Quite a // Quite the

Question

ex) That's quite a rock!ex) We were quite the item back in the neighborhood.Teachers, could someone please explain why the artilces of the above are different? I have no idea. I would appreciate it. Thanks!

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

.
I see no substantive difference. The definite article seems more emphatic. These are all in use.

That's quite a rock!
That's quite the rock!
We were quite the item back in the neighborhood.
We were quite an item back in the neighborhood.
.

Liveinjapan · Answer

Excuse me,

Mister MicawberWe were quite the item back in the neighborhood.
We were quite an item back in the neighborhood.

What do they mean?

Do they mean "we were in a relationship in the neighborhood"?

CalifJim · Answer

Without a negative, as in your examples,
quite a has to do with being extraordinary or remarkable.
quite the adds the idea of measuring up favorably to the ideal or most typical example of a thing.
He's quite a scholar / athlete. ~ He is an extraordinary scholar / athlete. He is a remarkable scholar / athlete.
He's quite the scholar /athlete. ~ He has all the qualities of the ideal scholar /athlete. He is everything you might imagine when you think of the ideal scholar / athlete.
They have quite a basketball team. ~ Their basketball team is extraordinary / remarkable.
They have quite the basketball team. ~ Their basketball team has all the qualities of the ideal basketball team. The team is everything you might imagine when you think of the ideal basketball team.
___
You can usually say quite a with just about anything, but not quite the. To use quite the you need something that might reasonably have a set of qualities that might be idealized.
For example, That's quite an aspirin! is just barely possible because the aspirin might be unusual in some way, perhaps misshapen, and thus remarkable. But to say That's quite the aspirin! is a bit ridiculous because aspirins are such numerous and trivial objects, and so nearly identical in every instance, that it's hard to think of what the ideal aspirin might be -- unless you are a specialist in the manufacture of aspirin, perhaps.
CJ

CalifJim · Answer

item implies a relationship, a pair, a couple.
back implies 'used to', when we used to live (back there) in the neighborhood. We don't live (back) there anymore. I see it as a combination of back in time and back in space.

CJ

Liveinjapan · Answer

Got it! Thanks, CJ.

Bamtori · Answer

hanks so much for your explanations guys!!! ^__^  ?

Quite a // Quite the

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