Usage of a/an/the..?

Question

Hi,
Sometimes I feel that even if I dont use say a/an, the sentence can convey the same meaning, which I want to convey. I mean it seems to me that there is no other possible interpretation of the statement, even if I omit a/an.. This makes me feel that sometimes a/an is redundant. Being a technical person, somehow my mind is automatically drawn to such redundancies..
Could someone pl discuss few sentences where omiting a/an/the makes the meaning of sentence different and susceptible to a different interpretation.
Thanks

Answer 1

From Wikipedia:

An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun.[1]

Articles can have various functions:[2]

A definite article (English the) is used before singular and plural nouns that refer to a particular member of a group.
The cat is on the black mat.
An indefinite article (English a, an) is used before singular nouns that refer to any member of a group.
A cat is a mammal.

Logic of definite articles
In English, a definite article is typically used to refer to an object or person who has been previously introduced. For example:

At last they came to a piece of rising ground, from which they plainly distinguished, sleeping on a distant mountain, a mammoth bear. . . . Then they requested the eldest to try and slip the belt over the bear's head. . . .
— Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi, appendix D
In this example, a bear becomes the bear because a "mammoth bear" had been previously introduced into the narrative, and no other bear was involved in the story. Only previously introduced subjects like "the bear" or unique subjects, where the speaker can assume that the audience is aware of the identity of the referent (The heart has its reasons. . . ) typically take definite articles in English.

In English, by contrast, the indefinite article is used in situations where a new subject is being introduced, and the speaker assumes that the hearer is not yet familiar with the subject:

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. . .
— A traditional nursery rhyme

From TeacherMan:

Now take out the articles:

At last they came to ___ piece of rising ground, from which they plainly distinguished, sleeping on ___ distant mountain, ___ mammoth bear. . . . Then they requested ___ eldest to try and slip ___ belt over ___ bear's head. . . .

OR

There was ___ old woman who lived in ___ shoe. . .

Good Luck....

Answer 2

Particularly liked your omission of the article in the last paragraph:
"Could someone please discuss few sentences. . ."

I am happy to discuss few - which here means a reduced number - As in these two similar sentences:

a) Few people eat pickles in their pajamas
b) A few people eat pickles in their pajamas

See the difference? The first sentence means that hardly ANYONe eats pickles so dressed. The second indicates that there may be some who do, though not a great number. Certainly more than in sentence a).

English has many such inconsistencies. Welcome to the language of Shakespeare and Asimov, Keats and Potok. All good writers. May you continue striving to be the best you can be. Love that language.

Answer 3

All languages have some redundancy built into their grammars. It aids communication by giving people a kind of second chance.

There aren't many cases in which the "a" makes a diiference, but one example would be "I would like a horse" (to ride) versus "I would like horse" (to eat).

There are plenty of cases in which the distinction between "a" and "the" is important.

Answer 4

The things you are referring to are called articles. They indicate one of something. A is used before words that begin with a consonant and an is used before words that begin with a vowel. The can be used before either one. Articles are just part of our language. It would sound weird if we didn't use them because they differentiate between one and more than one of something. It would be awkward to say Elephant is eating grass in the field. The meaning would be the same, but it sounds primitive and incomplete.