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The article Why in the first case is using the article but in the second case no? lacking THE courage of one's convictions But:Hitler's First Love was a Jewish girl. Lacking COURAGE, he never spoke to her.
Apr 20, 2014 1:39 PM
Answers · 1
I understand your difficulty! But I can confirm that the first example is correct, and the second is possible. In the first case, we know what sort of courage that was lacking, namely the particular type of courage coming from one's convictions. In the second case one could say "lacking the courage, he never spoke to her." By saying "Lacking courage", the author is implying that Hitler lacked all courage, or that he did not have enough courage of any sort for the task.
April 20, 2014
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