In Golden's "Arthas: Rise of the Lich King" I read:
[Arthas was indeed sweaty and knew he smelled like horse.]
Why on earth it is not "smelled like a horse"? ;-)
In Golden's "Arthas: Rise of the Lich King"
[Arthas was indeed sweaty and knew he smelled like
horse.]
Why on earth it is not "smelled like a horse"? ;-)
Probably articles are not so necessary as many think. For instance,
people don't put articles in newspaper titles, in TV line news; and everybody finds it perfectly OK. Although... that were the words of
the author, and he was a writer. ;)
PS: But there is "tired like dog". Probably nobody says "a dog".
Context, Alexander... context!! I'm unacquainted with
anybody named "Arthas" & I have no idea who the Lich King
might be. You could have told us more about where the
quote came from, so we wouldn't have to look it up. ;-)
Well, Arthas is a boy of 11, a prince. Let me give a small
fragment:
Arthas was silent and did not look up at Uther.
Probably articles are not so necessary as many think.
For instance, people don't put articles in newspaper
titles, in TV line news; and everybody finds it
perfectly OK.
Although... that were the words of the author, and he
was a writer. ;)
In the example of Middle English which I can most
easily lay hands on, articles are noticeable by their
absence. Golden & others may be trying to establish
the mood in whatever way they think their readers can
relate to. :-)
I like this idea. There is some ground for an excuse
when I omit one. ;) I'll say that I like Middle English.
In short, you've confirmed my idea on how learning the
English articles. First, you must learn where to put them.
Then, you must learn where Englishmen omit articles in
places they must be. ;)
Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:
In Golden's "Arthas: Rise of the Lich King"
This is from WORLD OF WARCRAFT, isn't it?
Context, Alexander... context!! I'm unacquainted with anybody named "Arthas" & I have no idea who the Lich King might be. You could have told us more about where the quote came from, so we wouldn't have
to look it up. ;-)
[Arthas was indeed sweaty and knew he smelled like
horse.]
Why on earth it is not "smelled like a horse"? ;-)
Fantasy doesn't always follow the "rules" as we know them... [grin].
In Golden's "Arthas: Rise of the Lich King" I read:
[Arthas was indeed sweaty and knew he smelled like horse.]
Why on earth it is not "smelled like a horse"? ;-)
substitution comes in again...
which of the following is (more) correct?
Arthas was indeed sweaty and knew he smelled like fecal material.
Arthas was indeed sweaty and knew he smelled like a fecal material.
but, to be honest, i think it is more "poetic license"... perhaps the author is trying to show that the smell of one horse doesn't cover
it... a crowd of smelly horses smells like... well... horse ;)
In Golden's "Arthas: Rise of the Lich King" I read:
[Arthas was indeed sweaty and knew he smelled like horse.]
Why on earth it is not "smelled like a horse"? ;-)
substitution comes in again...
which of the following is (more) correct?
Arthas was indeed sweaty and knew he smelled like fecal material.
Arthas was indeed sweaty and knew he smelled like a fecal material.
but, to be honest, i think it is more "poetic license"... perhaps the author is trying to show that the smell of one horse doesn't cover
it... a crowd of smelly horses smells like... well... horse ;)
Probably articles are not so necessary as many think. For instance,
people don't put articles in newspaper titles, in TV line news; and
everybody finds it perfectly OK. Although... that were the words of
the author, and he was a writer. ;)
PS: But there is "tired like dog". Probably nobody says "a dog".
Actually, we would never say "tired like dog" - if I heard that I would say to myself "that's a Russian speaking". :-) More correctly, one
should say "as tired as a dog"!
<skipped>Context, Alexander... context!! I'm unacquainted with anybody
named "Arthas" & I have no idea who the Lich King might be. You
could have told us more about where the quote came from, so we
wouldn't have to look it up. ;-)
Well, Arthas is a boy of 11, a prince. Let me give a small
fragment:
Arthas was silent and did not look up at Uther.
Ah. What I was curious about was the setting, i.e. when & where the
story takes place, because that might help explain the omission of
the article.
"Uther Pendragon" is a name I recognize from tales about King
Arthur (sixth century)... so the name "Uther" is an important clue
AFAIC. While there are British names which have survived more or
less unchanged to the present day this doesn't seem to be among
them. The other details you've just added... the young scion of the
upper classes being trained in horsemanship, the routine use of
herbal medicine, and the expected attendance at a church service...
are also reminiscent of the medieval period. My understanding is
that WORLD OF WARCRAFT occurs in a fictitious time & locale but the weapons used tend to be similar to those used in Britain and/or continental Europe during medieval times.
Now, following up on Mark's diagnosis of "poetic licence"... I
think that's it in a nutshell. Awhile back you cited a passage from IVANHOE, a novel in which the events occur several hundred years
after King Arthur. Recognizing that even the English majors among
us might need a cheat sheet to make sense of Middle English,
however, the author employed old-fashioned turns of phrase such as
one might see in the works of Shakespeare or in the King James
Bible... both of which would have been very familiar to his
audience. I suspect the same may apply here. In the example of
Middle English which I can most easily lay hands on, articles are noticeable by their absence. Golden & others may be trying to
establish the mood in whatever way they think their readers can
relate to.: - )
Probably articles are not so necessary as many think. ForUh-huh. Telegrams are another example....: - )
instance, people don't put articles in newspaper titles, in TV
line news; and everybody finds it perfectly OK.
Although... that were the words of the author, and he was a
writer. ;)
As was Sir Walter Scott. We're referring to historical fiction &/or fantasy, in which it is sufficient to give the reader a bit of the "feeling" of the period. A few folks may be inspired to examine the history in more detail. But if the author wants to make a living,
he must reach a larger audience. ;-)
Apart from the fact that it's fantasy fiction and
therefore breaks many rules with impunity, I think this
a way of generalizing a thing.
Erick Rucker Eddison, Clack Ashton Smith
Fantasy can violate realism, but why should it break the
rules of grammar? The best fantasy writers -- Erick Rucker
Eddison, Clack Ashton Smith, Lord Dunsany, Tolkien -- all
had exquisite grammar.
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