Pavel
An English learner vs English articles (again) Hello italki community, A native English sentence - And drinking too much can cause a(*) person to pass out altogether. Shouldn't we use "the" article instead of a(*) here? Why? Well, my non-native logic - THE person here would mean that exact person who drinks too much, not any person, but definite one. If Matt drinks too much, well Matt will pass out, not John. Thank you.
2024年5月13日 14:30
解答 · 3
1
In this type of construction, it's referring to a general person (any person) who fits the criteria. If you did use 'the' it wouldn't sounds too weird or jarring, though.
2024年5月13日
a person = any person = one
2024年5月15日
No, it's the right choice of article. No specific person was mentioned.
2024年5月13日
還沒找到你要的答案嗎?
寫下你的問題,讓母語者來幫助你!