Page 1 of 1

definite or zero article

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:19 am
by Hela
Dear teachers,

Would you please tell me why the definite is not used in the following sentence even though the noun is followed by a prepositional phrase ?

King Henry VIII declared himself Ø head of the Church.
F. Mitterand was elected Ø president of France in 1981.

Should "head" and "president" be capitalized ?

Thank you for your help.
Hela

Re: definite or zero article

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:10 am
by Alan
After factitive verbs such such as 'declare' and 'elect', the article is normally omitted.
No, capitalization is not obligatory.