F12.71_39b3d7a4@fidonet.org>
From: alexander koryagin
Hi, mark lewis!
I read your message from 13.06.2014 14:31
about From BBC site.
ak>> 1. in the second paragraph: "But the notion of floating
ak>> disc-shaped aircraft wasn't considered fanciful by
ak>> governments and militaries around the world."
ml>
ak>> Why the author has not put "a" before "floating disc-shaped
ak>> aircraft"?
ml>
ml> "aircraft", in that context, is plural...
ml>
ml> "aircraft" is like "deer" where it is both singular and
ml> plural... the context used tells which one is being used...
ml>
ml> singular: i saw an aircraft.
ml> plural : i saw some aircraft.
ml> singular: we saw a unique aircraft at the airshow.
ml> plural : we saw a lot of aircraft at the airshow.
ml> singular: that aircraft has a propellor.
ml> plural : most aircraft flying today have jet engines.
I was so sure that on this earth there are "aircrafts" that it didn't
occur to me to look into the dictionary. ;-)
I also found a discussion on this subject:
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/46824/why-does-the-in
orrect-plural-aircrafts-seem-to-be-occurring-more-often
ak>> 2. in the third paragraph: Why not _a_ German engineer
ak>> Georg Klein?
ml>
ml> occupation title? not sure but either would work... however,
ml> commas would have ??to be added...
ml>
ml> [...] a German engineer, Georg Klein, told the [...]
I thought the noun "engineer" is always used with an article when we
speak of one person. I don't mind that both variants are correct, but
I'd prefer to hear an explanation or a rule. ;)
Bye, mark!
Alexander Koryagin
fido7.english-tutor 2014
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