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Why -the? << English only || Bottom Why -the? Message from juliak posted on 17-12-2009 at 18:27:45 (D | E | F) Hello everybody! I found some information on the definite article, it says that i should use "a" when speaking in general, for example "a book is a number of printed pages bound together", but the rule says that if the word has the meaning of "a kind" then i should use "the" for example "the telephone is a modern convenience". Isn't is the same with "the book"???? Re: Why -the? from eugen, posted on 17-12-2009 at 20:33:12 (D | E) Hi, juliak. a = indefinite article. (not a specific object) I work in a factory. the = definite article. (a specific object that both, the person speaking and the listener know) The car over there is fast. In your example I think you must write: A telephone is a modern convenience.  Re: Why -the? from seb06000, posted on 17-12-2009 at 20:45:22 (D | E) In fact, you can also use ' The' in your example. 'the' refers to an element which is taken from a whole category, among all this one is...: e.g: The telephone is a modern convenience => among many convenient objects, there is the phone => there is an extraction from a whole group Another example: The lion is a ferocious animal => you have a lot of ferocious animals (on earth) and the lion is part of them I hope I made myself clear! Regards sebastien ------------------- Edited by seb06000 on 17-12-2009 20:46 Re: Why -the? from traviskidd, posted on 17-12-2009 at 21:39:32 (D | E) Hello! You can use "the" to talk about one object which represents all such objects. For example: - The telephone is a modern invention. - The lion is the king of the jungle. - The pen is mightier than the sword. - The early bird gets the worm. This use of "the" is especially common when talking about musical instruments one can play: - I can play the piano, the guitar, the trombone, and the cello!! See you! Re: Why -the? from juliak, posted on 18-12-2009 at 12:48:25 (D | E)  Thanks for your replies!!!!!<< English only |
