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Wangqh2696122 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

An VS the

He witnessed Yushu, a county in Qinghai Province, hit by ____ unexpected earthquake, but the Yushu people haven’t lost heart, vowing to turn their homeland into a more beautiful Yushu.

I think both "an" and "the" possible. What do you think?
  

Top answer

wangqh2696122 He witnessed Yushu, a county in Qinghai Province, hit by _ the __ _ unexpected earthquake, but the Yushu people haven’t lost heart, vowing to turn their homeland into a more beautiful Yushu. With the context given, "the" is the proper article because the quake already happened. It is a definite case.

— Dimsumexpress

  • wangqh2696122 He witnessed Yushu, a county in Qinghai Province, hit by _ the __ _ unexpected earthquake, but the Yushu people haven’t lost heart, vowing to turn their homeland into a more beautiful Yushu.
  • With the context given, "the" is the proper article because the quake already happened.
  • It is a definite case.
  • But if we revised the sentence as follows, "an" is the correct answer: An unexpected earthquake hit Yushu, a county in Qinghai Province, but the Yushu people haven’t lost heart, vowing to turn their homeland into a more beautiful Yushu.
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5 Answers
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wangqh2696122He witnessed Yushu, a county in Qinghai Province, hit by _the ___ unexpected earthquake, but the Yushu people haven’t lost heart, vowing to turn their homeland into a more beautiful Yushu.
With the context given, "the" is the proper article because the quake already happened. It is a definite case.
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Do you think this is a semantically good sentence?
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AnonymousDo you think this is a semantically good sentence?
Which part made you think it isn't?

Italy Quake Kills 5 and Causes Widespread Damage - NYTimes.com

www.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/.../earthquake-in-northern-italy.htm
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This sentence doesn't work semantically.

"he witnessed Yushu" doesn't work on its own.

Normally, you visit a province/county rather than witness it. You can, however, witness the devastation caused by the earthquake.
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I can't tell what you mean. You can't witness a county. Please try again.
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