Question on article use: the leaders of the people?

Question

Hi. Please help me with these. First please read what I said in reference to some example sentence and then help me with the question. Thank you for your anticipated help.

They are leaders/the leaders of the peple. -- I don't see any difference. To me, adding/putting the article "the" before the word "leaders" doesn't add to specification of what they are referring to, that is "the people," any more than if we decide not to add/put the article "the" in that spot.

They are leaders who were here yesterday. -- I think this means that they are some leaders who were there yesterday. They could be all leaders who were there but we don't know from the sentence that is so.

They are the leaders who were here yesterday. -- I think this means they are all the leaders who were there yesterday.

Now to my question: Does the sentence say all the people came in?

Now the leaders of the people came in.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

They are leaders/the leaders of the people. -- I don't see any difference. -- There is a difference. 'Leaders' means 'some, not necessarily all'; 'the leaders' means 'all'.

They are leaders who were here yesterday. -- I think this means that they are some leaders who were there yesterday.-- The restrictive clause indicates that these are only some of the leaders; others were not here.

They are the leaders who were here yesterday. -- I think this means they are all the leaders who were there yesterday.-- Again, the restrictive clause indicates that they are only some of the leaders; 'the' refers to the specific ones who were here, not the others who were not.

Now the leaders of the people came in.-- All the leaders came in.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousNow to my question: Does the sentence say all the people came in?
Now the leaders of the people came in.

I think you'll have to rethink your question completely. Your examples were all about the leaders, and then you asked a question about the people.

No, the sentence doesn't say that any of the people came in. The people are quite likely to have stayed home during all of this. Only the leaders came in, and all of the leaders previously referred to came in. The people were nowhere to be found, I assume.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you, Mr. Micawber, so much for your help. That goes to CalifJim, too. This is in response to what CalifJim brought out: as to the question I asked, there was a mistake, I meant to ask whether the example sentence, "Now the leaders of the people came in," indicates all the leaders came in and not meant to ask whether it indicates if all the people came in. Thank you, CalifJim, for bring it out.

Please allow me, Mr. Micawber, to make another "go" at correctly using the definite article correctly in certain contexts as the ones I introduced last time. I must say I have learned from your response. Thank you, again.

Let me change the topic this time to "cookies."

1. Oat meal and chocolate chip cookies are 1) cookies/ 2) the cookies of his choice. -- To me, no. 1 says oat meal and chocolate chips are cookies of his choice but doesn't say they are only ones of their choice. It leaves open for the possibility he likes some other ones like almond cookies. As for no. 2, to me, it says the two are the only ones of his choice and doesn't leave any other possibilities (like almond cookies).

2. He tasted 1) cookies/ 2) the cookies he bought yesterday. -- To me, no. 1 indicates/says he tasted some cookies he bought yesterday. I am not sure but I think he might have tasted all but the sentence isn't clear on that. As for no. 2, I think it says he tasted all the cookies he bought yesterday.

3. These are 1) cookies/ 2) the cookies he bought yesterday. -- To me, no. 1 says those are cookies he bought yesterday. As to whether those are all the cookies he bought yesterday isn't clear from teh sentence but the sentence doesn't remove the possibility they might be all he bought yestersay. Unlike no. 1, no. 2 seems to say those are all the cookies he bought yesterday.

4. Oat meal and chocolate chip cookies are 1) cookies/ 2) the cookies he ate yesterday. -- To me, no. 1 says the two are cookies he ate and leaves open the possibility he might have eaten some others. As to no. 2, I think it says the two are only cookies he ate yesterday.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Mister Micawber · Answer

'Of his choice' is not idiomatic. You probably mean the cliched 'one's...of choice'. Therefore, the first pair of sentences are invalidated as an example thus:

1. Oat meal and chocolate chip cookies are 1) his cookies of choice.
1. Oat meal and chocolate chip cookies are 2) his cookies of choice. (An article cannot stand with a possessive adjective)

For the others, to me:

2. He tasted 1) cookies he bought yesterday. -- The listener had been unaware of the cookie purchase.

2. He tasted 2) the cookies he bought yesterday. -- The listener was earlier apprised of the purchase.

3. These are 1) cookies he bought yesterday.-- The listener had been unaware of the cookie purchase.
3. These are 2) the cookies he bought yesterday.-- The listener was earlier apprised of the purchase.

4. Oat meal and chocolate chip cookies are 1) cookies he ate yesterday.-- - The listener had been unaware of the cookies included in the meal.
4. Oat meal and chocolate chip cookies are 2) the cookies he ate yesterday..-- The listener was earlier apprised of the cookies included in the meal.

Question on article use: the leaders of the people?

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