on a/the recommendation

[CarloSsS]

Hello everybody.
I've just taken a CAE test in which you're supposed to rephrase sentences using a given word. The sentence to rephrase was this:

We went to that restaurant because a friend recommended it.

And the word you're to used in the rephrased statement is:
on

I changed the sentence as follows:

We went to that restaurant on A recommendation of a friend.

The test key says that there has got to be a definite article instead of the definite I used. However, I don't see anything wrong with using a as there is no previous mention of the recommendation, so it's a new information and therefore a should be used.

My question is, is the definite article necessary (if so, why?) or is the indefinite one also possible, or perhaps both are correct?

[BobK]

Hello everybody.
I've just taken a CAE test in which you're supposed to rephrase sentences using a given word. The sentence to rephrase was this:

We went to that restaurant because a friend recommended it.

And the word you're to used in the rephrased statement is:
on

I changed the sentence as follows:

We went to that restaurant on A recommendation of a friend.

The test key says that there has got to be a definite article instead of the definite I used. However, I don't see anything wrong with using a as there is no previous mention of the recommendation, so it's a new information and therefore a should be used.

My question is, is the definite article necessary (if so, why?) or is the indefinite one also possible, or perhaps both are correct?

It's the [particular] recommendation of a [any] friend. That friend only made one recommendation - so it's 'the'.

You could avoid the issue (a favourite strategy of mine in exams ) by saying

We went to that restaurant on A friend's recommendation.

b

[BobSmith]

However, I don't see anything wrong with using a as there is no previous mention of the recommendation, so it's a new information and therefore a should be used.

My question is, is the definite article necessary (if so, why?) or is the indefinite one also possible, or perhaps both are correct?

[not a teacher]

It might be the same answer to why you used it here. Let's see what the teachers think.

[CarloSsS]

Can anybody think of a sentence where there would be used "on A recommendation of a friend"? So that I can see the difference more clearly.

[bhaisahab]

Can anybody think of a sentence where there would be used "on A recommendation of a friend"? So that I can see the difference more clearly.

No, I can't. You could say "on a recommendation from a friend", but it's not very elegant.

[BobSmith]

Can anybody think of a sentence where there would be used "on A recommendation of a friend"? So that I can see the difference more clearly.

[not a teacher]

1: What do you expect from a recommendation of a friend?
2: I expect any recommendation to fit my personality.

1: As it turns out, the reserved room is too small to fit our party.
2: You should have asked an expert, and not believed a recommendation of a friend.

[bhaisahab]

[not a teacher]

1: What do you expect from a recommendation of a friend?
2: I expect any recommendation to fit my personality.

1: As it turns out, the reserved room is too small to fit our party.
2: You should have asked an expert, and not believed a recommendation of a friend.

Both of those sound wrong to me.

[BobSmith]

Both of those sound wrong to me.

I wonder if "from a friend" would sound natural:

2: You should have asked an expert, and not believed a recommendation from a friend.

I hear this as meaning "just some old recommendation from any old friend".

[Raymott]

I don't have a problem with "on a recommendation from a friend".
BobK has written that the friend only made one recommendation, but we don't now that. He could have suggested three good restaurants. Obviously only one of those recommendations could be followed at any one time.

[BobK]

No, I can't. You could say "on a recommendation from a friend", but it's not very elegant.

I'm not sure I see the inelegance... (It's certainly better than "on a recommendation from a friend").

And re Ray's point, which I've just seen:

...He could have suggested three good restaurants. Obviously only one of those recommendations could be followed at any one time.

Exactly. My wording was bad, but each of such multiple recommendations from a single friend was specific: The first, the second.... the Nth.

b