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Lennyman Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Under (the) swaying palm trees!
Hi there,
I am trying to explain this to a couple of non-English speakers.
Here's the sentence:
I can picture you lying on a beach under (the) swaying palm trees!
I am trying to make them understand that the article depends on the context. Assuming that these palm trees were NOT mentioned before and that I am talking to someone going to Hawaii, "the palm trees" works. Hawaiian beaches have palm trees and they are expected to sway in the breeze, so it's the swaying palm trees that are there.
But if we are talking about a beach somewhere in the far north, I advise them to say:
I can picture you lying on a beach under (some) swaying palm trees!
(Okay, there aren't usually palm trees in such places at all, but maybe there are some artificial ones that I know about but the person I am talking to probably doesn't know, so I don't use the definite article).
Does this explanation work for you?
I am trying to explain this to a couple of non-English speakers.
Here's the sentence:
I can picture you lying on a beach under (the) swaying palm trees!
I am trying to make them understand that the article depends on the context. Assuming that these palm trees were NOT mentioned before and that I am talking to someone going to Hawaii, "the palm trees" works. Hawaiian beaches have palm trees and they are expected to sway in the breeze, so it's the swaying palm trees that are there.
But if we are talking about a beach somewhere in the far north, I advise them to say:
I can picture you lying on a beach under (some) swaying palm trees!
(Okay, there aren't usually palm trees in such places at all, but maybe there are some artificial ones that I know about but the person I am talking to probably doesn't know, so I don't use the definite article).
Does this explanation work for you?
Top answer
I would almost always use "the" because "the palm trees" would be those specific trees growing on whatever beach you happened to be lying on. It's not a good example, in my opinion.
- I would almost always use "the" because "the palm trees" would be those specific trees growing on whatever beach you happened to be lying on.
- It's not a good example, in my opinion.
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