"The white bear" or "the white bears" ....

Question

Dear,

I was confused with these sentences:
The white bear only lives near the north pole
The white bear only live near the north pole
The white bears only live near the north pole

I don't know which one is correct.

also, the following three sentences:
The old tigers are usually more cunning than the young tigers
An old tiger is usually more cunning than an young tiger
old tigers are usually more cunning than young tigers

Please help me!

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

In the fifth sentence it's "a young tiger", not "an young tiger".

Other than that, all six are acceptable. They're all correct.

The plural of "bear" is either "bear" or "bears", so you're OK on that score.

Generic statements can usually be expressed with the definite article (the) in the singular, the indefinite article (a, an) in the singular, or without an article in the plural, so all your choices which express something generic are correct. (The way I'm reading them, the second, third, and fourth sentences are not generic statements, but statements about some particular white bear(s) / tigers.)

CJ

Averell · Answer

Thanks!

So, as I understand, the following generic statements are grammartically right:

The tiger is strong
Tigers are strong

And the following sentence is wrong:
The tiger are strong (The word 'tiger' here is a scpecies, not a particular tiger)

So, what's the mistake in the following senctence:

The Soay sheep, the old breed of sheep in existence, has changed little since 3500 .B.C

Yesterday, I thought that the mistake is has changed, but now

CalifJim · Answer

Now you've changed the predicate to "is strong"! That more or less removes the possibility of thinking of this as a generic statement! An individual can be strong, but not a whole species.

Let's go back to something more generic.

The tiger is a stealthy hunter.
A tiger is a stealthy hunter.
Tigers are stealthy hunters.

But not usually "The tigers are stealthy hunters" if you want a generic meaning.

Compare with your example with "sheep":

The Soay sheep has changed little since 3500 BC. ("sheep" is singular, meaning "the Soay breed of sheep".)
------ Since the predicate of the sentence cannot apply to an individual, we can't have "A Soay sheep" here. --------
Soay sheep have changed little since 3500 BC. ("sheep" is plural, meaning "Soay sheep as a group".)

______

("The tiger are strong" is not possible. You have a singular subject with a plural verb.)

CJ

Casi · Answer

Averell asked:

So, what's the mistake in the following sentence:

The Soay sheep, the old breed of sheep in existence, has changed little since 3500 B.C

Additionally,

The Soay sheep, the oldest breed of sheep in existence, had changed little since 3500 B.C.

All the best,

Averell · Answer

I've fully understood.
Thank you very much!

Averell · Answer

Oh, sorry, I have one more question: Could I say: Soay sheep (plural), the old breed of sheep (singular) in existence, has changed little since 3500 .B.C?

Casi · Answer

With that example sentence, either 'has' or 'have' will work. It depends on whether you interpret "Soay sheep" as an inanimate thing (i.e., a name, a breed, a singular noun, as CJ explained) or as animate beings, a plural noun (i.e., animals).

The subject and its verb are underlined:

Animals: plural noun
(The animals known as) The Soay sheep, [which is] the oldest breed of sheep in existence, have changed little.

Breed: singular noun
(The breed know as) The Soay sheep, [which is] the oldest breed of sheep in existence, has changed little.

Note, 'old breed of sheep' should be 'oldest breed of sheep'.

All the best,

"The white bear" or "the white bears" ....

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