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Russkiy Bear Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Plurals and the definite article
Do I have to use 'the' in the following sentences assuming that those things have never been mentioned before in a conversation. I'm talking the specific use of the definite article
(The) people in the city still speak a dialect. (not just any people but those who live in this city)
(The) shirts in this store are cheap (.....in this store)
(The) Americans in Russia try to learn the Russian language (and so on)
I don't like (the) reviews on that site
I read (the) books by John Summers
Or there's a difference in the meaning with and without the definite article?
(The) people in the city still speak a dialect. (not just any people but those who live in this city)
(The) shirts in this store are cheap (.....in this store)
(The) Americans in Russia try to learn the Russian language (and so on)
I don't like (the) reviews on that site
I read (the) books by John Summers
Or there's a difference in the meaning with and without the definite article?
Top answer
Hello, Russkiy Bear—and welcome to English Forums. With no previous mention, these seem the natural versions to me: (The) People in this city still speak a dialect. (The) Shirts in this store are cheap.
- Hello, Russkiy Bear—and welcome to English Forums.
- With no previous mention, these seem the natural versions to me: (The) People in this city still speak a dialect.
- (The) Shirts in this store are cheap.
- Americans in Russia try to learn Russian.
- I don't like the reviews on that site I read the books by John Summers .
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4 Answers
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Hello, Russkiy Bear—and welcome to English Forums.
With no previous mention, these seem the natural versions to me:
(The) People in this city still speak a dialect.
(The) Shirts in this store are cheap.
Americans in Russia try to learn Russian.
I don't like the reviews on that site
I read the books by John Summers. (= all of his
With no previous mention, these seem the natural versions to me:
(The) People in this city still speak a dialect.
(The) Shirts in this store are cheap.
Americans in Russia try to learn Russian.
I don't like the reviews on that site
I read the books by John Summers. (= all of his
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Thanks!
Oh I don't hope for an all-encompassing rule. This is English
I'm just trying to understand how the whole thin
Oh I don't hope for an all-encompassing rule. This is English
I'm just trying to understand how the whole thin
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(The) People in this city still speak a dialect. (optional)
(The) Shirts in this store are cheap. (optional)
Americans in Russia try to learn Russian. (optional but no 'the' seems more natural to me)
I don't like the reviews on that site (optional but 'the' seems more natural to me)
(The) Shirts in this store are cheap. (optional)
Americans in Russia try to learn Russian. (optional but no 'the' seems more natural to me)
I don't like the reviews on that site (optional but 'the' seems more natural to me)
Russkiy BearThe John Summers examples
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I started thinking numbers. There are a lot of Americans so no "the" and not as many reviews on the site so there's "the". And then I bumped into the first examples...
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