The rewiring and plumbing

[Rachel Adams]

Can I omit "the" before "rewiring" and "plumbing" and should it be "has been done" or "have been done"?

"The electricity rewiring and the plumbing have been done."

 

[emsr2d2]

Not if you're talking about a specific instance of them, no.

 

[emsr2d2]

I missed your second question. "... have been done" is correct.

 

[tedmc]

The adjective for wiring/rewiring is electrical, not electricity.

 

[Yankee]

Can I omit "the" before "rewiring" and "plumbing" and should it be "has been done" or "have been done"?

"The [STRIKE]electricity[/STRIKE] electrical rewiring and [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] plumbing have been done."

Y.

 

[GoesStation]

Electrical is better than electricity, but neither word is necessary. Buildings may contain several kinds of wiring — telephone, Ethernet, and audiovisual, for example — but "electrical" is understood as the default. In the same vein, we wouldn't say waterline plumbing to distinguish it from natural gas.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Electrical is better than electricity, but neither word is necessary. Buildings may contain several kinds of wiring — telephone, Ethernet, and audiovisual, for example — but "electrical" is understood as the default. In the same vein, we wouldn't say waterline plumbing to distinguish it from natural gas.

You said "In the same vein, we wouldn't say waterline plumbing to distinguish it from natural gas." Do you mean plumbing includes water and natural gas? But if I am not talking about waterline plumbing but about natural gas?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

You said "In the same vein, we wouldn't say waterline plumbing to distinguish it from natural gas." Do you mean plumbing includes water and natural gas? But if I am not talking about waterline plumbing but about natural gas?

When you say "plumbing" people know you mean water pipes, so it's not necessary or natural to say "waterline."

When you say "wiring," people know you mean electrical wires, so it's not necessary or natural to say "electrical."

 

[tedmc]

When you say "plumbing" people know you mean water pipes, so it's not necessary or natural to say "waterline."

When you say "wiring," people know you mean electrical wires, so it's not necessary or natural to say "electrical."

Nowadays, there are a lot more other types of wiring besides electrical - telephone, data, internet, MATV, security, building automation, etc., so there is a need to be specific.

 

[5jj]

In the original corrected version, "The rewiring and the plumbing have been done" There is no need to be specific, as two native speakers have told you. The default meanings/understandings are electricity and water respectively.

 

[emsr2d2]

Nowadays, there are a lot more other types of wiring besides electrical - telephone, data, internet, MATV, security, building automation, etc., so there is a need to be specific.

In general everyday (laymen's) terms, there is a need to be specific only if you're not talking about electrical rewiring.