“A daughter’s life”: the usage of the article
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
What else but sail to save a daughter's life,
and pray she still drew breath?
It seems to me that the article in bold is redundant. Why is it used in this text? Is it grammatically correct?
grammar articles indefinite-article
asked Dec 12 at 16:22
Aer
19010
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
What else but sail to save a daughter's life,
and pray she still drew breath?
It seems to me that the article in bold is redundant. Why is it used in this text? Is it grammatically correct?
grammar articles indefinite-article
asked Dec 12 at 16:22
Aer
19010
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
What else but sail to save a daughter's life,
and pray she still drew breath?
It seems to me that the article in bold is redundant. Why is it used in this text? Is it grammatically correct?
grammar articles indefinite-article
asked Dec 12 at 16:22
Aer
19010
What else but sail to save a daughter's life,
and pray she still drew breath?
It seems to me that the article in bold is redundant. Why is it used in this text? Is it grammatically correct?
grammar articles indefinite-article
grammar articles indefinite-article
asked Dec 12 at 16:22
Aer
19010
asked Dec 12 at 16:22
Aer
19010
asked Dec 12 at 16:22
Aer
19010
asked Dec 12 at 16:22
Aer
19010
asked Dec 12 at 16:22
Aer
19010
19010
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
It's the life of a daughter.
The countably singular noun "daughter" needs some determiner, even with the genitive inflection. The indefinite article "a" is the determiner for "daughter", and in turn the genitive phrase "a daughter's" is the determiner for the countably singular "life".
Nothing is redundant. Everything that needs counting is counted.
answered Dec 12 at 16:33
Gary Botnovcan
8,790926
1
To further prove non-redundancy, let's point out that some article is needed no matter what, even if this particular article were not necessarily the right one for some different statement. "Save daughter's life" couldn't conceivably be correct, in English.
– Beanluc
Dec 12 at 18:40
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
Assuming the daughter is the writer's own daughter, the "a" would be incorrect in a strictly mundane grammar lesson on sentence structure. In that case, the sentence would be given as, ".. to save my daughter's life", even if the writer has more than one daughter.
However in this case, by using the indefinite article "a", the author speaks of his own daughter in a general sense, as if she were the daughter of any person in that situation. He moves the context into a more philosophical, universally significant realm to emphasize the emotion which is shared by humanity in general. It makes the story more poignant and moving to the reader.
answered Dec 12 at 16:45
Lorel C.
36313
Thanks! This couplet is taken from the ballade about the admiral's life so the narrator is not the admiral.
– Aer
Dec 12 at 17:34
1
@Aer In that case, the less poetic form would probably be "save his daughter's life" but otherwise Lorel's point still stands.
– John Montgomery
Dec 12 at 20:26
add a comment |
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2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
It's the life of a daughter.
The countably singular noun "daughter" needs some determiner, even with the genitive inflection. The indefinite article "a" is the determiner for "daughter", and in turn the genitive phrase "a daughter's" is the determiner for the countably singular "life".
Nothing is redundant. Everything that needs counting is counted.
answered Dec 12 at 16:33
Gary Botnovcan
8,790926
1
To further prove non-redundancy, let's point out that some article is needed no matter what, even if this particular article were not necessarily the right one for some different statement. "Save daughter's life" couldn't conceivably be correct, in English.
– Beanluc
Dec 12 at 18:40
add a comment |
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
It's the life of a daughter.
The countably singular noun "daughter" needs some determiner, even with the genitive inflection. The indefinite article "a" is the determiner for "daughter", and in turn the genitive phrase "a daughter's" is the determiner for the countably singular "life".
Nothing is redundant. Everything that needs counting is counted.
answered Dec 12 at 16:33
Gary Botnovcan
8,790926
1
To further prove non-redundancy, let's point out that some article is needed no matter what, even if this particular article were not necessarily the right one for some different statement. "Save daughter's life" couldn't conceivably be correct, in English.
– Beanluc
Dec 12 at 18:40
add a comment |
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
up vote
4
down vote
accepted
It's the life of a daughter.
The countably singular noun "daughter" needs some determiner, even with the genitive inflection. The indefinite article "a" is the determiner for "daughter", and in turn the genitive phrase "a daughter's" is the determiner for the countably singular "life".
Nothing is redundant. Everything that needs counting is counted.
answered Dec 12 at 16:33
Gary Botnovcan
8,790926
It's the life of a daughter.
The countably singular noun "daughter" needs some determiner, even with the genitive inflection. The indefinite article "a" is the determiner for "daughter", and in turn the genitive phrase "a daughter's" is the determiner for the countably singular "life".
Nothing is redundant. Everything that needs counting is counted.
answered Dec 12 at 16:33
Gary Botnovcan
8,790926
answered Dec 12 at 16:33
Gary Botnovcan
8,790926
answered Dec 12 at 16:33
Gary Botnovcan
8,790926
answered Dec 12 at 16:33
Gary Botnovcan
8,790926
8,790926
1
To further prove non-redundancy, let's point out that some article is needed no matter what, even if this particular article were not necessarily the right one for some different statement. "Save daughter's life" couldn't conceivably be correct, in English.
– Beanluc
Dec 12 at 18:40
add a comment |
1
To further prove non-redundancy, let's point out that some article is needed no matter what, even if this particular article were not necessarily the right one for some different statement. "Save daughter's life" couldn't conceivably be correct, in English.
– Beanluc
Dec 12 at 18:40
1
1
To further prove non-redundancy, let's point out that some article is needed no matter what, even if this particular article were not necessarily the right one for some different statement. "Save daughter's life" couldn't conceivably be correct, in English.
– Beanluc
Dec 12 at 18:40
To further prove non-redundancy, let's point out that some article is needed no matter what, even if this particular article were not necessarily the right one for some different statement. "Save daughter's life" couldn't conceivably be correct, in English.
– Beanluc
Dec 12 at 18:40
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
Assuming the daughter is the writer's own daughter, the "a" would be incorrect in a strictly mundane grammar lesson on sentence structure. In that case, the sentence would be given as, ".. to save my daughter's life", even if the writer has more than one daughter.
However in this case, by using the indefinite article "a", the author speaks of his own daughter in a general sense, as if she were the daughter of any person in that situation. He moves the context into a more philosophical, universally significant realm to emphasize the emotion which is shared by humanity in general. It makes the story more poignant and moving to the reader.
answered Dec 12 at 16:45
Lorel C.
36313
Thanks! This couplet is taken from the ballade about the admiral's life so the narrator is not the admiral.
– Aer
Dec 12 at 17:34
1
@Aer In that case, the less poetic form would probably be "save his daughter's life" but otherwise Lorel's point still stands.
– John Montgomery
Dec 12 at 20:26
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
Assuming the daughter is the writer's own daughter, the "a" would be incorrect in a strictly mundane grammar lesson on sentence structure. In that case, the sentence would be given as, ".. to save my daughter's life", even if the writer has more than one daughter.
However in this case, by using the indefinite article "a", the author speaks of his own daughter in a general sense, as if she were the daughter of any person in that situation. He moves the context into a more philosophical, universally significant realm to emphasize the emotion which is shared by humanity in general. It makes the story more poignant and moving to the reader.
answered Dec 12 at 16:45
Lorel C.
36313
Thanks! This couplet is taken from the ballade about the admiral's life so the narrator is not the admiral.
– Aer
Dec 12 at 17:34
1
@Aer In that case, the less poetic form would probably be "save his daughter's life" but otherwise Lorel's point still stands.
– John Montgomery
Dec 12 at 20:26
add a comment |
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
Assuming the daughter is the writer's own daughter, the "a" would be incorrect in a strictly mundane grammar lesson on sentence structure. In that case, the sentence would be given as, ".. to save my daughter's life", even if the writer has more than one daughter.
However in this case, by using the indefinite article "a", the author speaks of his own daughter in a general sense, as if she were the daughter of any person in that situation. He moves the context into a more philosophical, universally significant realm to emphasize the emotion which is shared by humanity in general. It makes the story more poignant and moving to the reader.
answered Dec 12 at 16:45
Lorel C.
36313
Assuming the daughter is the writer's own daughter, the "a" would be incorrect in a strictly mundane grammar lesson on sentence structure. In that case, the sentence would be given as, ".. to save my daughter's life", even if the writer has more than one daughter.
However in this case, by using the indefinite article "a", the author speaks of his own daughter in a general sense, as if she were the daughter of any person in that situation. He moves the context into a more philosophical, universally significant realm to emphasize the emotion which is shared by humanity in general. It makes the story more poignant and moving to the reader.
answered Dec 12 at 16:45
Lorel C.
36313
answered Dec 12 at 16:45
Lorel C.
36313
answered Dec 12 at 16:45
Lorel C.
36313
answered Dec 12 at 16:45
Lorel C.
36313
36313
Thanks! This couplet is taken from the ballade about the admiral's life so the narrator is not the admiral.
– Aer
Dec 12 at 17:34
1
@Aer In that case, the less poetic form would probably be "save his daughter's life" but otherwise Lorel's point still stands.
– John Montgomery
Dec 12 at 20:26
add a comment |
Thanks! This couplet is taken from the ballade about the admiral's life so the narrator is not the admiral.
– Aer
Dec 12 at 17:34
1
@Aer In that case, the less poetic form would probably be "save his daughter's life" but otherwise Lorel's point still stands.
– John Montgomery
Dec 12 at 20:26
Thanks! This couplet is taken from the ballade about the admiral's life so the narrator is not the admiral.
– Aer
Dec 12 at 17:34
Thanks! This couplet is taken from the ballade about the admiral's life so the narrator is not the admiral.
– Aer
Dec 12 at 17:34
1
1
@Aer In that case, the less poetic form would probably be "save his daughter's life" but otherwise Lorel's point still stands.
– John Montgomery
Dec 12 at 20:26
@Aer In that case, the less poetic form would probably be "save his daughter's life" but otherwise Lorel's point still stands.
– John Montgomery
Dec 12 at 20:26
add a comment |
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