Helloooo! I am back!!!

[muaxuan68]

Hi,

I've just come back from a long and hectic holiday, celebrating the traditional lunar new year. I have a good news. I've put on weight a lot. It'll sure be good news because I've amassed sufficient energy to be an effective and active member .

Now Let's take a look at the two following questions, my friends!

1. Since the early 1960s, Luther Burbank bred a spineless variety of cactus that can be eaten as food.

2. Winning first place in an event was the only glory in ancient games because second and third places were not regconizing.

I got those questions a long time ago so I am not sure if I underlined them entirely correctly. Anyway, I have two questions about them.

1. Why "spineless" modifies "variety" ?
2. Why "first", "second" , and "third" do not have "the" as a deternimer?

Looking forward to your quick response!

[ttaann]

Hi springrain/ spring season

1. Why "spineless" modifies "variety" ?

"Spineless" here is an adj. It modifies "catus", not "variety". So your sentence is not perfect.

BTW where do you get this sentence?

2. Why "first", "second" , and "third" do not have "the" as a deternimer?

You can say: to win first place/prize without "the". The reasons? Could you ERIN [tm] enlighten us?

[vvaann]

Hi, welcome you back muaxuan!
muaxuan wrote:

1. Since the early 1960s, Luther Burbank bred a spineless variety of catus that can be eaten as food.

2. Winning first place in an event was the only glory in ancient games because second and third places were not regconizing.

I got those questions a long time ago so I am not sure if I underlined them entirely correctly. Anyway, I have two questions about them.

1. Why "spineless" modifies "variety" ?
2. Why "first", "second" , and "third" do not have "the" as a deternimer?

ttaann wrote:

"Spineless" here is an adj. It modifies "catus", not "variety". So your sentence is not perfect.

1. I don't know what "spineless variety" means; I guess it's like "wide variety", do you think so, muaxuan?
2. "second and third places" seems ok to me, but I, like you(muaxuan), think "first place" definitely needs the article "the", or it should be "first place(s)".

p/s: to muaxuan, "a good news" is not correct (check it if I'm wrong)

[vvaann]

oh, I feel a bit confusing about "catus". I searched for it in some of my dictionaries and ended up with nothing but a look-like word "cactus". What is "catus", muaxuan?

[muaxuan68]

Originally posted by vvaann

oh, I feel a bit confusing about "catus". I searched for it in some of my dictionaries and ended up with nothing but a look-like word "cactus". What is "catus", muaxuan?

p/s: to muaxuan, "a good news" is not correct (check it if I'm wrong)

It seems that my English is even worse than before. The holiday is the culprit.

OK! I am going to correct them all. Meanwhile I am rammaging all my documents to find the answers for those questions.

Thanks for your corrections!

[ttaann]

Hi all

To vvaann:

2. "second and third places" seems ok to me, but I, like you(muaxuan), think "first place" definitely needs the article "the", or it should be "first place(s)".

Pls look up the entry "first" in your reliable dictionary to confirm that what I quoted was just right.

oh, I feel a bit confusing about "catus". I searched for it in some of my dictionaries and ended up with nothing but a look-like word "cactus". What is "catus", muaxuan?

There must be a typo here. As you know "spineless cactus" is quite a common collocation.

[muaxuan68]

Hi.
To Ttaann,
Why didn't you provide us the appropriate meaning and usage of "first" in your dictionary.

For me, "first" in the pattern with determiner "the", i.e. "the first + noun" is used for conveying some comparison.

"first" in pattern "first+noun" acts as a normal adjective. So we need a determiner like "some", "a few", "a" .. etc or the noun must be in plural form.

----------------
It's a common sense that "A variety of spineless cactus" is correct.
But I wonder if the structure "A spineless variety of cactus" is acceptable. Or what does the author imply?

I have found two other examples:
"delicious variety of sausages"
"a colourful variety of shapes and sizes"

[ttaann]

Hi springrain,

Why didn't you provide us the appropriate meaning and usage of "first" in your dictionary.

Here comes some examples that the Oxford says:
[quote]
1. She won first prize/ award/ place in the
competition.

2. We went on a cruise, a first for both of us.

(an achievement, event, etc. never done or experienced before)

3. She got a first in maths at Exeter.

(the highest level of university degree at British universities)

[ttaann]

It's a common sense that "A variety of spineless cactus" is correct.
But I wonder if the structure "A spineless variety of cactus" is acceptable. Or what does the author imply?

I have found two other examples:
"delicious variety of sausages"
"a colourful variety of shapes and sizes"

Oh muaxuan, thank to your later examples I think that those belong to an interesting pattern, that is:

Adj. + veriety of + nouns

(but be sure that Adj. also modifies nouns)

[muaxuan68]

[quote]Originally posted by ttaann

1. She won first prize/ award/ place in the
competition.

I know that. But none of my dictionaries say "first" is a determiner.

Waiting for your comments!