Article question
Is it true that when you are talking about a general fact, knowledge, or science you don't use any article (e.g. a, an, the) at all?
For example,
1. Dog is our best friend
2. A dog is our best best friend
3. Dogs are our best friend
Here I am not specifying any particular dog.
I think 1 is the most appropriate. I cannot say 2 and 3 are wrong
Top answer
kenny1999 talking about a general fact Judging by your examples, you're talking about 'generic reference'. The plural is the best way to make a generic reference: Dogs are our best friends . The article 'a'/'an' is the next best way to do this: A tiger is a carnivore .
- kenny1999 talking about a general fact Judging by your examples, you're talking about 'generic reference'.
- The plural is the best way to make a generic reference: Dogs are our best friends .
- The article 'a'/'an' is the next best way to do this: A tiger is a carnivore .
- The article 'the' can be used, but it sounds old-fashioned to me, and it can sometimes result in ambiguous meanings, so I don't recommend it.
- The whale is a mammal .
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kenny1999talking about a general fact
Judging by your examples, you're talking about 'generic reference'.
The plural is the best way to make a generic reference: Dogs are our best friends.
The article 'a'/'an' is the next best way to do this: A tiger is a carnivore.
The article 'the' can be used, but it sounds old-fashioned
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