tom3m
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2011
- Member Type
- English Teacher
- Native Language
- Czech
- Home Country
- Czech Republic
- Current Location
- Czech Republic
Yesterday, I got a book from Michael Swan - PEU. In the introduction of the book, the first sentence goes:
English, like all languages, is full of problems for the foreign learner.
I do not understand, why there is the definite article used, when we are speaking about foreign learners in general. I would use indefinite 'a' (which would obviously be a mistake) because we are refering to the foreign learner for the first time and we are not speaking about one particular foreign learner. Can you clarify the usage of the definite article?
English, like all languages, is full of problems for the foreign learner.
I do not understand, why there is the definite article used, when we are speaking about foreign learners in general. I would use indefinite 'a' (which would obviously be a mistake) because we are refering to the foreign learner for the first time and we are not speaking about one particular foreign learner. Can you clarify the usage of the definite article?
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