Rather than respond to all the comments I've received, I am reposting, because no one understood my question. (This was primarily my fault.) I should never have given examples of each type of word, because everyone thought I did not understand the semantics between the words. (Of course "the", "this", and "that" have different meanings.) Let me ( Read more... )

Two questions:

1. Is there any practical difference between a definite article (such as "the") and a demonstrative adjective (such as "this" or "that") being used attributively?
2. Is there any practical difference between an indefinite article (such as "an") and an indefinite adjective (such as "any", "some", or "one") being used attributively?

Because I ( Read more... )

I was speaking with a friend today, who is planning a backpacking trip in Yosemite this summer with a friend of unspecified gender, when I asked "Are they an experienced backpacker?"  I caught myself immediately after saying this, but then realized that I hear this usage pretty commonly.  I suppose this is used in place of saying "Is he or she an ( Read more... )