hanuman_2000  +  130485 Thu, 25 Aug 05 05:16 AM Hello Sir, 1. A cow is a useful animal. 2. The cow is a useful animal. 3.Cows are useful animals. I  am clear about (2) and (3), means they are equal in meaning when taken as general opnion about cow. I could not understand  the meaning of (1). Are all three (1), (2), (3) same in meaning? Thanks. hanuman_2000 Joined on Thu, Aug 12 2004 INDIA Contributing Member 1,644

	Mister Micawber  +  130527 Thu, 25 Aug 05 09:00 AM They all seem the same to me, Hanuman.  In the speaker's mind, #2 and #3 point more to the species, where #1 points to an (undetermined) individual, perhaps-- but the difference is negligible in these examples. Mister Micawber Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004 Yokohama Veteran Member 30,803 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'