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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
A/the violin
Excuse me, but what is the difference in meaning?
[1] He was playing a violin when the visitor arrived.
[2] He was playing the violin when the visitor arrived.
[1] He was playing a violin when the visitor arrived.
[2] He was playing the violin when the visitor arrived.
Top answer
No difference, really, as it stands. In context, the second suggests that he is a violinist, while the first does not.
- No difference, really, as it stands.
- In context, the second suggests that he is a violinist, while the first does not.
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2 Answers
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No difference, really, as it stands. In context, the second suggests that he is a violinist, while the first does not.
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"playing a violin" means playing any (unidentified) violin. "playing the violin" could mean playing a particular violin -- one that has been mentioned previously and is known to the reader/listener. This is the usual "a"/"the" distinction.
However, "playing the <instrument>" is also a common idiom in which "the" does not refer to a particular identified instance of th
However, "playing the <instrument>" is also a common idiom in which "the" does not refer to a particular identified instance of th
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