'A steady rain hampered the progress of the work' <- Why 'A' in front of 'rain'?

Status
Not open for further replies.

wotcha

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Korean
Home Country
South Korea
Current Location
South Korea
'A steady rain hampered the progress of the work'

This is the sentence from my dictionary and I don't understand why we need to put 'a' before 'rain'.

1. Steady rain hampered the progress of the work.
2. A steady rain hampered the progress of the work.

Which one is correct? 1 or 2? or both?
 

Heterological

Member
Joined
Jun 25, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Re: 'A steady rain hampered the progress of the work' <- Why 'A' in front of 'rain'?

When we're talking about weather in the abstract, we don't use articles. For example, "Snow is common around here," or "I hate rain." But when we're talking about a specific weather system, we sometimes use an article. "A steady rain" refers to the precipitation resulting from that particular storm system in that specific place and time, not rain in general. You can use it with other types of weather patterns, too:
"A fierce wind swept the prairie."
"A dense fog settled over the town."
"A sudden chill came on."
 

wotcha

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Korean
Home Country
South Korea
Current Location
South Korea
Re: 'A steady rain hampered the progress of the work' <- Why 'A' in front of 'rain'?

When we're talking about weather in the abstract, we don't use articles. For example, "Snow is common around here," or "I hate rain." But when we're talking about a specific weather system, we sometimes use an article. "A steady rain" refers to the precipitation resulting from that particular storm system in that specific place and time, not rain in general. You can use it with other types of weather patterns, too:
"A fierce wind swept the prairie."
"A dense fog settled over the town."
"A sudden chill came on."

Wow !! Thanks! :-D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top