3 ms·
Won't argue semantics, but "a" and "one" are typically used interchangeably. A shirt with "a color" it's assumed to be "one color". "Will you hand me a pencil"
by Nadya 11y ago
Won't argue semantics, but "a" and "one" are typically used interchangeably. A shirt with "a color" it's assumed to be "one color".
"Will you hand me a pencil" doesn't mean I want you to hand me at least 1 pencil but possibly 5.
I see where you are trying to come from with that angle though. You can feel free to apply different semantics to "a ___ "but I feel the general consensus is that it is equivalent to "one ____".
Note that "a colored shirt" is not the same as "a shirt with a color". As "A colored shirt" could be a shirt with multiple colors due to the ambiguity of "colored".
E:
From the article:
>In one version of the task, one subject (always one—he spurned testing subjects in groups) is presented with four cards lying flat on a table, each with a single-digit number on one face and one of two colors on the other.
It specifies "one" for the colors.
- pbhjpbhj 11y agoIt doesn't specify _only_ one colour ("each card is plain white except for" would appear to work well). If your question is going to be sloppy then you're going to need to be prepared to accept a range of solutions. There's a difference between your examples and the question: "Give me a shirt." is a request for one shirt. "You've got a shirt in the wardrobe." is a statement that doesn't tell you how many shirts are in the wardrobe, just that there is one. Similarly: "Will you hand me a pencil." is asking for one pencil. "I have a pencil." is telling you that I have at least one pencil. Based on en-gb native use.