The English Oracle

Article usage in compound predicate nouns

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Chapters
00:00 Article Usage In Compound Predicate Nouns
00:27 Accepted Answer Score 3
00:57 Thank you

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ACCEPTED ANSWER

Score 3


Neither is incorrect, but the latter would be preferred for clarity, since the omission is not efficient enough to justify the change. The former is a grammatically valid ellipsis of the second article, i.e. the second article is understood rather than written/spoken. According to a quick and dirty Ngram, the two options are close in popularity, with a slight leaning toward retaining both articles.