posted by rfvv yesterday at 6:06pm.
[With some straws, she is making a musical pipe.]
1. When you blow across the top of "a)the straw", the air vibrates inside "b)the straw" and makes a sound.
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a)the straw b)the straw
Are they the specific straw or in generic use?
When "c)the straw" is shorter, the air loses less energy and vibrates faster.
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Does "c)the straw" mean the specific straw or is it in generic use?
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English - Writeacher yesterday at 6:10pm
Again, these uses of "the straw" are referring to a particular straw.
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Thank you for your help.
Now, hold it and blow across each straw.
1. When you blow across the top of "a)the straw", the air vibrates inside "b)the straw" and makes a sound.
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a)the straw seems to mean 'each straw' There are seven straws in the musical pipe. So to make a sound, a person blows each straw. (all the straws). So a) the straw seems to be in generic use.
b) the straw is the same, in generic use.
When "c)the straw" is shorter, the air loses less energy and vibrates faster.
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c) the straw seems to be in generic use. It doesn't seem to refer to 'a straw.' In the previous sentences, 'a straw' is not mentioned. It doesn't seem that a specific straw is described. Instead, the straw is used as a generic noun.
[What about my analysis about 'the straw'?]
Yes, your analyses are fine.
Your analysis about the use of "the straw" is mostly correct. In the given context, "the straw" is used in a generic sense. Let's break it down:
1. When you blow across the top of "a) the straw", the air vibrates inside "b) the straw" and makes a sound.
Here, "a) the straw" refers to any straw in general. You are blowing across the top of each individual straw, and the air vibrates inside each straw, making a sound. So, "a) the straw" is indeed referring to each individual straw in a generic sense.
Similarly, "b) the straw" is also used in a generic sense because the same action (blowing across the top) is applied to each straw, resulting in the vibration of the air inside each straw.
Now, let's look at the second sentence:
When "c) the straw" is shorter, the air loses less energy and vibrates faster.
In this sentence, "c) the straw" is again referring to each individual straw in a generic sense. It is explaining that when a straw is shorter, it causes the air to lose less energy and vibrate faster. The use of "the straw" in this context does not indicate a specific straw but rather any straw in general.
So, overall, your analysis about "the straw" being used as a generic noun is correct. It refers to each individual straw in general, rather than a specific one.