Grammar: just two small (separate) questions

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi

Just two, perhaps very simple to answer, questions (my daily troubles :slight_smile: ):

  1. in each type of … - requires plural or singular noun? (each type of document or documents? type of things?)

  2. … (be) trained as [a] (moderator, tutor, coach, whoever) – should be with (indefinite) article or is also acceptable with no article?

2

Hi Tamara

Simply put:

  1. each type of thing (singular)

  2. I’d prefer “a”.

[size=84]The less simple part: :wink:
To me, without an article it would sound as though there were only one specific (only one possible) moderator/tutor/coach/etc. position being referred to (similar to using “the” or “our”).[/size]

Amy

3

Hi Amy.

Thanks a lot for your quick response – your help actually came just in time, and I sent ‘each type of document’. :slight_smile:

Use of the singular form is unnatural to me, as in Russian we would use each type of document, each type of animal only if we previously typified a specific document or species.
And we always use the plural form when there are different documents or we consider various animals - dogs, rabbits, foxes, etc - altogether.
Each type of documents, each type of animals… or types of documents…

But I understand the point, thank you. That’s English…

The only thing that is a bit unresolved is with type of things. I suppose, it might be a special case.
Some examples from BNC:

If we attempt to put the wrong type of things together, or attempt separate explanations of things which are part of the same natural kind, then we are going to struggle to produce successful science.

You ought to save them wooden type of things for it.
…
sara.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/sa … +of+things

But as I have never actually needed to use that ‘type of thing(s)’ and my question was quite pragmatic – that’s enough for me, for the moment.

Thanks.

Tamara

P.S. About the article with moderator - my particular case related to the team of inspectors that had (has) the only moderator/coordinator position/role.
But, of course, the role itself is not unique.
So - (be) trained as a moderator, OK.

4

Hi Tamara

Your example was not just “type of document/thing” but rather “each type of document/thing” and the word each is very important.

Amy

5

Hmm…
Amy, it seems that now I don’t know which forms would be correct to be used in:

every type of document(s)
different types of …
various types of…
four types of…
all…