Cats, a cat, the cat

[sitifan]

1. Cats and dogs are often enemies.
2. A cat and a dog are often enemies.
3. The cat and the dog are often enemies.

I think #1 is correct. Are #2 and #3 also acceptable?
_________________
Thank you very much for your reply.

[sarat_106]

Originally Posted by sitifan

1. Cats and dogs are often enemies.
2. A cat and a dog are often enemies.
3. The cat and the dog are often enemies.

I think #1 is correct. Are #2 and #3 also acceptable?
_________________
Thank you very much for your reply.

Yes #1 is correct and #2 is acceptable becuase of use of indefinite article, but #3 is incorrect. You not use "the" because the nouns before which it is used are indefinite (unspecified).The general rule states that the first mention of a noun is indefinite and all subsequent references to this noun are definite and take the.

[albertino]

Originally Posted by Manas Ranjan Mallick

Yes #1 is correct and #2 is acceptable becuase of use of indefinite article, but #3 is incorrect. You not use "the" because the nouns before which it is used are indefinite (unspecified).The general rule states that the first mention of a noun is indefinite and all subsequent references to this noun are definite and take the.

With due respect, I have some reservations about the answers to #2 & #3.
(Not a teacher)

[Anglika]

1. Cats and dogs are often enemies. General statement about the species concerned.
2. A cat and a dog are often enemies. General statement about unspecific animals
3. The cat and the dog are often enemies. Statement about specific animals known to the speaker; but can also be a general statement about "the cat"[animal species] and "the dog" [animal species].

I think #1 is correct. Are #2 and #3 also acceptable? So the answer is yes.