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Stoyanov Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

The vs a vs plural

Hi everyone!

Is there a difference between saying: "The dog is a very obedient animal" and "Dogs are very obedient animals"? I think there isn't. However, I'm not 100% sure.

I also came across the saying: "A dog is a man's best friend." Here we use the indefinite article to talk about things in general. Are those just three different uses that mean the same thing or is there a (subtle) difference?

Dogs are men's best friends.
A dog is a man's best friend.
The dog is the man's best friend.

Thanks!
  

Top answer

Stoyanov - Dogs are m a n's best friends. A dog is a man's best friend. The dog is the man's best friend.

  • Stoyanov - Dogs are m a n's best friends.
  • A dog is a man's best friend.
  • The dog is the man's best friend.
  • Use "man's" without an article in each case.
  • It refers to mankind in general, not to an individual person who is male.
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2 Answers
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Stoyanov-
Dogs are man's best friends.
A dog is a man's best friend.
The dog is the man's best friend.
Use "man's" without an article in each case. It refers to mankind in general, not to an individual person who is male.
These are called generic st
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A very concise and helpful explanation! Much appreciated Emotion: smile

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