Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[fw]

The passage below is part of what I transcribed, listening to a radio program. The blank below is where I got stuck. The commentator is talking about the word "absentminded professor."

Which, #1 or #2 below, do you think comes to the blank?
1. absentminded professor
2. an absentminded professor

The sort of stock character of ( ) is often used in popular fiction. An absentminded professor is kind of strange, a little bit odd, but mostly likable. Another kind of scientist, the mad scientist, could be the same person, depending on how you look at it, but generally a mad scientist is someone who is doing bad things and could even be evil.

I thought at first it was #2, but I think what I heard as �an� might have been just a filler. What do you think?

[myprofe]

In English the article is required when referring to professions so I doubt very strongly that the speaker did not use one. Can you give us a link to the radio program?
_________________
I'm never going to learn if you don't correct my mistakes!

[fw]

Thank you, myprofe.

That was from the Oct. 24 program of �Business Communication.�
Here is the site.
(http://www.nhk.or.jp/gogaku/english/business/index.html)

You have to wait until next week to listen to the program on this site.

[Lorikeet]

In this case, it sounds okay for me without the "an".

The sort of stock character of "absentminded professor" is.....

It's a pretty special usage, though, as "an" is normally required. I will be interested to see what the original shows.

[Lorikeet]

In this case, it sounds okay for me without the "an".

The sort of stock character of "absentminded professor" is.....

It's a pretty special usage, though, as "an" is normally required. I will be interested to see what the original shows.

You could also say, "The sort of stock character of the absentminded professor is...."