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Guest Posted 22 years ago
Grammar

Definite article

Hello

It is very difficult to use the article "the". Would you take a look at the following sentence?

#1 Ten little children danced very well at the party.

Is #1 grammatically OK? Should I put "the" like #2?
Or are both OK but the meanings are different?

#2 The ten little children danced very well at the party.

Thank you.
  

Top answer

Both sentences are possible, and they do carry different meanings, Guest. ' -- in the context of the sentence (the conversation, essay or whatever) this is the first mention of these children, they are presumed by the speaker to be new to the listener. '-- here, in context, the children have already been mentioned or are presumed previously known to the listener.

— Mister Micawber

  • Both sentences are possible, and they do carry different meanings, Guest.
  • ' -- in the context of the sentence (the conversation, essay or whatever) this is the first mention of these children, they are presumed by the speaker to be new to the listener.
  • '-- here, in context, the children have already been mentioned or are presumed previously known to the listener.
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1 Answers
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Both sentences are possible, and they do carry different meanings, Guest.

#1 'Ten little children danced very well at the party.' -- in the context of the sentence (the conversation, essay or whatever) this is the first mention of these children, they are presumed by the speaker to be new to the listener.

#2 'The ten little children danced very well at the party.'-- here, in co
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