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Snappy Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
A/the temperature/population/etc. of
Native speakers would say:
Water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius. (Not "at the temperature of")
Do native speakers ever use "at the temperature of"? If yes, in what context do they use the expression?
Similarly, native speakers would say:
Kobe has a population of 1.5 million.
Do they ever use "the population of" in the following case?
Kobe has a population of 1.5 million. The population of 1.5 million means that Kobe is a comparatively large city.
Water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius. (Not "at the temperature of")
Do native speakers ever use "at the temperature of"? If yes, in what context do they use the expression?
Similarly, native speakers would say:
Kobe has a population of 1.5 million.
Do they ever use "the population of" in the following case?
Kobe has a population of 1.5 million. The population of 1.5 million means that Kobe is a comparatively large city.
Top answer
Offhand, I would say essentially No and No. You might hear, for instance, ' This temperature of 100°C is too low to melt iron'. 5 million means '.
- Offhand, I would say essentially No and No.
- You might hear, for instance, ' This temperature of 100°C is too low to melt iron'.
- 5 million means '.
- Because there is previous-mention or specificity (hence any question re 'the'), the subject (temperature, population) is no longer called for.
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4 Answers
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Offhand, I would say essentially No and No.
You might hear, for instance, 'This temperature of 100°C is too low to melt iron'. Usually, however: '100°C is too low', '1.5 million means'. Because there is previous-mention or specificity (hence any question re 'the'), the subject (temperature, population) is no longer called for.
You might hear, for instance, 'This temperature of 100°C is too low to melt iron'. Usually, however: '100°C is too low', '1.5 million means'. Because there is previous-mention or specificity (hence any question re 'the'), the subject (temperature, population) is no longer called for.
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Hi,
Native speakers would say:
Water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius. (Not "at the temperature of") I wouldn't say 'the' is wrong or never said in a context like this. It's just that 'a' makes the statement seem more general, which it is clearly intended to be.
Do native speakers ever use "at the temperature of"? If yes, in what context do they use the
Native speakers would say:
Water boils at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius. (Not "at the temperature of") I wouldn't say 'the' is wrong or never said in a context like this. It's just that 'a' makes the statement seem more general, which it is clearly intended to be.
Do native speakers ever use "at the temperature of"? If yes, in what context do they use the
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Thank you, Mister Micawber and Clive.
I am still confused.
Which do you use, "a" or "the", in the following cases?
The temple is situated at a/the distance of 55 km from this town.
The car is running at a/the speed of 70 miles an hour.
All calls are charged at a/the rate of £1.50 per minute
He was placed on probation for a/the period
I am still confused.
Which do you use, "a" or "the", in the following cases?
The temple is situated at a/the distance of 55 km from this town.
The car is running at a/the speed of 70 miles an hour.
All calls are charged at a/the rate of £1.50 per minute
He was placed on probation for a/the period
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There is evidently some idiomatic or collocational influence; I cannot otherwise account for the differences below:
The temple is situated at a distance of 55 km from this town.
The car is running at a speed of 70 miles an hour.
All calls are charged at a/the rate of £1.50 per minute
He was placed on probation for a period of three years.
The temple is situated at a distance of 55 km from this town.
The car is running at a speed of 70 miles an hour.
All calls are charged at a/the rate of £1.50 per minute
He was placed on probation for a period of three years.
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