1. vanilla16

    vanilla16 New Member

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    Should I use "a" or "the"? ^_^

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by vanilla16, Mar 14, 2012.

    Naruto is the satire of Team 7.
    OR
    Naruto is a satire of Team 7.

    BTW, a satire is something that shows the weaknesses or wrong-doings of something, right?
     
  2. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    is there only one satire on the team ?

    Satire tends to be more comedic - I think you may want: Naruto is Team 7's satirist.
     
  3. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    since 'naruto' is an anime series, if you're saying that it satirizes another series, then the 'a' version is correct...
     
  4. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    LOL thanks Mammamaia that makes a lot more sense.
     
  5. shadowwalker

    shadowwalker Contributor Contributor

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    I've always used "a" if there are/could be more than one and "the" if I'm referring to a specific one. In this case, if there are several satires floating around, I'd use "a". If Naruto is the only satire of Team 7, I'd use "the".
     
  6. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    How could you ever know whether someone else has ever wriite, or could eventually write, another satire of a given work, even if it's a satire never shared by the aouthor with anyone else.

    The only way I could see the definite article being used is if the statement is further qualified in a way that permits no ambiguity:

     
  7. shadowwalker

    shadowwalker Contributor Contributor

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    Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. Which is why in this case I would use "a" - because one doesn't know if there's another. Using another example, someone is in a room full of chairs. They pick "a" chair to sit in; they are then sitting in "the" chair.
     

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