[Grammar] in the snowy season or in snowy season

[Sappho Noodles]

"People often make a snowman in front of their house in the snowy season." Is it grammatical if I use "in snowy season" instead of "in the snowy season"?

 

[emsr2d2]

It would be difficult to make a snowman outside your house when it's not snowy season. It seems tautologous to me.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I would use "the" if you use your construction, but "winter" would be better.

 

[emsr2d2]

Is there anywhere where it regularly snows in any season other than winter?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Yes. In many places in the geographic North it routinely snows in early Spring and late Autumn. In Chicago, where I grew up, snow in early December and late March was not at all uncommon. But we called those periods "winter".

 

[emsr2d2]

OK, then "snowy season" isn't at the same time everywhere. I still maintain that you can't build a snowman when it hasn't been snowing. ;-)

 

[MikeNewYork]

And I agree. There is an old joke about Minnesota: They have winter sports there 6 months a year. The rest of the year it is too damned cold. :-D

 

[Matthew Wai]

Is it grammatical if I use "in snowy season" instead of "in the snowy season"?

It should be ungrammatical according to http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/season_1

Not a teacher.

 

[Barb_D]

While you cannot make a snowman outside when it hasn't been snowing, there are many other activities you can engage in when it's snowing.
When it snows, some people stay inside and watch movies but others like to get outside and make snowmen.

So it's tautologous if you think "when do people make snowmen?" but it's not if you think "what do people do all winter?"

(In Maine, often had a first snow in October. It didn't last, but it snowed. And I have been on a hike on April 29 in Maine and had to walk through snow piles. That was no fun.)

 

[SoothingDave]

We usually have the first snow in November here and some snow in April isn't out of the question either.