I know that we use "the" article when we speak about something general, right? But I just saw this sentence:
"Carrying six heavy bags will impede your progress if you're trying to walk across town in a hurry."
Isn't "town" a general idea? I'm struggling with articles, would be great if you could show a couple of examples.
While it is true that the definite article "the" is often used for a general statement, there are many cases where no article is used, and some where an indefinite article "a" is used; there does not seem any clear pattern of which is used in what case, no rule to cite. A few examples:
- The sea is often perceived as calm and nurturing, but also as fierce and cruel.
- Wind is invisible, but palpable, and often serves as a literary symbol.
- A way of life is hard to summarize, but important to one's basic evaluations.
- The sky is seen as having many different colors under different conditions.
- Love is something many experience, but few can define well.
- A mathematical description of a phenomenon can be essential to predictability, but often it does not convey the human experience involved.
In short, a general idea may be shown by any article or none, depending on the specific phrase and its history of usage.
"Trying to walk across town" can mean any urban area in general, or the specific but unstated area where the speaker or audience lives. In either case no article is used. The similar phrase "trying to walk across the town" would more often refer to a specific area, although it might be unstated and implied.
