown

3

You shouldn't eliminate them. Typically the articles before rain and drizzle are necessary, because it's a specific instance of rain/drizzle that is causing your decision in the rest of the sentence.

Once the rain was down to a drizzle, I decided to move on.

The fact that you've described the rain doesn't necessarily allow you to eliminate the article. If you walked into a kitchen and described the table in great detail, it still wouldn't be grammatical to say "I sat at table." Just as the table you're sitting at is a specific table, the rain you're experiencing is a specific instance of rain.

You can eliminate the article when you're talking generally, as in

• "Rain is necessary for healthy plants."


• "I hate rain."


• "Rain turns into snow below a certain temperature."

Drizzle also needs an article in your sentence, and it should be "a" like the following example:

Once the kitten had turned into a cat, he was no longer cute.

• Using "the cat" would cause confusion, because it would imply that the specific kitten had turned into a different specific cat.

I'm adding a caveat here to say that with some particular words, and in some more poetic writing, it is sometimes alright to drop the articles.

• "Spring turned into summer" is acceptable and fairly common, as is "Night became day"




• If you were attempting to be poetic, you could possibly invoke those common phrases and say "Rain turned to drizzle, and I decided to move on." But with the verbs you use in your original sentence, it doesn't sound poetic--it sounds incorrect.

share|improve this answer

edited 55 mins ago

answered 2 hours ago

KatyKaty

2,979619

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Hello, I specifically said that I already gave a description for the rain; and based on my education, I must use the definite article in such cases. I myslef am aware of this general rule of thumb, but I meant even though I already talked about the rain, I want to convey the general or abstract connotation of rain. Is that wrong?
  
  – Cardinal
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Cardinal Yes. If you're experiencing the rain and it's having an effect on your behavior, it's not an abstract connotation. It's a physical thing, and it's a particular instance of that physical thing.
  
  – Katy
  1 hour ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Nitpicking: instead of "You probably shouldn't eliminate them.", "You can't eliminate them.". And instead of "The fact that you've described the rain doesn't necessarily allow you to eliminate the article.", how about "Since you've mentioned the rain already, it requires a definite article."?
  
  – Anonymous
  59 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Anonymous Because of the caveat about poetic language that I mentioned at the end, I don't believe a blanket statement is accurate.
  
  – Katy
  57 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

3

You shouldn't eliminate them. Typically the articles before rain and drizzle are necessary, because it's a specific instance of rain/drizzle that is causing your decision in the rest of the sentence.

Once the rain was down to a drizzle, I decided to move on.

The fact that you've described the rain doesn't necessarily allow you to eliminate the article. If you walked into a kitchen and described the table in great detail, it still wouldn't be grammatical to say "I sat at table." Just as the table you're sitting at is a specific table, the rain you're experiencing is a specific instance of rain.

You can eliminate the article when you're talking generally, as in

• "Rain is necessary for healthy plants."


• "I hate rain."


• "Rain turns into snow below a certain temperature."

Drizzle also needs an article in your sentence, and it should be "a" like the following example:

Once the kitten had turned into a cat, he was no longer cute.

• Using "the cat" would cause confusion, because it would imply that the specific kitten had turned into a different specific cat.

I'm adding a caveat here to say that with some particular words, and in some more poetic writing, it is sometimes alright to drop the articles.

• "Spring turned into summer" is acceptable and fairly common, as is "Night became day"




• If you were attempting to be poetic, you could possibly invoke those common phrases and say "Rain turned to drizzle, and I decided to move on." But with the verbs you use in your original sentence, it doesn't sound poetic--it sounds incorrect.

share|improve this answer

edited 55 mins ago

answered 2 hours ago

KatyKaty

2,979619

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Hello, I specifically said that I already gave a description for the rain; and based on my education, I must use the definite article in such cases. I myslef am aware of this general rule of thumb, but I meant even though I already talked about the rain, I want to convey the general or abstract connotation of rain. Is that wrong?
  
  – Cardinal
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Cardinal Yes. If you're experiencing the rain and it's having an effect on your behavior, it's not an abstract connotation. It's a physical thing, and it's a particular instance of that physical thing.
  
  – Katy
  1 hour ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Nitpicking: instead of "You probably shouldn't eliminate them.", "You can't eliminate them.". And instead of "The fact that you've described the rain doesn't necessarily allow you to eliminate the article.", how about "Since you've mentioned the rain already, it requires a definite article."?
  
  – Anonymous
  59 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  @Anonymous Because of the caveat about poetic language that I mentioned at the end, I don't believe a blanket statement is accurate.
  
  – Katy
  57 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

You shouldn't eliminate them. Typically the articles before rain and drizzle are necessary, because it's a specific instance of rain/drizzle that is causing your decision in the rest of the sentence.

Once the rain was down to a drizzle, I decided to move on.

The fact that you've described the rain doesn't necessarily allow you to eliminate the article. If you walked into a kitchen and described the table in great detail, it still wouldn't be grammatical to say "I sat at table." Just as the table you're sitting at is a specific table, the rain you're experiencing is a specific instance of rain.

You can eliminate the article when you're talking generally, as in

• "Rain is necessary for healthy plants."


• "I hate rain."


• "Rain turns into snow below a certain temperature."

Drizzle also needs an article in your sentence, and it should be "a" like the following example:

Once the kitten had turned into a cat, he was no longer cute.

• Using "the cat" would cause confusion, because it would imply that the specific kitten had turned into a different specific cat.

I'm adding a caveat here to say that with some particular words, and in some more poetic writing, it is sometimes alright to drop the articles.

• "Spring turned into summer" is acceptable and fairly common, as is "Night became day"




• If you were attempting to be poetic, you could possibly invoke those common phrases and say "Rain turned to drizzle, and I decided to move on." But with the verbs you use in your original sentence, it doesn't sound poetic--it sounds incorrect.

share|improve this answer

edited 55 mins ago

answered 2 hours ago

KatyKaty

2,979619

share|improve this answer

edited 55 mins ago

answered 2 hours ago

KatyKaty

2,979619

answered 2 hours ago

KatyKaty

2,979619

answered 2 hours ago

KatyKaty

2,979619