Timeline for When talking about school kids, can we say 'the' kids, or is the article superfluous?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
11 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2022 at 19:02 | comment | added | aparente001 | @BoldBen - Ah.. | |
| Jun 9, 2022 at 14:22 | comment | added | BoldBen | @aparente001 I wasn't criticising, just using it as an example of a language with strict formal definition. | |
| Jun 7, 2022 at 20:07 | comment | added | aparente001 | @BoldBen - You won't find me criticizing that academy because whenever I read translations to multiple European languages, the French version is always impeccable while some of the others are often a sloppy mess. | |
| Jun 7, 2022 at 10:47 | comment | added | BoldBen | I'd agree, Neither of them sounds 'wrong' to me, there are just, as usual, slight differences in emphasis. I suspect that this flexibility sometimes causes problems for ESOL students, particularly if their native language is very strictly defined. I know virtually nothing about Russian but suspect that it might be one of those tightly defined languages. If our countries and cultures were not so closely associated I suspect that French speakers would be confused by the flexibility because of the influence of the Academe Francaise. | |
| Jun 6, 2022 at 4:19 | comment | added | aparente001 | @BoldBen - My mind's ear can hear it either way. | |
| Jun 5, 2022 at 6:33 | comment | added | BoldBen | Referring to "I believe" I would say that it does make the statement more about the speaker's teaching philosophy but if the speaker is expressing a philosophy relating to classroom teaching then "the kids" is still correct as they are talking about "the kids in a class" even though "a class" is abstract. I also think that the vast majority of native speakers would use the definite article in this and similar cases, particularly if they were being sufficienly informal as to use "kids" rather than "children". | |
| Jun 5, 2022 at 6:26 | comment | added | aparente001 | @Mari-LouA - It wasn't intended as the main point of my post. It was meant to be the icing on the cake. OP can take it or leave it. | |
| Jun 5, 2022 at 6:22 | comment | added | Mari-Lou A | We're not about Interpersonal Skills. | |
| Jun 5, 2022 at 6:17 | comment | added | aparente001 | @Mari-LouA - No. Agreed. I was just suggesting a diplomatic way that OP might discuss the difference of opinion with the colleague. | |
| Jun 5, 2022 at 6:14 | comment | added | Mari-Lou A | That a Russian speaker may or may not have spent considerable time and thought to the usage of articles in English does not mean their correction is valid. | |
| Jun 5, 2022 at 6:03 | history | answered | aparente001 | CC BY-SA 4.0 |