three first vs. first three??

Spring

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Sep 10, 2010, 9:04:20 AM9/10/10

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Dear all,

Assume that I have a list of objects and they are ordered as follows:

Object A, object B, object C, object D, object E, object F, .....

Now I want to refer to objects A, B, C in this ordered list.

Should I use " ****Three first objects*** .... or *********First
three objects******** ??

Which one is correct?

Thank you.

Best

Nick Spalding

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Sep 10, 2010, 9:15:09 AM9/10/10

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Spring wrote, in
<e7aab6e9-70ca-4514...@k17g2000prf.googlegroups.com>
on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:04:20 -0700 (PDT):

The first three objects.

The three first objects would refer to the first objects occurring in three
separate lists.
--
Nick Spalding
BrE/IrE

Glenn Knickerbocker

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Sep 10, 2010, 9:23:44 AM9/10/10

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On Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:04:20 -0700 (PDT), Spring wrote:
>Should I use " ****Three first objects*** .... or *********First
>three objects******** ??

"The first three." Three first objects would be the first object in each
of three different sets.

ŹR / Darla: Leftovers aren't the mark of a man. \ www.bestweb.net/~notr
Andrew Reid: Actually, they are, because that's how men's shirts button.

Message has been deleted

Reinhold {Rey} Aman

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Sep 10, 2010, 1:55:46 PM9/10/10

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Stefan (rara avis) Ram wrote:

>
> Spring <tuyetn...@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Should I use " ****Three first objects*** .... or
>> *********First three objects******** ??
>

> For example, one can have »three first aid boxes« - which
> is not the same as »(the )first three aid boxes«.
>
Ach Gott!
>
> Or, compare »Take the first three objects that are blue!«
> with »Take the three first objects(, which are blue)!«.
> It seems that restrictive sentences can refer to »first«,
> restricting it, when »first« is at the start.
>
Ach Gott!
>
> »The three first objects« also takes them for given as a
> specific set - as if the speaker had already seen or
> described them. »The first three objects« might refer to
> future objects, which are not yet given, but only possibly
> approaching us in the future.
>
Ach Gott! Weird, weird, weird!

--
~~~ Reinhold {Rey} Aman ~~~
"El hombre es tantas veces hombre cuanto
es el número de lenguas que ha aprendido".
-- Carlos I (Rey de España)

Peter Moylan

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Sep 10, 2010, 7:56:50 PM9/10/10

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Nick Spalding wrote:
> Spring wrote, in
> <e7aab6e9-70ca-4514...@k17g2000prf.googlegroups.com>
> on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:04:20 -0700 (PDT):
>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> Assume that I have a list of objects and they are ordered as follows:
>>
>> Object A, object B, object C, object D, object E, object F, .....
>>
>> Now I want to refer to objects A, B, C in this ordered list.
>>
>> Should I use " ****Three first objects*** .... or *********First
>> three objects******** ??
>>
>> Which one is correct?
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> Best
>
> The first three objects.

Note that the word "the" is essential in this phrase.

>
> The three first objects would refer to the first objects occurring in three
> separate lists.

--
Peter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org
For an e-mail address, see my web page.

fidakar...@gmail.com

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Mar 18, 2019, 12:42:48 PM3/18/19

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fidakar...@gmail.com

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Mar 18, 2019, 12:44:00 PM3/18/19

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On Friday, 10 September 2010 06:04:20 UTC-7, Spring wrote:

Jack

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Mar 18, 2019, 12:57:51 PM3/18/19

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On Mon, 18 Mar 2019 09:43:57 -0700 (PDT), fidakar...@gmail.com
wrote:

"First three objects".

--
John