Generic reference: a/the/no article

Question

Hi guys,Take a look at the following sentences:1) The bike is the most popular means of transportations nowadays.2) Bike is the most popular means of transportations nowadays.3) Bikes are the most popular means of transportations nowadays.Are they all correct and do they carry the same meaning?I assume that "a bike" would be wrong in this context, right?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Only these two work.

[The bike is / Bikes are] the most popular means of transportations nowadays.

2) is impossible. A singular concrete countable noun in English must have an article.

You're right. A bike would be wrong.

CJ

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Take a look at the following sentences:

1) The bike is the most popular means of transportations nowadays. Fine, and commonly said. A general statement often uses 'the' in this way. Think of it as a definite/spcific reference to 'the bike' as opposed to 'the car' or 'the plane' or 'the bus'.

2) Bike is the most popular means of transportations nowadays. Ungrammatical. The singular word needs an article, ie a/the.

3) Bikes are the most popular means of transportations nowadays. Fine, and commonly said. Does not quite suggest that you are comparing to other modes of travel in the way that #1 suggested this. But #1 and #3 are very similar.

Are they all correct and do they carry the same meaning?

I assume that "a bike" would be wrong in this context, right? No, fine, as noted under #2. Just makes the statement sounds slightly less definite/specific than #1.

Clive

CalifJim · Answer

CliveI assume that "a bike" would be wrong in this context, right? No, fine, as noted...

Hmm. It seems wrong to me, but I can't explain why.

CJ

Clive · Answer

Hi CJ,

Well, we managed to spread confusion there!

I love English, don't you?

Clive

MichalS · Answer

Hi guys

Thank you for answering!!!

I certainly won't clear up the confusion myself (not that smart) but I can quote a source that may be helpful.

"We can also generalise by talking about one example of a class, using a/an (meaning "any") with a singular countable noun.
- A baby deer can stand as soon as it's born.
- A child needs plenty of love.
Note that we cannot use a/an in this way when we are generalising about all of the members of a group together.
- The tiger is in danger of becoming extinct. (NOT A tiger is in danger of becoming extinct. The sentence is about the whole tiger family, not about individuals.)"

M. Swan. Practical English Usage. 3rd Edition. p. 60

On the basis I figured, rightly or wrongly, that "A bike is the most popular means of transportation nowadays." is incorrect as it probably does not refer to 'one example of a class' but all the members within the class of bikes, but I'm not so sure about that

Now, whaddya think?

Mr Wordy · Answer

MichalSOn the basis I figured, rightly or wrongly, that "A bike is the most popular means of transportation nowadays." is incorrect as it probably does not refer to 'one example of a class' but all the members within the class of bikes, but I'm not so sure about that

If you take the entire sentence as talking about one specific instance of a general case -- that is, one typical person, one typical bike -- then I think "a" works. On the other hand, if you take "the most popular means of transportation nowadays" to refer to a mass of people then it seems a bit funny, as if they're all using the same bike.

CalifJim · Answer

MichalSA bike is the most popular means of transportation nowadays.

I'm inclined to ask "Which bike is that?", which means it's not generic, which was originally intended. I did a little research on this:

Speaking of generic references, Huddleston says that if the predicate applies to each individual of the generic group, you can use a, but if the predicate applies only to the group as a whole, you can't. Thus,

A whale is a large mammal. (Each whale is a large mammal.)

But not:

*A whale is an endangered species. (It is not the case that each whale is an endangered species.)

(In either case, you can use the.)

In the example of the bike, it is not the case, in my opinion, that each bike is the most popular means of transportation nowadays. That's probably why a bike (as a generic in this context) didn't seem correct to my ear.

CJ

MichalS · Answer

Got it! Thanks guys!

CJ, your post evoked (spurred/prompted/sparked? - jee, which ones fit here?, seriously

) another question in my head.

CalifJimA whale is a large mammal. (Each whale is a large mammal.)

But not:

*A whale is an endangered species. (It is not the case that each whale is an endangered species.)

(In either case, you can use the.)

- A child needs plenty of love.
- The child needs plenty of love.

"the" in the whale sentences sounds O.K. but here it bothers me a little for some reason. How are these different?

CalifJim · Answer

I think the lesson we should take from Huddleston's examples is that it's always a matter of how the subject interacts with the predicate. In the "child needs" case, it's possible to construe the child as a specific, previously mentioned child, so the child does not work well as a generic in that sentence. There's too much interference with an alternate interpretation. However, it might work as a generic quite well with a different predicate, for example, something you might find in a book on child development. My example (below) may not be the best, but it gives you a basic idea of the sort of generic statement I have in mind.

The/A child develops faster in the first five years than in the sixth to tenth years.

CJ

Yoong Liat · Answer

MichalSA child needs plenty of love.
- The child needs plenty of love.

A child refers to children in general.
The child refers to a specific child.

To me A bike/Bike is the most popular means of transportation nowadays is not correct, as CJ has stated.

Generic reference: a/the/no article

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