All (the) parts of

Question

Which ones are acceptable?All the parts of this machine are made in Japan.All parts of this machine are made in Japan.The parts of this machine are made in Japan.Parts of this machine are made in Japan.

Triident · Accepted Answer

The only one that wouldn't really be used is the third one (although it is grammatically correct). The most common would probably be the first one, but the second and fourth ones do make sense although they do have slightly different meanings:

a. All the parts...

=Every single tiny bit of this machine, including the nuts, bolts, wiring etc is manufactured in Japan.

b. All parts...

=Each larger part of this machine, each one perhaps made up of lots of smaller parts, is manufactured in Japan.

c. Parts...

=Only some of this machine was manufactured in Japan.

The difference is very subtle between a. and b. and other natives might be able to give more insight on that, but c. means something completely different so watch out

Hope this helps!

CalifJim · Answer

SnappyWhich ones are acceptable?

All the parts of this machine are made in Japan.

All parts of this machine are made in Japan.

The parts of this machine are made in Japan.

Parts of this machine are made in Japan.

All are acceptable. The first three have the same meaning. The last one means something different; it means that only some parts, not all, are made in Japan.

CJ

Snappy · Answer

CalifJim
SnappyWhich ones are acceptable?
All the parts of this machine are made in Japan.All parts of this machine are made in Japan.The parts of this machine are made in Japan.Parts of this machine are made in Japan. All are acceptable. The first three have the same meaning. The last one means something different; it means that only some parts, not all, are made in Japan. CJ

I have been thinking of the difference between the following sentences again:

1. All parts of this machine are made in Japan.
2. All the parts of this machine are made in Japan.

Please tell me if my understanding is correct.
Sentence 1 explains that each part of the machine is made in Japan while sentence 2 explains the same thing but it is understood that everybody knows exactly what parts they are (i.e., people know how many parts are used and what those parts are).

Anonymous · Answer

Snappy
CalifJim
SnappyWhich ones are acceptable?
All the parts of this machine are made in Japan.All parts of this machine are made in Japan.The parts of this machine are made in Japan.Parts of this machine are made in Japan. All are acceptable. The first three have the same meaning. The last one means something different; it means that only some parts, not all, are made in Japan. CJ

I have been thinking of the difference between the following sentences again:1. All parts of this machine are made in Japan.2. All the parts of this machine are made in Japan.Please tell me if my understanding is correct.Sentence 1 explains that each part of the machine is made in Japan while sentence 2 explains the same thing but it is understood that everybody knows exactly what parts they are (i.e., people know how many parts are used and what those parts are).

I'm not a native speaker, nevertheless I'll try to take the floor:

All parts means that every part of the machine is made in Japan.

All the parts means that the parts which have been mentioned in discussion about the machine or are known to the interlocutors are made in Japan. So, not all parts are made in Japan but only the parts, i.e. particular ones which we are talking about.

CalifJim · Answer

SnappyI have been thinking of the difference between the following sentences again:
1. All parts of this machine are made in Japan.
2. All the parts of this machine are made in Japan.
Please tell me if my understanding is correct.
Sentence 1 explains that each part of the machine is made in Japan while sentence 2 explains the same thing but it is understood that everybody knows exactly what parts they are (i.e., people know how many parts are used and what those parts are).

No. Neither sentence implies that anybody knows how many parts are used and what they are. The difference that may exist between 'parts' and 'the parts' in other contexts is completely neutralized by 'all' and 'of this machine'. There is no need to strain your brain trying to see a difference where none exists. Since we're talking about a specific machine and about every part that is in it, we have already specified enough to sanction the use of 'the', and I suppose a purist would say it's best to add 'the'. Nevertheless, the sentence works just as well without it because of the 'all'.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Should I understand that "the" in All the parts of this machine are made in Japan is a dummy the ?

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousShould I understand that "the" in All the parts of this machine are made in Japan is a dummy the ?

No. I would not explain it that way. Rather, I would say that "the" is implicit in "All parts of this machine ..."

The primary form is with "the". The alternate form is without "the". Therefore I would say that "All parts ..." is missing something implicit in preference to saying that "All the parts ..." has something meaningless (dummy) added to it.

CJ

All (the) parts of

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