1. Books are expensive. [Books in general]
2. The books are expensive. [The specific books, The particular book...]
3. The book is expensive.
4. The book in general is exprensive.
5. The specific/particular book is expensive.
6. I bought the book at the bookstore. [the specific/particular book]
7. He likes reading a book. [a book in general]
8. He likes reading books. [books in general]
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It seems that the explanation of #1 and #2 is correct. What about #3?
Does #3 mean #4 or #5? Does #7 mean #8? Is the explanation in [ ] okay?
#4 should read "A" book in general, is expensive.
#7 works when it refers to The person likes reading a book versus reading a magazine.
Yes, your explanations are good. You may want to add a wee bit to your explanation of #7 such as [a book in general versus a magazine or other print materials]
I agree with MsPi that #7 is just a tad off. Here are some other possibilities:
He likes reading a book before going to sleep.
He likes reading a book rather than a magazine.
He likes reading a book instead of watching television all evening.
He likes reading a book before seeing the movie that was made from it.
Let's break down the meanings of each sentence to clarify their differences:
1. "Books are expensive" implies a general statement that books, as a category, are expensive. This sentence does not refer to any specific book or group of books.
2. "The books are expensive" suggests that there are specific books in mind that are expensive. This sentence is referring to certain books or a selection of books that are known to be expensive.
3. "The book is expensive" points to a particular book that is being discussed. This sentence is referring to a specific book, not books in general.
Now, let's address your queries:
- Sentence #3 does not necessarily mean sentence #4 or #5. Sentence #4 would indicate that when talking about books in general, they tend to be expensive. Sentence #5 would imply that a specific/particular book is expensive, without making any claims about books in general.
- Similarly, sentence #7 does not automatically mean sentence #8. Sentence #8 indicates that someone enjoys reading books in general. Sentence #7, on the other hand, simply mentions that he enjoys reading a book without specifying if it's a general activity or if there is a particular book in mind.
Regarding the explanations in [ ], they are generally okay. However, it's worth mentioning that sentence #1 refers to books in general, not the specific books mentioned in the following examples, which can be linked to the concept of "particularization" in English grammar.