Plural and uncountable nouns

UNIT  70 Plural and uncountable nouns with and without the (flowers/the flowers)

A.   We don't use the before a noun when we mean something in general:

• I love flowers. (not the flowers) (flowers= flowers in general, not a particular group of flowers)

• I'm afraid of dogs.

• Doctors are paid more than teachers.

• Crime is a problem in most big cities. (not the crime)

• Life has changed a lot since I was young. (not the life)

• I prefer classical music to pop music. (not the classical/pop music)

• Do you like Chinese food/American television? (not the. . .)

• My favorite subject at school was history/physics/English.

• I like soccer/athletics/skiing/chess.

• Do you collect stamps?

We say most people most dogs, etc. (not the most . . . )

Most people like George. (not the most people)

B.   We say the . . . when we mean something in particular:

• I like your garden. The flowers are beautiful. (not Flowers are) (the flowers = the flowers in your garden, not flowers in general)

• Children learn lot from playing. (= children in general) 

but: We took the children to the zoo. (= a particular group of children , perhaps the speaker's own children)

• Salt is used to flavor food.

but Can you pass the salt, please? (= the salt on the table)

• I often listen to music.

but: The movie wasn't very good, but I liked the music. (= the music in the movie)

• All cars have wheels.

but: All the students in the class like their teacher.

• Are American people friendly? (= American people in general)

but: Are the American people you know friendly (= only the American people you know, not American people in general)

C.   The difference between "something in general and "something in particular" is not always very clear. Study these sentences:

• I like working with people. (= people in general)

• I like working with people who are lively. (not all people, but people who are lively is still a general idea)

but: I like the people I work with. (= a particular group of people)

• Do you like coffee? (= coffee in general)

• Do you like strong black coffee? (not all coffee, but strong black coffee is still a general idea)

but: Did you like the coffee we had after dinner? (= particular coffee)