Hello,
I'm revising fixed expessions with definite articles and having problems with some of them.
We go to the shops, to the bank and to the post office, but do we go to the pub?? I was sure about that until I saw 'going to a pub' in an English coursebook.
Also, do we always read the newspaper? All the examples I've come across so far contained 'the'. This is illogical. How can I know what kind of newspaper a person is/was reading?
-What did you do last night? Nothing much. Just stayed in and read the newspaper. What about you?
- I went for a walk in the park. I love walking in the park when I have free time.
Do we always say "walk/stroll in the park" although there may be half a dozen parks in town and it's impossible to figure out which one is being referred to?
Articles are really tricky :shock:; sometimes they don't seem to follow any logic.
Thank you in advance.
***** NOT A TEACHER *****
Verona,
Thank you
so much for your question. After researching the answer,
I now understand it a little (a little!!!) better. (Of course, I shall give
credit to my "teachers" at the end.)
(1) One source agrees with you: "Teachers reported that article usage
was their number one teaching problem." This source also reminded us
that "the" comes from the word for "that" (which signals distance); "a"
comes from the word for "one." (My comment: maybe if we keep
that in mind, it might help us to better understand article usage.)
(2) The most insightful source I found reminded us that "the" is not
always so definite. This source says that sometimes there is an
indefinite definite article (or "weak" definite article).
Look at these two sentences:
(a) I'll read
the newspaper when I get home.
(b) I'll read
the book when I get home.
What is the difference in the use of "the"? The authors point out that
in (a) "the" is "weak." That is,
"the particular identity of the ...newspaper...is not thought to be especially important."
But in (b), the speaker is definitely referring to a particular book.
The scholars say something very interesting:
(In my words) Maybe the "weak" definites are
in fact INdefinites
in disguise!!! They say that "John read the newspaper" is equivalent
to "John read a newspaper." (But they also warn: do NOT think that
"weak" definites and ordinary indefinites are the same.)
Here is another one of their wonderful sentences:
(I have changed it a bit) Mary heard about
the riot on
the radio, and
Bob heard about
the riot on
the radio. They explain that "the riot" is
a case of a regular definite (there is a particular riot), but "the radio"
is a "weak" indefinite. Why? Maybe Mary heard the riot on the radio
at home, and Bob heard about the riot on the radio at school. The
authors point out we would get the same interpretation if we replaced
"the radio" with "
a radio."
(3) I also found more insight from some authors who talked about
what they called "functional uniqueness." They explained that sometimes
we are less interested in the
identity of something than in the unique
role that it plays within
"a certain socio-cultural frame."
They say that "I read it the newspaper" evokes the frame of the media.
In other words, the institution of the media.
They say that "We can take the bus" evokes the frame of public transport.
We use "the" in those two sentences because we are thinking of a
unique "kind."
(4) Finally, I can assure you that "
a newspaper" is often heard.
Maybe a teacher might say to her students: I want everyone to bring
a (that is, "one") newspaper to class tomorrow. And I think that
many younger people say: I never read a newspaper. I get all my
news from
the Internet or on my mobile device.
Therefore, I can well imagine the following dialogue:
A teenager talking on
the (!!!) phone: What are you doing, Grandpa?
Grandfather: Oh, I am reading
a newspaper.
Teenager: What is
a newspaper, Grandpa?
***** NOT A TEACHER *****
Sources:
1. Google "Seemingly Indefinite Definites." Written by Mr. Greg Carlson and Ms. Rachel Shirley Sussman.
2. Google "Cognitive English Grammar read the newspaper." Written by Mr. Gunter Radden.
3.
The Grammar Book (1983 edition) by Mesdames Celcia-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman, pages 171-172.
4. Google "Linguist List 13. 1363." A discussion with many viewpoints.
5. Google "Apparently arbitrary application of article rules"; then when page of results appears, click on "more" in the menu on the left; and then click on "discussions."
If you find any good articles on this subject, please let us know.
THANK YOU