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HiI have two questions on this sentences.Man cannot live by bread alone.Question 1Can we use a or the before man in any context?(I remember learning that we should not use "the" before man while it is necessary to use the before other singular countable noun, for example, " The dog is a faithful animal") Question 2Will live on fit the place of live by?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

vsureshCan we use a or the before man in any context?

The Biblical version refers to 'man' as 'human beings'. A change to 'a man' changes the meaning a little to 'any particular human being', which isn't very much different from the original. 'the man' would refer specifically to one male person, so with 'the' the meaning changes quite a lot. We don't say "The man ..." unless something in the previous text or conversation lets us know who this man is.

vsuresh"The dog is a faithful animal"

The use of 'the' to refer to a group is the least effective way to express a generic concept. Both plurals and the indefinite article do a better job. Personally, I avoid 'the' for generic statements, and quite a lot of native speakers do. That usage is much more formal than most people are comfortable with. And it's also too easy to misinterpret as a non-generic use. I recommend these instead, especially the first:

Dogs are faithful animals. / A dog is a faithful animal.

vsureshWill live on fit the place of live by?

Yes. In fact, I am more familiar with the version that has 'on'. There are actually three or four slightly different translations of this one. (None of the Bible was actually written in English, you know. )

CJ

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