0
Daithy Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Definite article or no definite article?

Hi everyone,

I need advice on how to correctly formulate a header in a protocol, the definite article in its header in particular. I was asked by my father and I am a little uncertain myself.

The header looks like this:

Testing laboratory No. 1007.1, accredited by the CAI

I think that the "the" may be skipped in headlines, headers, etc. Also, I wonder could "laboratory" be capitalized?

Testing Laboratory no. 1007.1, accredited by CAI

I am a little uncertain on the definite article. They had a discussion at work whether they should keep the "the" or omit it. They have two camps on this Emotion: smile. I told them I believe that both are correct and that it is a question of style, and in this instance, because it is a header, I would omit it.

I also mentioned that a good indication would be if it's an abbreviation or a registered acronym. If it is an abrv. I would usually include "the", if it's a registered acronym I would omit the "the" and treat it as a proper noun; but of course this hypothesis isn't bulletproof. It's all too confusing, some people say CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and some would say the CIA in a context. I believe that this is the key; include "the" in context, e.g, paragraphs, exclude it in headlines, headers.

CAI is Czech Institute for Accreditation, which is of course in the native language, Ceský Institut pro Akreditaci. I cannot tell you if a definite article is included in the name or not because we don't use articles in Czech.

Thanks everyone.
  

Top answer

The is nearly always omitted in headlines in American newspapers.

Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

5 Answers
0
The is nearly always omitted in headlines in American newspapers.
0
PhilipThe is nearly always omitted in headlines in American newspapers.
So, I have been pretty accurate in my hypothesis.
0
Daithy PhilipThe is nearly always omitted in headlines in American newspapers.So, I have been pretty accurate in my hypothesis.
Indeed, you have.
0
You do realise that I am not talking about a header in a newspaper, but a header in a document (assessment protocol)? Just to clear that up