关于Declaration的意思和用法的提问

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Q: If the declaration of a state of emergency for our region is lifted but some other form of restrictions remains, classes and examinations will be conducted online only at least until June 9 (the end of the spring quarter). 听起来自然吗?
A: hi! It's more suitable to use "the" instead of "a" because "a" is usually only used when you're not referring to a specific noun, while "the" is the opposite because it's used when you're referring to a very specific or particular noun in a sentence.

For instance, if I say "I want to hear a song from you," this indicates that I'm not asking you to play a particular song, I just want to hear ANY song from you. On the other hand, if I say "I want to hear the song that you've been working on," I used the word "the" because there's this specific song that I want to hear.

The same goes for "a state of emergency" and "the state of emergency." Since you were talking about a specific state of emergency that has been implemented in your region, it is better to use the word "the." In a way, the word "the" separates and differentiates the state of emergency in your region from the other state of emergencies in other places.

You can use "a state of emergency" in this way:

The city council is currently talking about declaring a state of emergency within the entire New York City.

Here are other examples:

I want to watch a movie. (I'm not talking about a particular movie so the word "a" is used.)
Have you seen the movie that I told you about? (I'm talking about a movie that I already mentioned before, so the word "the" is used.)

I saw a cat on the streets yesterday. (Because I only saw a random cat, there is no need to use "the" because using it will only imply that I knew the cat even before I saw it.)
I can't see the cat that I saw yesterday. (Since I'm already talking about a specific cat here, which is the one that I saw yesterday, the word "the" should be used.)

I had a crush on a boy when I was 4 years old.
The boy that I had a crush on when I was 4 years old is now a doctor.

I hope it makes sense!

有关单词和短语的意思和用法

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