Definite article for generalization

Question

Hi.I need a help for this usage of the definite article.          the          4 used to refer to a thing in general rather than a particular examplePlease check the sentences below and my intentions in the brackets:He's one of the child of deaf.  (He's a deaf child.)Can you keep the secret?   (Do you have the ability to keep a secret?) Thank you very much in advance.

Dimsumexpress · Accepted Answer

kook jHe's one of the child of deaf. (He's a deaf child.)

No, this won't be correct. In western society, it is considered extremely insulting or demeaning to refer to some as deaf.
Say this: He is one of the children with hearing disability/ impairment.

kook jCan you keep the secret? (Do you have the ability to keep a secret?)

Can you keep a secret? "The" is not correct for the above.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

I think perhaps you mean
eg The elephant is the largest land animal in the world.
This is a general statement about all elephants.

eg The deaf child is faced with many problems in life.
This is a general statement about all deaf children.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

actually the largest animal is the wale ^^

JohnParis · Answer

Clive said "the largest L A N D animal." Last I checked, whales lived in the sea.
And it's whale, not wale.

Definite article for generalization

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