[Grammar] The definite articles

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Isobela

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Hi everyone,

I would like to kindly ask you for your help with the following sentences. I am still unsure about the usage of the definite (and indefinite) articles.

The most satisfied guests visiting our guest house are usually visitors from big cities and families with children.

That’s why occasional bike riders, as well as the lovers of long-distance cycling and, of course, the wine lovers, come often back to us.

Are the articles in these sentences correct? I have read somewhere that if you refer to a group of some people (for example, the poor, the rich, the disabled), you will use the definite article “the”. Are “lovers of long-distance cycling” and “wine lovers” such groups?
And my second big confusion is about the use of the definite article with the words followed by the preposition “of”. Do you use a definite article when there is a preposition “of” every time? That concerns, again, the “lovers of long-distance cycling” and “wine lovers”…

Thank you very much in advance!
 

emsr2d2

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Hi everyone,

I would like to kindly ask you for your help with the following sentences. I am still unsure about the usage of [strike]the[/strike] definite (and indefinite) articles.

The most satisfied guests visiting our guest house are usually visitors from big cities and families with children.

That’s why occasional bike riders, as well as [strike]the[/strike] lovers of long-distance cycling and, of course, [strike]the[/strike] wine lovers, come [strike]often[/strike] back to us often.

Are the articles in these sentences correct? Mostly, yes. See my amendments above.

I have read somewhere that if you refer to a group of some people (for example, the poor, the rich, the disabled), you will use the definite article “the”. Are “lovers of long-distance cycling” and “wine lovers” such groups? No. We say "the rich", "the poor" etc when the word being used is normally an adjective (rich, poor etc) - the shorter phrase replaces "all the rich people" or "all the poor people". "Lovers of long-distance cyling" isn't an adjective, it's a noun. You couldn't reword it as "all the lovers of long-distance cycling people".

And my second big confusion is about the use of the definite article with the words followed by the preposition “of”. Do you use a definite article when there is a preposition “of” every time? That concerns, again, the “lovers of long-distance cycling” and “wine lovers”… The word "of" doesn't appear in "wine lovers". It would appear in "lovers of wine". Is that the phrase you meant to use? In any case, I can't come up with any kind of rule where the use of an article is linked to the use of "of".

Thank you very much in advance!

See above.
 

Isobela

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Re: The definite article

Hi emsr2d2 and thanks very much for your reply! I actually didn't mean to write "wine lovers" in the last question, it was by a mistake. But regarding the use of a definite article when the word "of" is involved, my english grammar book says this: The definite article is used before the words followed by the preposition of, for example: The first of May, The month of June, The city of London etc. So, I don't really know...

If I may, I would also like to ask you if these sentences are correct or incorrect:
A place where the traditional folklore of wine cellars and cultural landscape still exists. (here I can't help but putting the "the", it seems very concrete to me and the only one traditional folklore of...)
...for everyone who is looking for traditional rural values such as a quiet environment, contact with nature and animals, a family atmosphere, honest home cooking, and local products, especially wine…
...a wonderful place for cycling, offering myriads of cycling trails.
Our bike rental is here for your more comfortable discovering of the local picturesque winegrowing area from a myriad of local cycling trails.

We offer home-cooked meals prepared with local products.

I hope it's not too much. Thanks very much!
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
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Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
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British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
Re: The definite article

Hi emsr2d2 and thanks very much for your reply! I actually didn't mean to write "wine lovers" in the last question, it was by a mistake. But regarding the use of a definite article when the word "of" is involved, my english grammar book says this: The definite article is used before the words followed by the preposition of, for example: The first of May, The month of June, The city of London etc. So, I don't really know...
These are specific examples of where the article is needed.

If I may, I would also like to ask you if these sentences are correct or incorrect:

A place where the traditional folklore of wine cellars and cultural landscape still exists. (here I can't help but putting the "the", it seems very concrete to me and the only one traditional folklore of...) :tick:

...for everyone who is looking for traditional rural values such as a quiet environment, contact with nature and animals, a family atmosphere, honest home cooking, and local products, especially wine… :tick:

...a wonderful place for cycling, offering myriads of cycling trails. This is a common error with the word "myriad". Don't say "myriads of". It's "... a wonderful place for cycling, offering myriad cycling trails". "Myriad" basically means "many".

Our bike rental is here for your more comfortable discovering of the local picturesque winegrowing area from a myriad of local cycling trails. "... for your more comfortable discovering ..." is very unnatural. The same point I made in the previous sentence is valid for "myriad".

We offer home-cooked meals prepared with local products. I would use "local ingredients", not "products".

I hope it's not too much. Thanks very much!

See above.
 
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