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What's the difference in the usage of the article "the" with the word "author"? Why is the article "the" left in the second sentence?
She's the author of "The Power of Glamour," "The Future and Its Enemies" and "The Substance of Style."
She's author of the new book, “The Intimidation Game: How the Left is Silencing Free Speech.”
masterkomp
Posted 2016-07-03T17:18:45.150
Reputation: 635
7
The word "author" is a singular countable noun, and in the majority of cases the definite article is used:
However, in English the definite article is sometimes omitted if the word designates a unique role or task:
John is captain of the team.
I guess that the same pattern applies to
John is author of the book.
After all, being the author of a book is quite a unique role. If the book was written by you only, it's the same as if the team was led by you only.
Related:
CowperKettle
Posted 2016-07-03T17:18:45.150
Reputation: 36 949
-1
John is the author of the book. [there is only one author of that book]
Reason: When there is only one thing, the article is used. In your case, there are three separate things, each of which is unique and the only one of its kind.
compare that to: John is an author. [among many, many authors in the world]
Lambie
Posted 2016-07-03T17:18:45.150
Reputation: 26 929
2I wonder what happened in the 1920's and 30's that caused such a large temporary increase in "he is author of" relative to the rest of the graph. – A. McCurran – 2016-07-03T23:22:03.497