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Thread: This is top secret

  1. 22-Jan-2013, 07:59 #1
    Winwin2011
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    Default This is top secret

    I read the following sentence from NTC's Dictionary of American English Expression:

    Instructions about keeping a secret

    This is top secret.

    Secret is a countable noun. Why doesn't the author use "a' before "top secret."?

    Thanks.
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  2. 22-Jan-2013, 08:08 #2
    Rover_KE
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    Default Re: This is top secret

    'Secret' is an adjective here.

    Rover
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  3. 22-Jan-2013, 13:14 #3
    SoothingDave
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    Default Re: This is top secret

    "Top secret" is a classification.
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  4. 22-Jan-2013, 13:18 #4
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    Default Re: This is top secret

    Read more about those classifications here.
    Remember - correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing make posts much easier to read.
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  5. 22-Jan-2013, 13:57 #5
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    Default Re: This is top secret

    When I wore a uniform, we knew the classifications as TSCRU, pronounced 'Tea-screw'.
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    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
    If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.

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  6. 22-Jan-2013, 14:45 #6
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    emsr2d2
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    Default Re: This is top secret

    Quote Originally Posted by 5jj View Post
    When I wore a uniform, we knew the classifications as TSCRU, pronounced 'Tea-screw'.
    Thank you! I knew there was a mnemonic for it when I first joined the Civil Service but it had been lost in the mists of time. I can't believe that's nowhere to be found on Google.
    Remember - correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing make posts much easier to read.
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