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  1. An additional 550 units are to be built in other settlements in the West Bank.
  2. Additional 550 units are to be built in other settlements in the West Bank.

Usually, an or a is definitely not required before plural noun. But it seems I should choose option (1) here. Why?

J.R.
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Mike Philip
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  • The word additional functions as an attribuitive modifier, as an answer to your previous question explains. Moreover, additional and extra are synonyms. – J.R. Aug 17 '18 at 10:34

1 Answers1

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In the example, "additional" represents a single instance of addition, therefore it is grammatical to include "an", even though the noun itself is in its plural form.

david_c
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  • Can I delete "an"? – Mike Philip Aug 17 '18 at 08:31
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    No, while removing it doesn't mean the sentence is not understandable it does make it ungrammatical. Option 2 would be rarely used, if ever, and maybe only in the context of short/informal headlines e.g. on a news headline. – david_c Aug 17 '18 at 08:34
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    @david_c - Absolutely. And the rest of headline would be similarly shortened as well: Additional 550 Units to Be Built in West Bank Settlements – J.R. Aug 17 '18 at 10:27