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Victork Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
"A population of" vs. "the population of"
Hey friends!!
I saw the following sentence in a newspaper:
The key battleground . . . is the province of Buenos Aires, where a population of 17m represents 38 per cent of the vote.
Okay, I am not a native speaker, like the author, who is also very educated, I am sure. But it seems to me that "the population of 17m represents…" is much better.
What do the native speakers here think? Would "the population", if not better, be at least equally correct?
Thank you!!
Victor
I saw the following sentence in a newspaper:
The key battleground . . . is the province of Buenos Aires, where a population of 17m represents 38 per cent of the vote.
Okay, I am not a native speaker, like the author, who is also very educated, I am sure. But it seems to me that "the population of 17m represents…" is much better.
What do the native speakers here think? Would "the population", if not better, be at least equally correct?
Thank you!!
Victor
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14 Answers
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victorkOkay, I am not a native speaker, like the author, who is also very educated, I am sure. But it seems to me that "the population of 17m represents…" is much better.What do the native speakers here think? Would "the population", if not better, be at least equally correct?I agree with you: "the" would be a slightly better choice here. I think the journali
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victorkWould "the population", if not better, be at least equally correct?No. Not at all. I don't think a change to "the" would be a good idea.
Here's what it's saying: ... the province ... (which has a population of 17 million).
You would never put "the" in that position. This city has
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XerxesI think the journalist was basically trying to say: "...Buenos Aires, which has a population of 17m that represents 38 per cent of the vote"Are you contradicting yourself, or am I missing something?
CJ
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CalifJimAre you contradicting yourself, or am I missing something?No, you're not missing anything. You're right. I looked at this with fresh eyes, and yes, "the" would not be a good idea.
Sorry, Victork.
That said, I stand by my own two examples, which I think are better than the original one.
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Xerxesmy own two examples, which I think are better than the original one.Agree. I think the second one (with whose) is particularly good.
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Thanks for picking up on that, CJ -- I wouldn't want someone to walk away with incorrect information because of misguided advice from yours truly!
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CalifJimXerxesmy own two examples, which I think are better than the original one.
CalifJimAgree. I think the second one (with whose) is particularly good.Hey thanks friends!!!
This helps, ok!!!
What about the first example? ". . . where the 17-million-strong"
You both seem to be okay with
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Victork,
I would say "the 17-million-strong". As to why I prefer the definite article -- it sounds better to me in this example. Perhaps CJ can contribute: he is much better when it comes to the technical side of English than I am.
I would say "the 17-million-strong". As to why I prefer the definite article -- it sounds better to me in this example. Perhaps CJ can contribute: he is much better when it comes to the technical side of English than I am.
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victorkIthe population (the people) represent 38% ... (the 17 million people)amfind it hard to see the difference!
has a population (a count) of 17 million ...
In one case "population" refers to living people.
In the other case "population" is a parameter by which we measure some aspect of an
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