[erihime]

Hello, rewboss...

Thank you so much for the thorough explanation with the examples.l

I think I know where to use 'the' and 'a/an'. Here is another question just popped up in my mind.

When we say, " I like dogs better than cats", we are talking about dogs and cats in general. First of all, is it correct to make the nouns (i.e. dogs and cats) plural? ( I think it is.) Then, if I write "I like a dog better than a cat", did I change the meaning of the first sentence? Are both correct?

Also, we should not put 'a/an' in front of uncountable nouns. But when we are talking about the specific object, we can still use 'the', can't we?

"We saw deer in our backyard. The deer was nipping the branches."

I don't need to put 'the' before the first 'deer' , do I?

The more I think, the more I get confused...

Could you please take a look at the following sentences?

1. I met a girl at the station. The girl was wearing a black coat.
2. A supermarket(or Supermarkets?) is(are) very large in the U.S.A.
3. Furniture is usually expensive. (In this case, I am not talking about any specific furniture. That means I don't have to put any articles, doesn't it?)

I really appreciate your help.
Thank you very much.