Could one use the definite article with 9/11?
This is an example sentence composed by me:
The author traces the origins of modern terrorism back to the late 19th century, but he admits that (the) 9/11 was an important event in this long history.
It seems that 9/11 works like a proper noun, but I find some examples of it being used with the, although they seem to have been penned by non-native speakers of English:
In this regard, global media reporting on the 9/11 was as much a battling field for the definition of shared values of democracy around the globe as it was a spectacular stage for the local political and public elites to portion the field for … (Tomasc Pludowski)
Will "the 9/11" sound strange to native speakers of English, or will it look like a minor error or just like a variation, an author's choice of article?
Could one view the 9/11 as an elliptical variant of "the 9/11 attacks"?
Best Answer
We do not use an article before "9/11". Americans would think the use of "the" in the sentence you quote as decidedly strange-sounding.
9/11 is a date.
We do not use an article before a date when it is expressed as month - day - year or simply month - day. "I was born on December 5, 1958." NOT "I was born on the December 5, 1958."
Occasionally people give the day first and then the month, or just the day. In that case, we DO give an article before the day. "I was born on the fifth of December", or "I was born on the fifth".
We do not normally use an article before a day of the week. "I met Sally on Wednesday". "Our club meets on Wednesdays." We DO use an article when giving a "formula" to describe which a date by the day of the week, like, "Memorial Day is the fourth Monday in May."
The fact that 9/11 is a date associated with a specific event, and is sometimes used as a sort of name for that event, doesn't change the rules. The same is true for other historically significant days. We say, "The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776", NOT "... on the July 4". Or, "We remember December 7 as Pearl Harbor Day", NOT "the December 7", etc.
If you use a date as an adjective, then whether it calls for an article depends on the noun, and the date is irrelevant. Usually there would be an article. "Sally served on the 9/11 Commission", "We built a 9/11 memorial", etc. The only example I can think of where you wouldn't have an article is if it was a title, like "Fred was elected 9/11 Memorial Co-ordinator".