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Use of A/An/The ...... Articles


Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #151
Why do we say Mount Everest but The Himalayas?

You've already told us that few pages ago ;)

Mount Everest is a mount why The Himalayas are a range.
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #152
Just checking :)

OK, how about the big world conflict between 1939-1945. What was that called? ;)
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #153
The Second World War

I beat you to your next queston: Holland and the Netherlands ;)
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #154
Not World War II?
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #155
Ok The World War II
pawian  219 | 24556  
11 Jun 2011 /  #156
Just checking :)

Hey, think of sth more difficult.

E.g., why Bridge of Sighs but the Golden Gate Bridge?

Ok The World War II

Seanus is playing tricks on you. Both are correct.
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #157
Nope, you were right. WWII or the Second World War :) :)

Ask a Dutchman :) :) They explained it well to me :)
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #158
WWII or the Second World War :) :)

So during World War Second but during the Second World War... you got me here.
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #159
No, during WW2 or during the Second World War.
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #160
WW2

World War Two? Or World War Second?
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #161
Maaarysia, I'm referring to cardinals and ordinals here.

WWII is cardinal and the Second World War is ordinal.

Dwa i druga
Maaarysia  
11 Jun 2011 /  #162
WWII is cardinal and the Second World War is ordinal.

In Polish we write Roman numbers only when we mean ordinal numbers.
Seanus  15 | 19666  
11 Jun 2011 /  #163
Aha, that's where the confusion is. It's WW2 then :)

Maaarysia, I'm impressed with your general English but please ask any article-related questions here if you are unsure of anything.
Maaarysia  
14 Jun 2011 /  #164
The most/Most/Very

Ok. I know that the most is the superlative co-word to form polisylable adjectives but I've just came across new meaning of that word in corelation with an adjective. I haven't known before that most without the means more less the same thing as the word very. E.g. Adaƛ is most intelligent boy.

Now the questions:
1. Is there any difference in using very and most? I mean in the meaning.
2. Therefore can I use a with most? I found such example but I don't know if it's a typo or a correct sentence.
Seanus  15 | 19666  
14 Jun 2011 /  #165
He is a most intelligent boy. This is rather au fait and used mostly by school teachers in formal school reports. It is valid, yes :)
Maaarysia  
14 Jun 2011 /  #166
au fait

what does it mean?
*I've checked three dictionaries which says that au fait means to be familiar with... but it doesn't match to the context.

He is a most intelligent boy.

So not most without preposition but a most? Haha so my source made a mistake either way ;)
FUZZYWICKETS  8 | 1878  
14 Jun 2011 /  #167
Maaarysia wrote:

So not most without preposition but a most?

yep.
Seanus  15 | 19666  
14 Jun 2011 /  #168
I meant it as 'btw'. It is not a central use of the articles, more incidental. Still, good question.
teflcat  5 | 1024  
14 Jun 2011 /  #169
*I've checked three dictionaries which says that au fait means to be familiar with... but it doesn't match to the context.

You and your dictionaries are right. It doesn't match the context.
Seanus  15 | 19666  
14 Jun 2011 /  #170
Au fait can mean btw or incidental.
teflcat  5 | 1024  
14 Jun 2011 /  #171
Nonsense. When you're in a hole, stop digging!
Seanus  15 | 19666  
14 Jun 2011 /  #172
french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/aufait.htm

here :) It's a rather obscure point which I've never had to teach and I often cover articles.
Maaarysia  
14 Jun 2011 /  #173
Au fait can mean btw or incidental.

Yes, in French :)
So you mean that the phrase containing a most is usually added incidentally, right? What do you mean? ;)

...I'm bit slow today...
Seanus  15 | 19666  
14 Jun 2011 /  #174
I meant that it is incidental to the main discussion. It is more of an aside point, highly specific in its nature. As you said, most is most often the superlative and not often couple with 'a' but 'the' :)
teflcat  5 | 1024  
14 Jun 2011 /  #175
It's a rather obscure point which I've never had to teach and I often cover articles.

This link gives one meaning of the term as used in French. Check your English dictionary (absolutely any one) and you'll see that in English it has just one meaning.
Seanus  15 | 19666  
14 Jun 2011 /  #176
Well, I've just come off a class with a lot of French-English so forgive me. I was clearly thinking in French. It's French, not English.
Maaarysia  
14 Jun 2011 /  #177
I meant that it is incidental to the main discussion. It is more of an aside point, highly specific in its nature.

Still it's a very intresting case.
So you say it's rare. Is it an archaic expression?
Seanus  15 | 19666  
14 Jun 2011 /  #178
Not archaic, no. Just used in limited contexts like the one I said or when families are describing their son or the son of another family.
Jimmu  2 | 156  
10 Mar 2012 /  #179
He is a most intelligent boy.

"He was a most peculiar man."
I think in these cases "most" is used as "very".
"He was a most intelligent boy." = "He was a very intelligent boy."
whereas:
"He was the most intelligent boy." = "He was more intelligent than the other boys."

And please don't ask me to talk about "parts of speech". My English was learned by trial and error, not study and analysis. :->
JonnyM  11 | 2607  
10 Mar 2012 /  #180
I think in these cases "most" is used as "very".

Yes. It is largely a literary form.

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