The old age of the man

[Guest]

Test No. errors/inter-7 "Her latest book", question 2

When you reach the old age you realize all those things you should have done when you were young.

(a) When
(b) the old age
(c) realize
(d) done

Test No. errors/inter-7 "Her latest book", answer 2

When you reach old age you realize all those things you should have done when you were young.

Correct entry: old age
The error was: (b) the old age
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we can say the old age?

[Alan]

Hi,

You can use the old age but you would have to specify it as in: They apologised when they knew the old age of the man. If you talk generally of a period of time in life, you would not use the article the as in youth/childhood/infancy/middle age/old age.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Phrasal Verbs/take