Yoko  +  74900 Fri, 18 Feb 05 05:26 PM Hello, I have a question, would you please tell me your opinion? When you read following sentences, What kind of differences do you see between A and B? A:'I like a dog' B:'I like dogs' Yoko Joined on Tue, May 18 2004 Junior Member 56

	asdf  +  74935 Fri, 18 Feb 05 09:34 PM To me, the first sounds like the speaker likes a certain dog. The second sounds like the speaker is a dog lover in general. asdf Joined on Sun, Oct 29 2006 Junior Member 70 The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.

	CalifJim  +  74987 Sat, 19 Feb 05 03:03 AM It's difficult to think of any situation in which anyone would say A. It's incomplete as it stands. I like a dog that doesn't bark a lot. = I like the kind of dog that doesn't bark a lot. I like dogs. = I am a dog lover. = I like all dogs. = I like all kinds of dogs. CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,465 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

	just the truth  +  75007 Sat, 19 Feb 05 06:20 AM I like dogs. = I am a dog lover. = I like all dogs. = I like all kinds of dogs. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I agree with you on the first part, Jim, it's just not very natural. You may have gotten a wee bit carried away with what's =, don't you think? I certainly like dogs but I don't like all dogs, nor do I like all kinds of dogs. just the truth Joined on Mon, Dec 27 2004 Regular Member 849

	CalifJim  +  75016 Sat, 19 Feb 05 07:31 AM Perhaps a wee bit, yes. "I like dogs" = "I like dogs in general" =? "I like most dogs" =? "I like almost all dogs, except the ones I don't like because they bark too much or they bite or they have other unattractive characteristics." The alternative "I like some dogs" doesn't appeal to me as a paraphrase, however. CalifJim

	Yoko  +  75099 Sat, 19 Feb 05 08:11 PM Thank you everyone, your postings are very helpful. Let me check, when someone asks me what animal I like, I should answer, "I like dogs.", meaning I am a dog lover. Right? What do you think about this conversation? A:"What kind of dictionary will you buy?" B:"An electronic dictionary." A:" Won't you use printed dictionaies any more?" B:"Maybe, printed dictionaies could be good as a reading material, but electronic ones are better as a research tool." Please correct my sentences, especially focus on singular and plural. Yoko Plurals, Conversations

	rolebra2005  +  75136 Sun, 20 Feb 05 12:04 AM "A" can imply that the idea (essence) of "dog" is appealing. It can act to emphasize a certain type of statement, for example: 'I like a dog. A dog provides companionship, devotion, and love.' "B" could be used in a similar way, but would be a general statement about all dogs, while "A" makes a statement that the speaker appreciates or would appreciate having a dog. rolebra2005 Joined on Sat, Feb 19 2005 New Member 16

	rolebra2005  +  75143 Sun, 20 Feb 05 12:27 AM I don't see anything glaringly wrong with the conversation. Since it is an informal conversation, incomplete sentences can be acceptable. Your written record of the conversation misspells dictionaries twice (omits the "r"). The last sentence would be better if "as a reading material" were replaced by "as reading material" or "as reading materials" in my opinion. I'm not sure what is meant by this sentence precisely, unless B likes to read dictionaries. rolebra2005 Conversations

	just the truth  +  75176 Sun, 20 Feb 05 04:06 AM Rolebra wrote: "A" can imply that the idea (essence) of "dog" is appealing. It can act to emphasize a certain type of statement, for example: 'I like a dog. A dog provides companionship, devotion, and love.' "B" could be used in a similar way, but would be a general statement about all dogs, while "A" makes a statement that the speaker appreciates or would appreciate having a dog. JTT: Rolebra's right, in this context. As I've said many times but it can't be emphasized enough; Q: What is important in deciding what language to choose? A: Context context context and finally context. But as a single response to a simple question, one that I'm quite certain Yoko was asking about, it's strange English. A: What animal(s) do you like? B: I like a dog.* B: I like dogs. just the truth