(the ? ) Jews who survived ( the ? ) concerntration camps.

Question

Hi allI was just wondering if you could help me out with using articles. When do we use 'the' in a context like the one below? The exhibition were attend by (the ? ) Jews who survived ( the ? ) concerntration camps. Thank youPBF

Optilang · Accepted Answer

Hi

The exhibition ~~were~~ was attended by (the ? ) Jews who survived ( the ? ) concerntration camps.

by Jews who survived the concentration camps. - some of the Jews who survived the camps attended.

by the Jews who survived the camps - this implies all the Jews who survived the camps attended.

Peaceblinkfriend · Answer

Thanks for replying Optilang.

I cannot believe how I could have managed to get those two words wrong. Just wondering. Is there a reason why it wouldn't be alright to not add an article in front of 'concentratioon camps'?

Thank you again

PBF

Avangi · Answer

(check agreement: the exhibition were)

Omit the first "the" because we mean "some Jews."

I'd keep the second one, meaning "all the camps," but you could omit it if you meant "some of the camps."

Mr Wordy · Answer

The exhibition was attended by (the ? ) Jews who survived ( the ? ) concentration camps.

In the first case, adding "the" makes it sound as if you're talking about all such Jews (unlikely to be true) or about all such Jews within a group of people that have previously been mentioned.

In the second case the sentence sounds better to me with "the", even if you mean "concentration camps in general" rather than specifically all of them or a specific subset identified by context.

I find it hard to explain why. In fact, I find all these "when should we use articles" questions very difficult to answer when grammatically either choice is possible. Perhaps someone else can give you a better answer!

Peaceblinkfriend · Answer

Thanks for replying Avangil.

Yea. I don't what happened. I was reading the sentence out to myself while I was typing it and somehow the part of the brain which controls my fine motor skills acted up.

I see. So in contexts like this one, use 'the' if we are referring to all of a kind, otherwise leave it out.

PBF

Peaceblinkfriend · Answer

Thanks for the follow-up Mr Wordy.

I can almost imagine how difficult it is to answer questions like the one I raised. It's ironic because we use articles all the time and native speakers have naturally acquired the gist of it without any painstaking effort. I wish I could just download all of this onto my brain.

PBF

Avangi · Answer

Peaceblinkfriend the part of the brain which controls my fine motor skills acted up.

Fine, indeed!

I suppose [the] camps is arguable. If a person was imprisoned in only one camp, you could omit "the" on that basis, if you so chose.

I tend to think of "the camps" as an institution. If you survived one you survived all.

At the same time, you could argue that anyone who was eligible and avoided imprisonment "survived" the institution of the camps. But I expect the Jewish community would take a dim view of this approach.

My own inclinatiion is to use "the camps."

Anonymous · Answer

Hi. Could the part (of the sentence) you referenced in writing your response could cover the instance/situation where all the Jews who survived the camps attended and not only some?

You wrote:

by Jews who survived the concentration camps. - some of the Jews who survived the camps attended.

Peaceblinkfriend · Answer

Thanks for replying Avangi.

Just to clarify, there isn't a special reason why you wrote 'the camps' instead of 'the concentration camps' right?

Thank you

PBF

Avangi · Answer

Naw, just savin' memory.

(the ? ) Jews who survived ( the ? ) concerntration camps.

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