Google
English-Test.net
Find penpals and make new friends today!
 
proficient; skilled; expert
yearly
adept
grateful
useless
TOEIC test: Word games: Free Online Nouns Adjectives Verbs Game Answer
 
Username
Password
 Remember me? 
Search   FAQ   Memberlist   Profile   Private messages   Register   Log in 

Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?



 
ESL/EFL Worksheets and Handouts for Students Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC
ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
Some pills dropped from my hand. | Sarah's occupation is a secretary of the president in this compnay?
Message Author
Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? Fri May 30, 2008 20:01 pm  Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?
 

Hi,

We had this argument the other day, and I am wondering whether 'music' has to be with an article before it in the following sentence:

'Every song ends, but is that a reason not to enjoy music?'

I think not, how about you?

Best regards
_________________
If you find any typographical or grammatical errors in my post, please let me know.
SkiIucK
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 232
Location: Varna, Bulgaria

Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? Fri May 30, 2008 20:07 pm  Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?
 

Hi SkiIucK,

I don't think so either. You would only use 'the' with 'music' if you were talking about somebody's music or a particular piece of music as in: The music of Beethoven /The music in last night's concert.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story In touch
Alan
Co-founder
Alan Townend

Joined: 27 Sep 2003
Posts: 7395
Location: UK

Learn how to explore English words! Subscribe to free email English courseEnglish grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skillsAre you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!In this story you'll learn everything about the passive voice
Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? Fri May 30, 2008 20:10 pm  Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?
 

Hey,

Thanks for the timely response. That is what told 'em, too...

Regards
SkiIucK
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 232
Location: Varna, Bulgaria

Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? Fri May 30, 2008 20:33 pm  Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?
 

Hi SkiIuck

I think it's possible to write your sentence both with and without the word 'the'. There would be a difference in perspective between the two versions, however.

Adding the word 'the' would change the perspective from very general (i.e. any and all music) to a more specific perspective (i.e. the music in each song before it ends).
.
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 7878
Location: USA

Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? Fri May 30, 2008 20:36 pm  Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?
 

Hi Yankee,

There is no further context provided; therefore we assume we are speaking in general, am I right? Tell me what you think.

Thanks
SkiIucK
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 232
Location: Varna, Bulgaria

Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? Fri May 30, 2008 20:56 pm  Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?
 

Hi SkiIuck

The speaker/writer of the sentence would be the one who would ultimately determine the way the word 'music' was being viewed in the sentence. And, of course, the broader context could also play a part. Without the broader context, I just don't think you can rule out the possibility that the speaker/writer might have had the idea of 'the music in every song you listen to' in mind.

Language does not take place in a vacuum in real life. Isn't there is always some sort of broader context?

Think of it this way:
It is only you who doesn't have any broader context for that sentence -- not the original speaker/writer of the sentence.

Just my two cents.
.
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 7878
Location: USA

Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? Fri May 30, 2008 21:02 pm  Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?
 

Quote:
'Every song ends, but is that a reason not to enjoy music?'

I'd say that particular sentence is looking for "the".

'Every song ends, but is that a reason not to enjoy the music (of those songs)?'
Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 3867

Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? Fri May 30, 2008 21:41 pm  Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?
 

Hi,

Well, once again the English language proves to be full of ambiguities in regard to articles... Different people, different tastes. Smile

Thank you all
SkiIucK
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 232
Location: Varna, Bulgaria

Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? Fri May 30, 2008 23:07 pm  Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?
 

SkiIucK wrote:
Hi,

Well, once again the English language proves to be full of ambiguities in regard to articles... Different people, different tastes. Smile

Thank you all

Where's the ambiguity?
Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 3867

Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? Sat May 31, 2008 7:23 am  Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?
 

Maybe I meant dubiousness, my bad, sorry.
SkiIucK
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 232
Location: Varna, Bulgaria

Display posts from previous:   
Some pills dropped from my hand. | Sarah's occupation is a secretary of the president in this compnay?
ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not? All times are GMT + 2 Hours
Page 1 of 1
Latest topics on English Forums
give us your feedback on the course or seminar you attended?We value your opinion?English word for "wada maaf gawah"are and were in one sentenceCan I say it like this?About possessive pronouns: In the sight of me vs In the sight of minePhrase "A three pipe problem"Second conditional vs third conditionaldata entry into central trainer data base?desired hourly rate vs. desired hour rateWhat does B.A. mean?what does a time sheet shows?grammar question: "turn off" vs "put away""Unless" in certain conditionals.pronunciation of 'the'What is the mistake: I work here since two years.Stress on the wordsWhat is the mistake of this: She speaks fluently English.Shall 'music' be 'articled' or not?

Discover English-test.net
Hello, I am Ilka from Germany...Is or Are before the number of days in a week?Tense with "lest"In (the) line(s) vs. on (the) line(s)the simple present vs. the present progressiveTOEIC practice test: Teaching Vocabulary: Noun ListTOEIC practice test: Online word games: Free Nouns GameMeaning of bias, readiness, description, equality, assistance, ambiguity, rescueLearn how to speak MandarinFuture tense: The Ants and the GrasshopperEnglish grammar quiz: The Importation Process

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Subscribe to FREE email English course written by Alan Townend
First name E-mail