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Cat desk Posted 7 years ago
Grammar

Usage of plural nouns with and without 'the'

Hi there, can I use the plural nouns in the given sentences with and without the. What difference in meaning does the create in the sentences? And as an English speaker which one sounds best to your ears?
  1. John, I have been to many countries in my life. I can tell you one thing that (the) people in America are politically very aware.
  2. (The) students at this school are diligent, intelligent and smart.
As an ESL learner it confuses me a lot because I have seen sentences like these are used both with and without the. And I can't figure it out. Could anyone please explain?

My probelms begin when nouns with plural from come before preposition like -(the) people in America, (the) teachers at this scool.
  

Top answer

Here's the idea. The students at this school are diligent, intelligent and smart. Sounds like you are talking about all of them.

— Clive

  • Here's the idea.
  • The students at this school are diligent, intelligent and smart.
  • Sounds like you are talking about all of them.
  • Students at this school are diligent, intelligent and smart.
  • Sounds like you may or may not be talking about all of them.
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3 Answers
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  1. Here's the idea.
  2. The students at this school are diligent, intelligent and smart. Sounds like you are talking about all of them.
  3. Students at this school are diligent, intelligent and smart. Sounds like you may or may not be talking about all of them.
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The deciding factor in the inclusion of additional words can be sentence rhythm. The extra words often give a smoother rhythmic flow in the sentence. In 1. the sentence is grammatical and has the same meaning with or without "the," but with the article, the sentence has a better rhythm. Similarly, in 2. the article makes the sentence smoother and more rhythmical. Some other examples:

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cat desk Hi there, can I use the plural nouns in the given sentences with and without the. What difference in meaning does the
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