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Azz Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
Element of chance
I think "THE element of chance" just means chance itself (as a factor involved in a process which has many elements), but what does "AN element of chance" mean? Is it an element which is characterised by its unpredictaiblity, or does "an element of chance" just mean chance again?
In life, there is always the element of chance.
In life, there is always an element of chance.
Is there any differnce between the two? I think there isn't, but then if am right can you give another example of such a construction.
an element of chance=chance
(with "the" of-course, examples abound: the element of education, the city of London, ...)
In life, there is always the element of chance.
In life, there is always an element of chance.
Is there any differnce between the two? I think there isn't, but then if am right can you give another example of such a construction.
an element of chance=chance
(with "the" of-course, examples abound: the element of education, the city of London, ...)
Top answer
I think you're over-analyzing. They're almost exactly the same. When you use "the," you're talking about a specific element, and when you use "an," it's less specified.
- I think you're over-analyzing.
- They're almost exactly the same.
- When you use "the," you're talking about a specific element, and when you use "an," it's less specified.
- The sentence with "the" is more often heard, but really, no one would notice a difference in spoken or written English.
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1 Answers
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I think you're over-analyzing. They're almost exactly the same. When you use "the," you're talking about a specific element, and when you use "an," it's less specified. The sentence with "the" is more often heard, but really, no one would notice a difference in spoken or written English.
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