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 PRACTICE ON POINTS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

• Article Summary
• A-unspecific
• A-specific
• All / The-class
• The-class/ A-unspec
• All / The-specfic
• The-identified
• The-Included Parts
• Shared Knowledge
• Landmarks
• Geography
• Countries
• Most / Most of the
• Second Mention
• Identifying Nouns
• Article Expressions
• Superlatives
• Known or New?
• Speaking in General
• Paragraph-Edit
• In Context
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All / The – class

Making Generalizations About the Group

 

 

 

 

The plural form puts emphasis on "all", a focus more commonly found in everyday speech, books, articles, and magazines.  "The" puts emphasis on the class, a focus mostly found in science books, encyclopedias and technical writing.

 

ALL	THE CLASS
UNSPECIFIC - used to discuss all in general;  uses the plural form unless one does not exist (eg. fish, deer, and elk have no plural form)	UNSPECIFIC - used for discussing the quality, character of behavior of a class (mostly in scientific contexts)
Wolves hunt in packs.	The wolf hunts in a pack.
People are trying to protect wolves.	Environmentalists are trying to protect the wolf.
Trappers hunt wolves for their fur.	Trappers hunt the wolf for its fur.

 

Web Resource
NOVA "The Wolf - Dog Connection" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/wolves/wolfdog.html

 

 

 

Practice 1

Focusing on All

 

 

Change the focus from the class to all.

EXAMPLE:    Why does the wolf howl? (the class)  ==>  Why do wolves howl? (all)

 

#	YOUR EDIT	CHECK ANSWER
1.	(The dog was) - Dogs was Dogs were long believed to have descended from several species, including the wolf and jackal.
2.	(The dogs is)   - dogs are the descendants dogs is the descendant   the descendant of Canis lupis, a wolf. (descendant = offspring)
3.	(The dog was) - Dogs was Dogs were   the first animals to be domesticated.
4.	(The dog barks) - Dogs barks Dogs bark   to protect its territory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice 2

Focusing on the Class

 

 

 

Change the focus from all  to the class.

EXAMPLE:   Why do wolves howl? (all) ==> Why does the wolf howl? (the class)

 

#	YOUR RESPONSE	CHECK ANSWER
5.	(Dogs are)   - The dog is The dog are man's best friend.
6.	(Dogs need) - The dog need The dog needs    to eat a lot of protein.
7.	(Dogs are not) - The dog isn't The dog aren't vegetarian.
8.	(Dogs have) - The dog has The dog have been around for 50 million years.

 

 

 

 

 

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