Style

[Xinfu]

Is it correct or wrong to use the?

-You have to cite the sources used in your article, in __ ABC style.

In talking about the name of a style, I think using the is wrong. Do you agree? In English, sometimes we have a fixed phrase such as in detail; even if we add an adjective before detail, for example, we do not use a/an/the or make detail plural. This rule should apply to the sentence above, though I admit rules very often become invalid when we view a different word.

[Rusty]

It is OK to omit 'the' when talking about a style. I would also omit the comma.

The set phrase 'in detail' is indeed a set phrase, and you cannot add an article. There are adjectives that are commonly added, such as 'less', 'more' or 'great'.

However, there are other times when we don't mean that and we do use an article and we do use the plural - 'The truth of the story lies in the details.'

[Xinfu]

Excellent answer. Thank you.