Greetings Ardith!

 AH> 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...

 AH>            Agreed....  :-)

Any agreement should be based on the previous context to the above. If the
author was talking about a fleet of that type of craft, then the 'a' isn't
requiredd. If not, then the 'a' should be there. Not having read it, I'd
tend toward the 'a' being there.

 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 [...]


 AH>            Yes.  Or "Georg Klein, a German engineer, told the [...]".


 AH>            Those who want more information about the use of the comma
 AH> in such situations can look up "restrictive" and "non-restrictive"
 AH> punctuation.

 AH>            In the first example, "German engineer Georg Klein" is
 AH> restrictive because (theoretically at least) only one person fits
 AH> both descriptors.

 AH>            The other two examples are non-restrictive because the
 AH> second part simply adds information... which may or may not be
 AH> necessary depending on how much the reader wants to know & where s/he
 AH> lives.


 AH>            Another example, in the same vein as your "occupation(al)
 AH> title?": Chief Dan George.  I'm using his name as we saw & heard it
 AH> in the local news. This appears to be an occupational title.  But
 AH> journalists often use much the same format in other circumstances as
 AH> well... e.g. "convicted killer XXX", or "Hollywood hopeful YYY".  Re
 AH> sticking others in pigeonholes I prefer to limit myself to things
 AH> like "our upstairs neighbour
 AH> ZZZ"... [chuckle].




 AH> --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 AH>  * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

    Have a day!

         R\%/itt - K5RXT

--- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-31012
--- D'Bridge 3.99
 * Origin: South-Texas Area Hub - Gulf Coast Backbone (1:387/22)