beyond reasonable doubt

[Anonymous]

Are these sentences correct:
1-I know beyond reasonable doubt that he is guilty.
2-Can you affirm beyond reasonable doubt that he is guilty?

 

[Tdol]

Yes. ;-)

 

[RonBee]

One minor correction. It should be beyond a reasonable doubt. I don't think the phrase is ever used without the article.

 

[Tdol]

It can be countable or uncountable in BE:
beyong reasonable doubt
beyond any reasonable doubt
beyond a reasonable doubt

They all sound fine to me. ;-)

 

[RonBee]

Hm. I have always heard beyond a reasonable doubt. Perhaps it is a BE/AE difference. Maybe I'll do a Google check and see what I come up with.

 

[Tdol]

It's three times more common with the article, but without gets 30,000 hits. ;-)

 

[RonBee]

It's three times more common with the article, but without gets 30,000 hits. ;-)

Interesting. I had always heard that in instructions to a jury in a criminal case that they must find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. It is reasonable to expect tho that there are other circumstance in which that phrase is used. I wonder if the one without the article is used in a different context. I expect that that might be the case.

 

[Tdol]

It could be- I've never sat on a jury. ;-)