"M. Gaidos" writes:
I have recently read in a 'Communicative Grammar of English' book
that one can say:
1. The tiger is in danger of becoming extinct.
2. Tigers are in danger of becoming extinct.
3. A tiger is in danger of becoming extinct.
So, one cannot -- or should not -- say the third sentence because it
is regarded as ungrammatical. This issue is about the generic use of
articles and the differences between definite and indefinite, singular
and plural subjects. I just cannot seem to perceive why the third
sentence is really ungrammatical! Can anyone help me here?
Thank you in advance
Well, the "Communicative Grammar" seems to be correct, as far as it
It's certainly true that the three kinds of generic noun phrase are often
different, in use and occasionally in sense, besides being different in
Let's give them some names, so we can talk about them. In the order you
constructions, which means that the phrase itself, and its usage,
special grammar and special meanings. It's not that the articles
a have special meaning, really -- they hardly have any
rather, their use in these generic constructions marks them as special.
- Definite Generic: the + Singular Noun
- The tiger is in danger of becoming extinct.
- Plural Generic: 0 + Plural Noun [0 =
Zero, the number]
- Tigers are in danger of becoming extinct.
- Indefinite Generic: a + Singular Noun
- *A tiger is in danger of becoming extinct.
As to use and meaning, while there are many, many special cases and
one can roughly equate the three generic noun phrase constructions with
different functions. Each refers to some species (of plant, animal,
thing, person, cathedral, or whatever; not just biological species), but
are several ways of doing this:
- The Definite Generic refers to the Prototype of
species, roughly the image we associate with tiger. The
as a prototype, has all the properties of anything we would call a
except that it doesn't exist in an individual physical sense, like all
tigers do. This is a very abstract concept, and its use signals that the
speaker is theorizing.
The tiger is big means the speaker believes that "bigness", in
comparative context, is a characteristic property of tigers, that we
expect this to be true of any tiger.
- The Plural Generic refers to the Norm of a
over its individuals, as perceived, of course, by the speaker, who is
to have conducted tiger surveys, so the "statistics" here are very vague
Tigers are big means the speaker believes that, on the
tiger is likely to be "big". This doesn't mean all tigers are big,
that's close. This is potentially a less abstract concept, since its use
implies a generalization based on experience of several individuals.
- The Indefinite Generic refers to the Definition
species, that is, those properties that are absolutely necessary for
to be a member. It doesn't work as the subject of any predicate that
definitional. But with a definitional property, it's certainly true for
And that's one of the reasons why your sentence is ungrammatical. If
- *A tiger is in danger of becoming extinct.
one is saying that
danger of becoming extinct is one of the defining characteristics of
tigerhood, which isn't true, after all. Tigers would still be tigers if
A similar situation is true in the following sentences:
course this last conclusion is wrong, producing the star. One other reason
the Indefinite Generic a tiger is ungrammatical with the predicate
become extinct is that extinction can only happen to a species, and
means that every member of the species is dead. Now this can use the
Generic because it is characteristic of the species; it can use a
Generic because we're speaking of tigers in aggregate.
- The madrigal is polyphonic.
- (being polyphonic is characteristic of madrigrals)
- Madrigals are polyphonic.
- (being polyphonic is normal for madrigrals)
- A madrigal is polyphonic.
- (being polyphonic is required for madrigrals)
as opposed to
- The madrigal is popular.
- (being popular is characteristic of madrigrals)
- Madrigals are popular.
- (being popular is normal for madrigrals)
- *A madrigal is popular.
- (being popular is required for madrigrals)
But it can't use an Indefinite Generic, for much the same reason
*Any tiger is in danger of becoming extinct.
That is, becoming
extinct isn't something that happens to individual tigers.
There are lots more strange facts about generic constructions; indeed,
dissertation about them long ago. But I hope this helps some.
Lawler Department of Linguistics and Residential College
"Language is the most massive
inclusive art we know, a
mountainous and anonymous
of unconscious generations."
Grammar The Chomskybot