@WBYeats,
WBYeats wrote:
1. How come it is so? If something is not optional, then it could either be required, or it must not be used. Do you not agree?
You are correct. However if something is 'not an option' then it is not an available choice.
Quote:2. Is THE optional, by analogy of 'As (the) chief of the Pentagon, he is...':
-When US president Barack Obama appointed (the) chief of the Pentagon, he made a grammatical mistake.
No. While 'the' is optional after 'as' - as (the) father of the bride, as (the) head of security, as (the) captain of the ship, it is required (not optional) in "When US president Barack Obama appointed the chief of the Pentagon", but it is optional in "When US president Barack Obama appointed John Smith (the) chief of the Pentagon".
Quote:3. Is THE optional?:
-By (the) analogy of 'They or he is there', we can use the singular verb for 'Neither they nor he is there'.
Not optional; required.
