Question
Updated on
17 Feb 2020
- Japanese
-
English (US)
Question about English (US)
how do you define an article noun and non article noun? I came across with an description of a movie called Dear John and it says and you will see "fate" without an article "John is a soldier who loves Savannah, a college student. He re-enlists post the 9/11 attack but the two continue to be in touch over letters. Fate tests their love many times over the next few years." why is it not "a fate" or "the fate" or like "fates" when in general.
how do you define an article noun and non article noun? I came across with an description of a movie called Dear John and it says and you will see "fate" without an article "John is a soldier who loves Savannah, a college student. He re-enlists post the 9/11 attack but the two continue to be in touch over letters. Fate tests their love many times over the next few years." why is it not "a fate" or "the fate" or like "fates" when in general.
I really have trouble about the articles.
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- English (UK)
- English (US)
PERSONIFICATION is a literary technique wherein a common noun is treated like a person. Names of people do not take an article.
Example: Love calls to me daily (as though Love were a person with a voice to call out to someone).
Pain has stolen my happiness (as though Pain could steal).
Fate tests their love. —Of course, fate cannot actually give tests, but the writer wants you to imagine that fate has human characteristics.
In these examples, we treat these nouns like names of people, and we omit the article.
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- Japanese
@ladybug thank you!! I didn't know there is such a rule called PERSONIFICATION. I think it really saves me from my long time struggles on this subject. and could you tell me if there is another case for a noun to be without article except when it is a general statement entails plural noun?
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