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Yellowstarstruck Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

A versus The

Hi! Is my understanding correct. Thanks,Fulvio
1. The cheetah is an animal which runs very fast.
Here I am just talking about the animal cheetah specifically.
2. A cheetah is an animal which runs very fast.
Here I am stating an animal out of many that run very fast.
3. The lemon is a fruit which is sour.
Here I am just talking about the fruit lemon specifically.
4. A lemon is a fruit which is sour.
Here I am stating a fruit out of a few that are sour.
  

Top answer

yellowstarstruck 1. Here I am just talking about the animal cheetah specifically. It's possible but awkward because you are not mentioning one in particular.

  • yellowstarstruck 1.
  • Here I am just talking about the animal cheetah specifically.
  • It's possible but awkward because you are not mentioning one in particular.
  • It would be simpler and more natural to say that Cheetahs are animals that can run very fast .
  • yellowstarstruck 2.
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3 Answers
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yellowstarstruck1. The cheetah is an animal which runs very fast.Here I am just talking about the animal cheetah specifically.
It's possible but awkward because you are not mentioning one in particular. It would be simpler and more natural to say that Cheetahs are animals that can run very fast.
yellowstarstruck2. A cheetah is
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The cheetah is the fastest land animal.
When we say "the cheetah", we are speaking in general about members of the species Acinonyx jubatus, not any specific animal.

A cheetah is an animal which runs very fast.
We are speaking about one individual animal, but it could be any one in the world that is a member of that species.

See the Wiki entry for "lemon." Note th
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My aim was to express them in general. Would these be acceptable using which rather than that? Thanks, Fulvio
1. The cheetah is an animal which runs fast.
2. The lemon is a fruit which is sour.

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