The articles...

Question

-Hi, excuse me, could you change the sheets in my bed? They got changed yesterday but not today.

-We usually change the (*) sheets every second day, but we can change them for you today as well.

*Can we use the zero article here? If so, what is the difference in the meaning (if it is any)?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Voytaszek-We usually change the (*) sheets every second day, but we can change them for you today as well.*Can we use the zero article here?

Yes. That change will not affect the grammar.

VoytaszekIf so, what is the difference in the meaning (if it there is any)?

There isn't a great deal of difference, but without 'the' we have the idea of 'sheets' in general — you might say that those sheets are freely floating around the universe instead of fixed to a particular situation.

'the sheets' sounds better to me because that fixes the sheets to the bed they are associated with. We usually change the sheets (on the beds of our guests) every second day .... It's as if when we speakers of English say 'the sheets', we hear a whisper in our ears like the words in gray, and that makes the reference to sheets specific enough to use 'the'.

CJ

The articles...

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬