0
Anonymous Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

breakfast is a / the meal we ...

Hello,

Whis of these is correct:

Breakfast is a meal we eat in the morning.

Breakfast is the meal we eat in the morning.

I think that both are OK. IMO, the definite article contrasts the meal with the other daily meals. The indefinite article stresses the fact that anything we eat in the morning (no matter whether it's just a slice of toast or cooked breakfast) can be considered breakfast. Is my assumption correct?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

a meal

— Inchoateknowledge

  • a meal
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

6 Answers
0
Inchoateknowledgea meal
Thanks. It's the obvious choice. On the other hand, I think that

Breakfast is the meal we eat in the morning.

might be correct in the situation I mentioned, i.e. when you say Breakfast is the meal we eat in the morning you are
0
0
Both are ok. Depends on the context though. If somebody asked you what breakfast is, you might reply "breakfast is a meal we eat in the morning. If they asked you what time breakfast is eaten, you might reply "breakfast is the meal we eat in the morning".
0
0
'Which meal do you eat in the morning?'

'Breakfast is the meal ...'

sounds higly 'artificial', but correct
0
0
the definite article contrasts the meal with the other daily meals. The indefinite article stresses the fact that anything we eat in the morning ... can be considered breakfast. Is my assumption correct?

I'd say your assumption is correct, yes.

CJ
0
0
Both correct, with different meanings outlined in the above

On the, see at the New York Times:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9D03E5D9173AF931A15752C1A9669C8B63

... .'' Breakfast is the meal
0

Related Questions