grammaticality - Do I need to use 'the' in this sentence?



I would like to limit my dissertation to three spheres: economy, politics, and culture of America.



Do I need to add 'the' before economy, politics...?



Answer



I would go with the economy, politics and culture.


The reason I prefer that is because there are two senses of economy.




  1. the state of a country or region in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services and the supply of money

  2. careful management of available resources



The second is a mass noun so using the definite article precludes it. Of course, the reader should infer meaning number 1 anyway but I think it sounds better this way.


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