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Anonymous Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Should I use "the" here?

I'm writing about a study and its results. Which one of the following is right, or are they both, and if so, what's the difference?

a. 75% of the respondents said that...

b. 75% of respondents said that...
  

Top answer

I'd use 'the' since you are usually referring to a specific group. If, for example, you are talking about the population as a whole, you could say something like '50% of women' because you mean all women in general. When you say '50% of the women', you are again talking about a specific group of women.

— Ferdis

  • I'd use 'the' since you are usually referring to a specific group.
  • If, for example, you are talking about the population as a whole, you could say something like '50% of women' because you mean all women in general.
  • When you say '50% of the women', you are again talking about a specific group of women.
  • I'm not sure if native speakers would agree, but this is how I see it.
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1 Answers
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I'd use 'the' since you are usually referring to a specific group. If, for example, you are talking about the population as a whole, you could say something like '50% of women' because you mean all women in general. When you say '50% of the women', you are again talking about a specific group of women. I'm not sure if native speakers would agree, but this is how I see it.
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