-
He was 'a third member' vs. he was 'the third member'
This post is copyrighted and may not be reposted in any means, electronic or otherwise, in any form, including as a text, document or image, without prior, express written permission of the author.
This post is an answer to the question: He was 'a third member' or he was 'the third member'
Short answer:
A third member means simply: another ( Read more... ) -
“it's a perfect time to...” vs. “it's the perfect time to...”
This post is copyrighted by me and it may not be reposted or displayed (as a text or image or anything else), in part or in whole, anywhere, without my express written permission.
From SE: ELL (10 Nov 15):
“it's a perfect time to...” vs. “it's the perfect time to...”(Note I added a third dot in the two phrases to make three dots or periods, as ( Read more... ) -
Using “the” instead of “a” for something that isn't a specific object
Link to original question: Using “the” instead of “a” for something that isn't a specific object
It might be helpful to put the thought of "specific" or "nonspecific" object on hold just for moment. A broader category is "definite" and "indefinite". Which is why we have the definite article and the indefinite article. As we will see, both of these ( Read more... ) -
Allegory: 'a grain of sugar in your eyes'
Allegory: 'a grain of sugar in your eyes'
1 It is a metaphor. Betty says it in Season 3, Episode 9, referring to the second marriage to the same man (they got divorced, then they married each other again):
We no longer had sugar in our eyes. None of that 'Why can't you be the person I want instead of the person you are?' stuff. This time it [the ( Read more... ) -
Corrections to "Who the Dickens?" (i21st.cn)
Source
All of my text will be in this color. I will not be correcting every error in usage and grammar, but I will cover the most obvious ones. Since I teach composition, I will also make or suggest some changes in style. These are not grammatical changes, but they make the composition sound better and/or flow more freely. Of course, what makes ( Read more... )