Should I include “as a” for every item in a list of jobs, or just the first item?












9















I have a doubt: should I write:





  1. I worked as a teacher, as housekeeper manager, as a Rep, etc.




or





  1. I worked as a teacher, housekeeper manager, Rep, etc.











share|improve this question




















  • 2





    Did you intentionally omit "a" before "housekeeper manager" in the first example?

    – Jasper
    Jan 17 at 17:40











  • @Jasper: Good point. For bonus points, can you think of any context where a "deleted" term could "validly" be *re-introduced" in a subsequent element within such a list? Offhand, I can't.

    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 17 at 17:55






  • 4





    @FumbleFingers: "JQ Adams served as a Senator, as President, and as a Representative." Sounds correct to me to drop the article in front of President, even in a list, but perhaps technically incorrect.

    – Matthew W
    Jan 17 at 18:06






  • 1





    @MatthewW: I'm not sure "technically incorrect" means anything here. But your example sounds fine to me, so you get the bonus points (or at least, a comment upvote, which is the best I can offer! :)

    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 17 at 18:35
















9















I have a doubt: should I write:





  1. I worked as a teacher, as housekeeper manager, as a Rep, etc.




or





  1. I worked as a teacher, housekeeper manager, Rep, etc.











share|improve this question




















  • 2





    Did you intentionally omit "a" before "housekeeper manager" in the first example?

    – Jasper
    Jan 17 at 17:40











  • @Jasper: Good point. For bonus points, can you think of any context where a "deleted" term could "validly" be *re-introduced" in a subsequent element within such a list? Offhand, I can't.

    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 17 at 17:55






  • 4





    @FumbleFingers: "JQ Adams served as a Senator, as President, and as a Representative." Sounds correct to me to drop the article in front of President, even in a list, but perhaps technically incorrect.

    – Matthew W
    Jan 17 at 18:06






  • 1





    @MatthewW: I'm not sure "technically incorrect" means anything here. But your example sounds fine to me, so you get the bonus points (or at least, a comment upvote, which is the best I can offer! :)

    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 17 at 18:35














9












9








9


1






I have a doubt: should I write:





  1. I worked as a teacher, as housekeeper manager, as a Rep, etc.




or





  1. I worked as a teacher, housekeeper manager, Rep, etc.











share|improve this question
















I have a doubt: should I write:





  1. I worked as a teacher, as housekeeper manager, as a Rep, etc.




or





  1. I worked as a teacher, housekeeper manager, Rep, etc.








ellipsis parallelism lists






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Jan 17 at 17:48









ColleenV

10.5k53260




10.5k53260










asked Jan 17 at 17:27









islaisla

461




461








  • 2





    Did you intentionally omit "a" before "housekeeper manager" in the first example?

    – Jasper
    Jan 17 at 17:40











  • @Jasper: Good point. For bonus points, can you think of any context where a "deleted" term could "validly" be *re-introduced" in a subsequent element within such a list? Offhand, I can't.

    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 17 at 17:55






  • 4





    @FumbleFingers: "JQ Adams served as a Senator, as President, and as a Representative." Sounds correct to me to drop the article in front of President, even in a list, but perhaps technically incorrect.

    – Matthew W
    Jan 17 at 18:06






  • 1





    @MatthewW: I'm not sure "technically incorrect" means anything here. But your example sounds fine to me, so you get the bonus points (or at least, a comment upvote, which is the best I can offer! :)

    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 17 at 18:35














  • 2





    Did you intentionally omit "a" before "housekeeper manager" in the first example?

    – Jasper
    Jan 17 at 17:40











  • @Jasper: Good point. For bonus points, can you think of any context where a "deleted" term could "validly" be *re-introduced" in a subsequent element within such a list? Offhand, I can't.

    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 17 at 17:55






  • 4





    @FumbleFingers: "JQ Adams served as a Senator, as President, and as a Representative." Sounds correct to me to drop the article in front of President, even in a list, but perhaps technically incorrect.

    – Matthew W
    Jan 17 at 18:06






  • 1





    @MatthewW: I'm not sure "technically incorrect" means anything here. But your example sounds fine to me, so you get the bonus points (or at least, a comment upvote, which is the best I can offer! :)

    – FumbleFingers
    Jan 17 at 18:35








2




2





Did you intentionally omit "a" before "housekeeper manager" in the first example?

– Jasper
Jan 17 at 17:40





Did you intentionally omit "a" before "housekeeper manager" in the first example?

– Jasper
Jan 17 at 17:40













@Jasper: Good point. For bonus points, can you think of any context where a "deleted" term could "validly" be *re-introduced" in a subsequent element within such a list? Offhand, I can't.

– FumbleFingers
Jan 17 at 17:55





@Jasper: Good point. For bonus points, can you think of any context where a "deleted" term could "validly" be *re-introduced" in a subsequent element within such a list? Offhand, I can't.

– FumbleFingers
Jan 17 at 17:55




4




4





@FumbleFingers: "JQ Adams served as a Senator, as President, and as a Representative." Sounds correct to me to drop the article in front of President, even in a list, but perhaps technically incorrect.

– Matthew W
Jan 17 at 18:06





@FumbleFingers: "JQ Adams served as a Senator, as President, and as a Representative." Sounds correct to me to drop the article in front of President, even in a list, but perhaps technically incorrect.

– Matthew W
Jan 17 at 18:06




1




1





@MatthewW: I'm not sure "technically incorrect" means anything here. But your example sounds fine to me, so you get the bonus points (or at least, a comment upvote, which is the best I can offer! :)

– FumbleFingers
Jan 17 at 18:35





@MatthewW: I'm not sure "technically incorrect" means anything here. But your example sounds fine to me, so you get the bonus points (or at least, a comment upvote, which is the best I can offer! :)

– FumbleFingers
Jan 17 at 18:35










1 Answer
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11














Both versions are syntactically fine, but idiomatically native speakers would tend to "delete" all "highly predictable" repetitions of as a in such contexts (or at the very least, delete repeated as).



There's a slightly greater chance that the more verbose version would be understood as meaning I've had several different jobs - for example [blah blah], where the shorter version could be interpreted as My job involved covering several different roles - for example [blah blah]. But that might be because we always tend to look for a more "unusual" interpretation if someone uses less common phrasing, not because of anything inherent in the words themselves.





Per the comment to the question (OP's current text omits a from the second item in the list, in case that gets edited out later), I should point out that it's very unusual (some might say "invalid") to delete any repeated element from such a "list" and then re-introduce it in a subsequent element. You should probably assume you never want to do that.






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    1 Answer
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    1 Answer
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    active

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    11














    Both versions are syntactically fine, but idiomatically native speakers would tend to "delete" all "highly predictable" repetitions of as a in such contexts (or at the very least, delete repeated as).



    There's a slightly greater chance that the more verbose version would be understood as meaning I've had several different jobs - for example [blah blah], where the shorter version could be interpreted as My job involved covering several different roles - for example [blah blah]. But that might be because we always tend to look for a more "unusual" interpretation if someone uses less common phrasing, not because of anything inherent in the words themselves.





    Per the comment to the question (OP's current text omits a from the second item in the list, in case that gets edited out later), I should point out that it's very unusual (some might say "invalid") to delete any repeated element from such a "list" and then re-introduce it in a subsequent element. You should probably assume you never want to do that.






    share|improve this answer






























      11














      Both versions are syntactically fine, but idiomatically native speakers would tend to "delete" all "highly predictable" repetitions of as a in such contexts (or at the very least, delete repeated as).



      There's a slightly greater chance that the more verbose version would be understood as meaning I've had several different jobs - for example [blah blah], where the shorter version could be interpreted as My job involved covering several different roles - for example [blah blah]. But that might be because we always tend to look for a more "unusual" interpretation if someone uses less common phrasing, not because of anything inherent in the words themselves.





      Per the comment to the question (OP's current text omits a from the second item in the list, in case that gets edited out later), I should point out that it's very unusual (some might say "invalid") to delete any repeated element from such a "list" and then re-introduce it in a subsequent element. You should probably assume you never want to do that.






      share|improve this answer




























        11












        11








        11







        Both versions are syntactically fine, but idiomatically native speakers would tend to "delete" all "highly predictable" repetitions of as a in such contexts (or at the very least, delete repeated as).



        There's a slightly greater chance that the more verbose version would be understood as meaning I've had several different jobs - for example [blah blah], where the shorter version could be interpreted as My job involved covering several different roles - for example [blah blah]. But that might be because we always tend to look for a more "unusual" interpretation if someone uses less common phrasing, not because of anything inherent in the words themselves.





        Per the comment to the question (OP's current text omits a from the second item in the list, in case that gets edited out later), I should point out that it's very unusual (some might say "invalid") to delete any repeated element from such a "list" and then re-introduce it in a subsequent element. You should probably assume you never want to do that.






        share|improve this answer















        Both versions are syntactically fine, but idiomatically native speakers would tend to "delete" all "highly predictable" repetitions of as a in such contexts (or at the very least, delete repeated as).



        There's a slightly greater chance that the more verbose version would be understood as meaning I've had several different jobs - for example [blah blah], where the shorter version could be interpreted as My job involved covering several different roles - for example [blah blah]. But that might be because we always tend to look for a more "unusual" interpretation if someone uses less common phrasing, not because of anything inherent in the words themselves.





        Per the comment to the question (OP's current text omits a from the second item in the list, in case that gets edited out later), I should point out that it's very unusual (some might say "invalid") to delete any repeated element from such a "list" and then re-introduce it in a subsequent element. You should probably assume you never want to do that.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited Jan 17 at 18:02









        Jasper

        17.9k43568




        17.9k43568










        answered Jan 17 at 17:46









        FumbleFingersFumbleFingers

        45.5k155121




        45.5k155121






























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