Quote:
Originally Posted by YuriTokoro
Hi, ColinHowell.
I see.
“The abnormal mind” means people that he considers abnormal in this context, so, the words can means plural, right?
What’s the difference in meaning between those two?
1. Those abnormal minds are quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person.”
2. The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person.”
Thanks!
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In #1, "Those abnormal minds" simply means "the abnormal minds I've just mentioned".
Sentence #2 makes a sweeping generalization. It states that there is a single class containing
all people who the speaker thinks are abnormal, and it goes on to describe that class. That's why "the abnormal mind" is singular and uses "the". It creates an abstract idea and says that every abnormal mind has these qualities.
If this sounds to you like an arrogant way of speaking about people, you're not alone. I don't think English speakers use this sort of expression much nowadays, but it used to be more common in the early 20th century, when
The Great Gatsby was written. But it also says something about the narrator's personality; he claims to "reserve judgment", but he then judges an entire class of people with a single statement.