Whether and When to Use The Definite Article?

The problem of 'the' is ever with us. The definite article, as opposed to the indefinite 'a' and 'an', tends to place a claim of specificity on the attached noun, rendering it a special item. So, 'an oak tree' is an entirely different proposition from 'the oak tree'. The former is just one member of the forest, without distinction and lacking the importance of that definite article. The latter, of course, is elevated into a position of superiority by its adjective, which identifies it as not just one of the crowd, but a particular tree. It may be that this specimen has some dubious history, perhaps once employed to suspend the bodies, if not the disbelief, of those who were hanged from one of its lower boughs. Or, it may bear the initials of passion-consumed lovers now long dead but in their time renowned for their displays of alfresco affection. Maybe it was the location chosen by furtive agents who secreted their folded and encrypted messages within that famous knot hole only five feet from the ground and thus almost brought the State to a state of collapse.

You get the drift.

The 'the' can, and often does, convey an idea of importance on the subject it describes.

But, what of those occasions when writers use it to describe the ordinary? 'Jonathan walked the length of the lake shore, skimming the flat stones over its surface.' Here we have a sentence with three instances of 'the' in just 15 words: 20% of the sentence consists of the definite article! Can we improve it without altering the sense?

'Jonathan walked the length of the lake shore, skimming flat stones over its surface.' Because, in this case, the 'the' is immaterial with regard to the stones, we can exclude it without detriment to the sentence and, thereby, improve pace. The other two 'the's, however, are necessary to the sentence in its current construction, as, without them, it wouldn't make sense.

'Jonathan skimmed stones over the lake surface, as he walked its (entire) shore.' Reduced wordage, cutting the definite article to one example, but saying the same thing. Whether it's a better sentence, I leave to your judgement.

Let's try another:

'The weary traveller wandered lost in the forest, surrounded by the trees; the leaves cutting out the light of the sun and making the experience frightening.'

This is a terrible sentence. Oh, it says everything the writer intended. But the pace is poor and there are far too many words, especially definite articles. Let's try to improve it.

'The weary traveller wandered lost in the forest, surrounded by trees; leaves cutting out sunlight and making the experience frightening.'

Better: the pace is better after removal of the unnecessary definite articles, but the sentence still lacks sparkle. It tells the reader what is happening, but fails to show it.

'Lost amongst endless trees, Aglydron trembled and longed for rest and an end to his difficult journey.'

I'm not suggesting this is by any means perfect. But, I think you'll agree it's an improvement. We've lost the subject's anonymity by naming him (he's a character from the epic fantasyI'm writing at present) and, in so doing, removed another 'the'. We've shown the reader how he feels, instead of telling him, giving the whole a greater emotional depth. And we've reduced the original 26 word sentence to 17 words, thereby increasing pace. The final sentence retains not a single definite article, but the original contained no fewer than seven 'the's.

Okay, you're turn next. Here's an excruciating sentence for you to work on and improve. Let me have your suggestions, if you wish, along with your comments.

'The sexy woman walked across the sand of the beach, conscious of the eyes of the men following the progress she made, as the bikini barely concealed the parts of the lovely body she moved quickly toward the sea, so the waves would hide the shyness she felt.'

Another silly question for you to ponder: Why, oh why, do we always press harder and harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are dying?

Stuarts' Daily Word Spot (Antonyms): Zany/Serious

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Zany/Serious

Zany: adjective - comically idiotic; ridiculous or comic; bizarre, crazy.

Serious: adjective - grave, solemn or sober in disposition or intention; responsible, neither reckless nor careless.

'The tabloid newspaper was in the habit of describing any student activity that was even marginally out of the ordinary as "zany", so that it was impossible to take its reports seriously.'

'Jason was a serious young man; his sober clothes, sedate manner and generally grave habit made him the butt of the jokes played by his more frivolous fellow students.'

1703 - Tokyo was hit by an earthquake, which killed about 37,000.

1919 - Lincoln's Inn in London admitted its first female law student. And even after almost a hundred years of supposed equality, women are seriously underrepresented as barristers and judges. So much for progress, eh?

Stuarts' Daily Word Spot (Antonyms): Yell/Whisper

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Yell/Whisper

Yell: noun - a loud cry of pain, fear, anger, delight, triumph or surprise; a shout, scream.

Verb - to utter a yell or shout.

Whisper: noun - an instance of whispering or speaking softly; a softness of voice characterizing such speech; a whispered phrase.

Verb - to speak very softly; to converse like this for the sake of secrecy;

'When Roger crept up behind Sarah, fresh and warm from her shower, and placed his cold hands over her uncovered breasts, she gave out a great yell of shock and indignation.'

'As the time came for the news to be passed on, John brought Mandy close, embraced her, and with a gentle whisper, explained that he wouldn't be spending the night with her but with Jacob.'

'In the falling darkness of dusk, the dark figure that emerged from the trees and lurched toward her, made Martha yell with fear.'

'Mark teased Maria's auburn locks away from her small ears and placed his mouth close so he could whisper words of love and tenderness to her without alerting her husband to his feelings.'

1846 - Iowa became the 29th state of the US.

1908 - An Earthquake struck Messina in Italy and killed nearly 80,000.

1981 - The infamous Rendelsham Forest UFO incident, in Suffolk near the US Airforce base, caused much speculation in the press. Just another cause for conflict between those who believe and those who don't. If the military had been more open from the beginning, the whole field of UFOs could probably have been less fraught with conspiracy theory.

Stuart's Odd Definitions (SODs): Solicitor

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I'm adding a little dark humour and devising some definitions of my own. Since I generally rely on the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (SOED) to inspire my 'real' definitions for the Daily Word Spot, I thought I'd use the acronym SOD for my own odd definitions. Here's the second of what will become an irregular series.

Solicitor: noun - an individual for whom law is a money tree, someone more interested in law than justice, an encourager of conflict, a partner in a firm set up to rob honest folk of their hard-earned cash, any member of a gang devoted to separating law-abiding citizens from their inheritance, a frustrated actor, a person willing to ensure the guilty go free if enough payment is received for the service, a member of the House of Commons who ensures that laws are made and kept as complex as possible so that the man in the street will be forced to employ him or her to interpret them.

Okay, so I might be being a bit hard. I do actually know a couple of people who are or were solicitors and who manage to remain pleasant people. But they are few and far between, I fear. I'd be interested to learn your experiences of the legal profession.

1825 - The first public railroad using steam locomotives was completed in England. The network of public transport first slowly and then rapidly expanded to carry people all over the country at reasonable cost and in growing comfort. Then, in the 1960s Dr Beeching, at the behest of the Conservative government then in power, wrote a report, which resulted in over 6,000 miles of track being taken out of service, along with more than 3,000 stations. The motivation for this was purported to be that most people would own cars and the railways would therefore become more or less obsolete. Of course, this was a self-fulfilling prophesy, as the removal of usable public transport from many locations ensured that people would be forced to buy and use cars instead. I often wonder how much money passed from the motor manufacturers into the hands of the politicians and others responsible for the decline of our railway system, which was, at the time, the envy of the world. Of course, the railways are no longer a public corporation but privately owned companies now struggling to replace the lost custom and upgrade the service to cope with increasing demand. Another wonderful decision made by our government that only ever thinks short-term.

1945 - The World Bank was created with the signing of an agreement by 28 nations. It has since become an institution with the potential to do enormous good. It's a shame it's been so frequently hijacked by the unethical and the exploitative to make some seriously damaging decisions, especially as far as environmental matters are concerned. Yet more politicians buggering things up, eh?

Stuart's Odd Definitions (SODs): Politician

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I thought I'd add a little dark humour and devise some definitions of my own. Since I generally rely on the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (SOED) to inspire my 'real' definitions for the Daily Word Spot, I thought I'd use the acronym SOD for my own odd definitions. Here's the first of what will become an irregular series.

Politician: noun - unreliable representative of the people; a corrupt official; opinionated orator; self-obsessed child; blinkered follower of party dogma; greasy pole climber; a person with their snout in the trough; demagogue; someone with ideas fixed by reference to a dubious past; a person suffering retarded development and needing undue attention from a large pool of otherwise insignificant strangers; an immature seeker of attention.

As is evident from my definition, I have huge admiration for politicians as a class of individuals. After all, they have, over the years, managed to persuade large numbers of people that they act in the interests of their constituents, whilst ensuring that their own goals are given priority. They've achieved that most unusual feat of fooling most of the people most of the time: in this case, mostly a reflection of the weariness and indifference of the voting population. In a democracy, politicians are supposed to represent the views of those whose region they serve. In reality, of course, they invariably either bow to pressure from their party machine and thereby distort or delete their personal election promises, or they put forward their own views regardless of any conflict these may have with those of the people they're supposed to represent.

So, a pretty worthy bunch of reprobates, thoroughly deserving of our continued support. They'll undoubtedly maintain their positions of power and influence and use them to gain greater rewards for themselves and those they favour, whilst the rest of us lie back and let them trample over us, thereby receiving the respect and treatment we deserve.

So, I say, well done politicians. May you all receive the rewards you so richly deserve.

What say you?

1672 - Giovanni Cassinidiscovered Rhea, one of the many satellites of Saturn.

1922 - BBC Radio began daily newscasts in the UK, starting a tradition that has grown over the years to inform, educate and, sometimes, irritate the hell out of the listeners.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot (Antonyms): Nab/Release

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Nab/Release

Nab: verb - catch and take someone into custody; apprehend, arrest; snatch or seize something; steal.

Release: verb - liberate; free from physical restraint or imprisonment; let go of.

'Noreen left her place in the check-out queue to step outside and nab the man she'd watched steal a can of Coke from the supermarket shelves.'

'Keep an eye out for the barman, whilst I nab some beer from the pump.'

'When the allies marched into the town, they were able to release the prisoners of war who'd been held in camps for so long.'

'I want you to release that cash into my custody, where I'll make damned good use of it.'

1621 - the English parliament unanimously accepted Protestation, and the roots for conflict were formally planted. In parts of the UK that conflict remains and provides certain ill-informed fools with a motive for indiscriminate killing.

1960 - A General Meeting of the UN condemned apartheid. In backward parts of the world, such prejudice remains, allowing the ignorant and afraid to blame all misfortune on those who fail to appear to be like them.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot (Antonyms): Jaded/Refreshed

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Jaded/Refreshed

Jaded: verb - exhausted, worn out; fatigued, tired; sated, dulled.

Refreshed: verb - gave fresh strength or energy to someone; reinvigorated or revived; made oneself fresher or more energetic by resting, walking, taking food or drink; relieved or cleared of; renewed.

'Years of gambling, drinking and womanising had left Reginald jaded and lacking in the lust for life he'd so eagerly embraced as a younger man.'

'The final three days of walking beneath the searing sun of the dessert had left Giselle worn, drawn and thirsty, but a plunge into the cool clear waters of the oasis pool soon refreshed her mind, spirit and body so that she felt revived enough to continue her journey.'

1287 – the Zuider Zeeseawall collapsed, causing the loss of 50,000 lives

1911 – the South Pole was first reached; Norwegian Roald Amundsen leading his party across the icy wastes.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Insouciance

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Insouciance: noun - lack of concern, carefreeness.

'Gerald sauntered along the coast with an air of insouciance that spoke volumes for his ability to bury even the most pressing of problems beneath a cloak of indifference to his real circumstances. That he was in debt to the tune of several thousand pound, his wife had left him for a more reliable and more attractive man, and his shoes were letting in the sea water, seemed of little or no consequence to him.'

1577 - Sir Francis Drake sailed from England to circumnavigate the world

1843 - "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens  was first published, selling 6,000 copies.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot (Antonyms): Habitual/Unusual

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Habitual/Unusual

Habitual: adjective - of the nature of a habit; fixed by habit; constantly repeated or continued; customary, constant, usual, continual.

Unusual: adjective - not usual; different from or contrary to what is expected or usual; exceptional, uncommon, unconventional.

'Henry shuffled across the floor in pursuit of Adrienne, his habitual expression of hunger and need writ large on his eager face in a way guaranteed to ensure his failure as soon as she turned to face him.'

'Sheila, noted for her conformity and generally nondescript manner of dress, had taken the unusual step of attending the gathering dressed as a Bunny Girl, which was all the more noticeable since the rest of the guests had decided on more formal wear for the funeral.'

1884 - 1st cricket Test Matchwas played at the Adelaide Oval

1901 - Marconi received the first transatlantic radio signal from England to the US

Stuart's Daily Word Spot (Antonyms): Gaiety/Sadness

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Gaiety/Sadness

Gaiety: noun - cheerfulness, mirth, frivolity, merrymaking.

Sadness: noun - the condition of being sad. Sad: adjective - sorrowful, mournful.

'Between evocative crashing of breakers on the sand, the hungry cries of the seagulls, and the light soughing of the onshore breeze, Jake could hear the gaiety of the beach party he approached, as they played, laughed, danced and ate around their driftwood bonfire.'

Personal note: I think it's rather sad that, as writers, we've lost the use of the word 'gay', which was such an evocative adjective for which there is no real synonym. Nothing against the gay community; just a tinge of regret that they chose that particular word as a label.

'Walking the shore, just out of reach of crashing breakers, feeling the lonely cries of gulls and allowing the offshore breeze to tangle her blonde tresses, Faith felt the deep sadness of her separation from all that she knew and loved in the world.'

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Gadget

Gadget: noun - an accessory, knick-knack, or adjunct.

'It's frequently said that men are far fonder of gadgets than are women, in fact, it's often said they're fonder of gadgets than they are of women. Not, I'm pleased to report, a statement that's true of me.'

'Bryan has a gadget for almost everything. He says he even has one for digging himself out of trouble with his wife, though he's never shared it with me, the sod.'

Pic: Zemanta failed to come up with a suitable picture for this topic, so here's a shot of surf on Chessil Beach, for which I have no better excuse than that I love the sea and took this on a recent holiday.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Eager/indifferent?

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Eager/indifferent: antonyms

Eager: adjective - full of or demonstrating keen desire or appetite; impatiently longing.

Indifferent:  adjective- without inclination or feeling for or against someone or something; unconcerned, unmoved, uninterested.

'James was indifferent to Jennifer when she wore her spectacles but, when she removed them he was eager for her attention, thereby demonstrating the superficial nature of most young men.'

'Jennifer was so eager for attention that she ditched common sense, modesty and self-esteem, along with most of her cover in order to attract James. But, when he finally showed an interest in her and stroked a clammy hand over her skin, she grew indifferent and, making an inaudible excuse, hurried out of his sight.'

8^th December 1792 - Henry Laurens  became the first person to be legally cremated in the USA.

8^th December 1854 - Pope Pius IXproclaimed the Immaculate Conception, making Mary free of Original Sin. A generous and timely gesture on behalf of this male dominated club, which followed years of disapprobation of the innocent mother of their spiritual leader with a new determination to make her into a virginal saint. Always the extremes: this poor woman who, if there is any historical element to the myths, was clearly no more than the lover of the man she expected to marry but was subject to painful death under the religious law of the land at the time. Wouldn't you conceive a cover story under such circumstances?

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Early or low teens?

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Early or low teens?

Time and again, you hear or read an item featuring numbers, often written by professional writers, where the presentation of numbers is illogical. Does it matter? Well, it does to me. If language is to retain any meaning, we surely need to use it in a way which makes sense, don't we? Unless, of course, you subscribe to the view that all art is subjective and the artist must be allowed the freedom to convey whatever mood, attitude or impression he or she intended. Even in this, however, inaccurate language will cause a failure for such ambition, since the very inaccuracy will necessarily distort the responses of readers.

e.g. 'An articulation of elephant orifices undergoes an extraordinary undulation in determining the acuity of the random prognostications of potential irradiation therapies.'

This sentence employs the correct structural method and is grammatically sound. But it means absolutely nothing, because the words used aren't the right ones to convey meaning.

Okay, so what's all this got to do with the heading? Let me illustrate:

A weather report issues you with daily temperatures and states that these will be in the early teens.

A news report details the antics of a politician and his claims for expenses, telling you that these were in the late thousands.

A historian tells you that he has discovered bones that date back to the low centuries of the iron age.

A financier reports that the interest on an attractive bond issue will mature in the high twenties of the century.

All the foregoing are samples of items I've either heard or read. I'm sure you must've come across this sort of careless use of numbers on many occasions. The rules are simple enough to employ if you want to avoid joining the ranks of the ignorant or careless.

If the item has to do with degree or intensity; e.g. the heat in temperature, the amount spent in money, etc., then you need to refer to the 'high' or 'low' teens, twenties, hundreds, or whatever.

If the item relates to the passing of time; e.g. the age of something or someone, the number of seconds, minutes, hours, days, years taken, etc., then you need to use 'early' or 'late' teens, forties, thousands, or whatever.

So, does it matter that these writers/presenters mix up context in this way? Well, it indicates that they're unaware of the real meanings of the terms they're using, and doesn't that make you wonder if they know anything about what they're telling you? Confidence in written/spoken material is surely something we should all aim for, if what we have to report is going to carry the necessary weight for credibility.

6^th December 1768 - 1st edition of "Encyclopedia Britannica" published in Scotland.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Discombobulate

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Discombobulate:  verb- North American slang: upset, disturb, or disconcert.

'Frances was frequently discombobulated by the manic antics of Francis, causing her to fret and panic.'

5^th December 771 - Charlemagne became the sole King of the Franks following the death of his brother, Carloman.

5^th December 1349 - 500 Jews of Nuremberg were massacred during the Black Death riots
5^th December 1360 - The French Franc was created, only for it to be replaced by the Euro in 1999.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Daft/sensible

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Daft/sensible: antonyms

Daft: adjective - meek, mild, humble, silly; lacking intelligence; stupid; reckless or wild; of unsound mind; crazy; madly playful; giddy.

Sensible: adjective - having, displaying, or deriving from good sense or practical wisdom; reasonable, judicious; of clothing and footwear: practical instead of attractive or fashionable; functional, serviceable.

'Danny was daft as a brush; he wore ballet pumps to do the gardening and wellington boots in bed.'

'Selina was daft about Michael and would wear anything he demanded of her; even her skin, in public.'

'Jeremy, on the other hand, was always to be seen in sensible attire; his sports jacket and brogues labelling him as less than adventurous in the fashion arena.'

'Oh, do be sensible, Patricia: you can't possibly climb the mountain carrying a sack of coal on your back.'

4^th December 1619 - America's first Thanksgiving Day took place.

4^th December 1791 - The Observer, the oldest Sunday newspaper in world, was first published in Britain.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Cacophonous/Harmonious

Cacophonous/Harmonious:

Cacophonous: adjective - discordant sound; ill-sounding.

'Rehearsing the junior orchestra for the school play was always a trial for Tony; their inability to play either in tune or in time resulted in a cacophonous output that was enough to drive any music lover to drink.'

Harmonious: adjective - tuneful, sweet-sounding; sounding together in harmony.

'Blending the melodious voice of the soprano with the deep baritone singer provided a harmonious duet that proved a delight on the ears of all those who heard it.'

Pic: The deserted medieval village of Wharram Percy in East Yorkshire. 

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Backer

Backer: noun - a supporter, especially someone who places a bet; someone who provides financial backing.

'Who's your backer for the play, Frances?' 'Oh, it's that marvellous tycoon with more money than sense; you know who I mean.'

'Zak is the most consistent backer of dud horses I've ever come across; hasn't won a bet for fifteen years.'

Pic: Wandering way; a rural scene from East Yorkshire.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Babel/quiet

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Babel/quiet:

Babel: noun - confused mixture of sounds; meaningless noise; scene of confusion; a noisy gathering.

'Will you cease this Babel and give me peace to think?'

Quiet: noun - absence of excess noise or activity in the environment; silence; stillness or tranquillity;

'Ah, the blessed quiet of the barely-populated rural idyll; a place to refresh the spirit.'

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Abellio

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Abellio: One more in my occasional series illustrating that the world has and has had any number of gods for people to worship.

Abellio was worshipped in the Garonne Valley in Gallia Aquitania, which is now southwest France, and is primarily known by inscriptions discovered at Comminges. Little is known about this god, but it seems he may have been a god of apple trees. How very specific some of these ancient deities seem to have been.

Some scholars suggest that Abellio is a rendering of Apollo, who was called Abelios in Crete and Apello by the Italians. They believe that the deity is the same as the Gallic Apollo mentioned by Caesar.  In common with so many early deities, the actual origin of this god seems obscure. Such is the fate of gods who fail to come up with the goods for those who worship in the hope of reward, I guess.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Zeitgeist

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Zeitgeist:  noun- the spirit of the age; the trend of thought or feeling in a period, in particular as reflected in art, literature, etc.

'Writers such as William T. Vollmann , Amy Tan, John Ashbery, Mary Oliver, and Jonathan Safran Foerare considered by many to embody the zeitgeist of our age; I have my doubts, but if they actually do, then I fear for the future of literature.'

For an in-depth article on over-rated writers follow the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anis-shivani/the-15-most-overrated-con_b_672974.html#s123717&title=William_T_Vollmann