Article problem : habit

Question

1. I've gotten into 'the' habit of running every morning.
2. Don't make 'a' habit of asking her sister for help.
3. Jen developed 'a/the' habit of asking her sister for help.
(All are from a learner's dictionary)

Why does, in setence 1, habit have 'the'?
Why does, in s2, habit have 'a/an'?
Why are in s3, both possible?

Contraposition

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

This is the type of question that native speakers know the answer to by instinct: "That's just the way it's said." is what native speakers will say.

In sentence 1. "the habit" is what you hear in this particular sentence. That's just the way it is, and there are no grammatical rules that can really explain it - so a non-native speaker has to learn these situations by experience.

Same with sentence 2., "a habit" is what you hear in this particular sentence.

In sentence 3., yes, you can use either "a" or "the" here, meaning approximately the same thing - that's just the way it is with this particular sentence.

There are really no technical grammatical explanations for the 3 sentences, that's just the way things are said in English, and you've got to learn these situations by experience. The best "explanation" I can give as a native speaker is that sentences 1. and 2. have become almost like idioms in the language: "I've gotten into the habit of...", and "Don't make a habit of...", so the article is set in these expressions, and you can't use "a" and "the", respectively, in them.

Sentence 3. is not idiomatic-like, and so the article used is not set, like it is in sentence 1. and 2.

Contraposition · Answer

just idiomatic? ....
Could you please answer the similar quesiton ?

Dimsumexpress · Answer

contraposition,

contrapositioncontraposition

I know it is insanely difficult for learner to nail down the article and preposition usages. The previous anon said it well. Grammar books are just a road map for basic rule and all the fundamentals.

There are many aspects in practical English that are either not clearly explained, or their explanations are too confusing for learners to digest. The only way to become more comfortable with them is to read more and listen carefully to how the natives speak and narrate on a regular basis.

News anchors commentaries and informative documentaries are great tools. Once you are accustomed to hearing the natural patterns, it will slowly become second nature to you.

I think that is why we have "idioms". Things that we can't explain by grammar rule, we dump them in that category.

Article problem : habit

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