Which article must I use and why?

Asked Jan 25 '14 at 17:56

Active Dec 15 '14 at 16:12

Viewed 79 times

Would you please explain the difference between the following?

The average American city requires a prodigious amount of fish daily.

And:

An average American city requires a prodigious amount of fish daily.

edited Dec 15 '14 at 16:12

Hugo

asked Jan 25 '14 at 17:56

nima

7

These are Generic Noun Phrases. Neither of them is talking about one city, but rather about the set of American cities which are called "average", for some definition of "average". The first sentence is an example of a Definite Generic NP, the second of an Indefinite Generic NP. You might as well add Average American cities require a prodigious amount of fish daily, which is an example of the Plural Generic NP. Explanations here. – John Lawler Jan 25 '14 at 18:03

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