All involving definite articles in sentences

Question

Hi. Please help. What is the difference between with or without the definite articles for the sentences below?

1. He came home late because of (the?) heavyrain.
2. He fell down because of (the?) rain.
3. The ducks live in (the?) wetlands.

As for the sentence below, would you say the definite article extends to the phrase "bringing up" and "protection"? I think they are. Also, should there be the phrase "disabled people" after the phrase "care for," either implied by context or explicitly stated and does the sentence make clear on that? Thank you in advance.

The law covers the care for, bringing up and protection of disabled people.

Doctor D · Accepted Answer

I would use "the" in all three cases because you are referring to a particular item (not a general one).
The ducks live in the wetlands. (Particular ducks in particular wetlands).
Ducks live in wetlands. (Ducks in general and wetlands in general).

As for the last sentence, yes, I would assume that care, bringing up, and protection all refer to "disabled people."
However, I would use the same preposition (of) to keep the parallel structure.
The law covers the care, bringing up, and protection of disabled people.

I hope this helps.

Anonymous · Answer

1. The sentence is correct with or without "the." Whether to put "the" in or not depends on the context. For example:

He would often come home late and gave various excuses for it. Tonight it was: "He came home late because of heavy rain." Without "the" might be said to be more "literary" or "poetical," as this particular sentence seems to roll off the tongue more "musically" without the article.

Yesterday he came home late because of the heavy rain. This is a matter-of-fact type of sentence simply reports what happened.

2. The sentence is grammatical with or without "the." However, only the version with the article would be used in real speech. The version without the article sounds strange: it makes it seem like he falls down every time it rains.

3. The sentence is grammatical with or without "the." However, only the version with the article would be used. The "the" before "ducks" forces the use of "the" before wetlands - "the ducks" means you're talking about a particular bunch of ducks, and if you're that familiar with them, then you'd know the particular wetlands they live in. (Having "the" before ducks and no "the" before wetlands sounds awkward.)

The fourth sentence. This sentence is very awkward because the verb "bringing up" is used only with young children, and it is never in a health-care context, and the word "disabled" is used only with adults. Also, the group of words "the care for" is awkward and would rarely be used. The sentence should be something like: "The law provides for the care and protection of children and adults with disabilities."

All involving definite articles in sentences

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