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bytatia
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A life, the life or life? Using Articles 10 Aug 2014, 13:03
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Hello.

I am not sure if i'm posting this question in the right thread but I have been reading Ultimate GMAT Grammar book, and in the exercise, i stumbled upon the following sentence.

Life can be fun but sometimes there are problems.

In this sentience it is clear for me somehow that there is no article needed. But is life considered abstract? Is it wrong to use a life?

Thank you.
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getsunny
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Joined: 08 Sep 2013
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Status:Planning to retake
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Concentration: General Management, Healthcare
Schools: S.P.Jain Institute (A)
GMAT 1: 660 Q48 V33
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WE:Management Consulting (Consulting)
Schools: S.P.Jain Institute (A)
GMAT 1: 660 Q48 V33
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A life, the life or life? Using Articles 10 Aug 2014, 21:19
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bytatia
Hello.

I am not sure if i'm posting this question in the right thread but I have been reading Ultimate GMAT Grammar book, and in the exercise, i stumbled upon the following sentence.

Life can be fun but sometimes there are problems.

In this sentience it is clear for me somehow that there is no article needed. But is life considered abstract? Is it wrong to use a life?

Thank you.
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Hi bytatia,

The statement is correct. Definite articles such as "the" are not used in cases where you're talking about something generally and not specifying a particular subject.

For instance, in the statement given by you - "Life can be fun but sometimes there are problems." - you're not talking about a particular person's life. It is a general statement about life.

However, if you were to talk about a particular person's life, then you would have to use an article. For example, "I've read a book on the life of Nelson Mandela."

Hope this clears your doubt! :)