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Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides"



 
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Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides" #1 (permalink) Mon Jun 25, 2007 4:20 am   Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides"
 

Hi

Could you please tell me if "a" is required before "giant"?

Quote:
"Those simple steps became (a?) giant's strides."

Thanks

Tom
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Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides." #2 (permalink) Mon Jun 25, 2007 6:54 am   Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides."
 

Purely grammatically, I feel it should go as follows:

1. "Those simple steps became a giant's strides."
2. "Those simple steps became giants' strides."

Haihao
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Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides." #3 (permalink) Mon Jun 25, 2007 7:09 am   Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides."
 

Hi, dudes
Dont you forget the Grammar?
After the plural form of any countable noun we do not use a

Therefore: Those simple steps became giant's strides

Do native speakers support my opinion?
Lost_Soul
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Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides." #4 (permalink) Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:51 pm   Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides."
 

lost_soul wrote:

After the plural form of any countable noun we do not use a

Therefore: Those simple steps became giant's strides

Do native speakers support my opinion?


That is quite interesting Surprised I have been learning English for the last 17 years, but I have never heard something of this sort. Alan or Torsten have never mentioned this on this web site as well...
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Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides." #5 (permalink) Mon Jun 25, 2007 14:43 pm   Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides."
 

Ahmadov wrote:
lost_soul wrote:

After the plural form of any countable noun we do not use a

Therefore: Those simple steps became giant's strides

Do native speakers support my opinion?


That is quite interesting Surprised I have been learning English for the last 17 years, but I have never heard something of this sort. Alan or Torsten have never mentioned this on this web site as well...

Ok, maybe I'm wrong.
Can you bear out your point (and what is your point on this issue, I havent seen it yet)
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Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides." #6 (permalink) Mon Jun 25, 2007 15:28 pm   Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides."
 

I did not mean you are wrong, I just said I did not know about that. I hope one of the teachers will tell us the truth about it. As for me, I think the indefinite article should be there, i.e. "a giant"...
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Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides." #7 (permalink) Mon Jun 25, 2007 16:00 pm   Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides."
 

Hello,

I think Alan mentioned something about what is countable or not before in one of the posts (correct me if I'm wrong).

It really depends on how you look at it. If you see the "those simple groups" as one group, I guess you can refer to it as "a giant's strides". Or if you look at the "giant's strides" as a group of strides, I guess you can use "a" here.

Just my two cents.

Nina
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Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides." #8 (permalink) Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:42 am   Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides."
 

Hello

Could any native speaker please answer the question?

Thanks

Tom
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Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides" #9 (permalink) Wed Jun 27, 2007 12:26 pm   Expression: "Those simple steps became giant's strides"
 

Hi Tom

I agree with Haihao's take.

Saying "a giant's strides" means "the strides of a giant".
You should include the word 'a'.

.
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