Sort of a vs Sort of

[Cisco795]

“What sort of a wife is she?”
“What sort of wife is she?”

Which of the sentences is incorrect?

I would definitely choose the latter to be the incorrect one given the grammar fact (the way I interprete the rule) that a singular noun must be always preceded by either a direct or indirect article, but reading on somebody`s grammar found out that the first one is considered grammatically wrong, if so, why would it be wrong?

God Bless you all.
Cisco.

[Yankee]

Hi Cisco

Both versions are in use. However, your second sentence (i.e. without the indefinite article) is probably far more commonly used.

Here is a quote from the novel Pride and Prejudice:

“What sort of a girl is Miss Darcy?” He shook his head. “I wish I could call her amiable. It gives me pain to speak ill of a Darcy. But she is too much like her brother — very, very proud. As a child, she was affectionate and pleasing, and extremely fond of me; and I have devoted hours and hours to her amusement. But she is nothing to me now. She is a handsome girl, about fifteen or sixteen, and I understand, highly accomplished. Since her father’s death, her home has been London, where a lady lives with her, and superintends her education.”

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[Cisco795]

Amy, you are very nice. Thanks for the assistance, but above all, thanks for the time that you have taken to help me, I cannot ever repay your kidness, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. God Bless you.

Sincerely, Cisco.

[Yankee]

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You’re very welcome, Cisco.

Keep up the great work!
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