On March 28, 1979, the worst nuclear accident ever to occur in the United States took place at the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor in Pennsylvania. The causes were --- equipment failure and --- human error, leading to a loss of coolant in the reactor and ....
Why don't we use an article before equipment failure and human error? Why do't we use the? I need the reason.
The oil tanker x struck Bligh Reef tonight, causing the worst oil spill in --- U.S. history. Why don't we use the before U.S. history? Isn't it known?
Thanks
Not a teacher.
Yours is not an easy question to answer perfectly especially to a non native speaker like I am, but I'll try..
"failure" has a vast meaning to put all here, just simply understand that it refers to the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of
success. So, equipment failure would not need to be asked: what failure? and hardly: what equipment ( one is already known to run, to activate, to control..the nuclear).
Human Error ?
errors in problem detection.
errors in problem diagnosis.
errors in action planning and execution.(for example: slips or errors of execution versus mistakes or errors of intention).
In short, I am not a native speaker, I cannot figure it out from my mother tongue to give a clear explanation, to me, saying : Human error without THE will naturally be the same as saying: It's life ! ( not THE life of course). It would be ridiculous to ask: what human error did they make?
U.S. History? How many U.S. histories are there? Or Whose History is that? what kind? AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, IT'S SAID THAT WHEN SOMETHING/SOMEONE IS UNIQUE TO SOME ASPECTS, "THE" IS DROPPED.
In the news, they says: President Obama...They do not say: The President Obama...So, do we need to say THE U.S. History when there is only one history?
Finally, there is something that we find it very hard to explain, especially
something a people in a nation is in a habit of writing ,saying for along time and it becomes a common expression,which we, so different from them, find that something seems to be wrong !!!
