Hi, Mark!  Recently you wrote in a message to alexander koryagin:   
      
    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."   
      
    ak>  Why the author has not put "a" before "floating disc-   
    ak>  shaped aircraft"?   
      
    ml>  "aircraft", in that context, is plural...   
      
    ml>  "aircraft" is like "deer" where it is both singular and   
    ml>  plural... the context used tells which one is being used...   
      
      
              Agreed....  :-)   
      
      
      
    ak>  2. in the third paragraph: Why not _a_ German engineer   
    ak>  Georg Klein?   
      
    ml>  occupation title? not sure but either would work...   
    ml>  however, commas would have to be added...   
      
    ml>  [...] a German engineer, Georg Klein, told the [...]   
      
      
              Yes.  Or "Georg Klein, a German engineer, told the [...]".   
      
      
              Those who want more information about the use of the comma in such   
   situations can look up "restrictive" and "non-restrictive" punctuation.   
      
              In the first example, "German engineer Georg Klein" is restrictive   
   because (theoretically at least) only one person fits both descriptors.   
      
              The other two examples are non-restrictive because the second part   
   simply adds information... which may or may not be necessary depending on how   
   much the reader wants to know & where s/he lives.   
      
      
              Another example, in the same vein as your "occupation(al) title?":   
   Chief Dan George.  I'm using his name as we saw & heard it in the local news.   
   This appears to be an occupational title.  But journalists often use much the   
   same format in other circumstances as well... e.g. "convicted killer XXX", or   
   "Hollywood hopeful YYY".  Re sticking others in pigeonholes I prefer to limit   
   myself to things like "our upstairs neighbour ZZZ"... [chuckle].   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)