Please help me to read this English sentence:

[avicus]

Originally Posted by YuriTokoro

Could you tell me something?

This is from a novel. (The title is The Great Gatsby.)

Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.

What’s the difference of the meanings between them? Isn’t the second one correct?
1. Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,
2. Whenever you feel like criticizing someone,

Thank you!

Hi Yuri, I'm new to JF! Just joined yesterday in fact haha..

Both are correct. In this case, both "anyone" and "someone" are equivalent to 誰か。

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by Koir

The first sentence has a formal tone. "Anyone" is a nonspecific word and makes the statement more of a general observation. The second sentence seems more informal, as though the speaker and audience have a specific individual or group of individuals in mind for context.

In the context of the book, the first sentence is more correct as books can be more formal that normal conversation.

Hope that is of some use, Yuri

Hi. Koir, thanks.

I have a question.
Do you imply a specific individual or group when you say someone?

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by avicus

Hi Yuri, I'm new to JF! Just joined yesterday in fact haha..

Both are correct. In this case, both "anyone" and "someone" are equivalent to 誰か。

Hi, avicus.

Do you speak Japanese?
Do you know what 誰かさんmeans?

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by V1nn1

Haha could be useful for me

That's very good to hear.

[Renka09]

Originally Posted by YuriTokoro

Hi. Koir, thanks.

I have a question.
Do you imply a specific individual or group when you say someone?

Not specific, when you say "someone" that means you imply a person you don't know whom, to be exact.

- Someone stole my money.
- Someone ate the cookies.

Logically, "Anyone, Everyone and Someone" are closely related to each other. And the word "No one" is the negative form.

"Anyone" logically means that one person is chosen without any thought.

Example:
"Did anyone check the room?"
"Yes, someone checked yesterday, but no one did today because everyone was too busy."

I hope this helps.

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by Renka09

Not specific, when you say "someone" that means you imply a person you don't know whom, to be exact.

Hi, Renka!
Thank you very much!
Yes, you are really helpful.

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by cheapnfl

Thanks for letting me read this great post, keep it up.

Thanks for your reading.

[YuriTokoro]

Hi.
Could someone help me?

This is a part from a novel.
“I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores. The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person.”


What the differences in meaning among these four?
1. The abnormal mind is quick to detect…
2. An abnormal mind is quick to detect…
3. The abnormal minds are quick to detect…
4. Abnormal minds are quick to detect…

Thank you!

[Chess]

When you say, "The abnormal mind is quick to detect." It appears to me that you are referring to a certain specific person who has that brain because the word "The" is in a demonstrative form. meaning that the abnormal mind is something that you already mentioned or completely specified later in that same sentence.

When you say, "An abnormal mind is quick to detect." The word "An" refers to an indefinite object, meaning that the word "an" is used when the noun may refer to different possibilities, and to something not specified.


Let's review:

Indefinite nouns - can have many meanings, meaning it does not refer to any specific objects. Nouns that are preceded with "a" or "an" article is indefinite.

A dog
An egg
An Alligator

Definite nouns - are nouns that are specific for the speaker or to the listener, it precedes with the word "The"

“I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores. The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person.”

- The narrator used the word "The" because he is pointing at his own brain and describes what his brain does when it appears in a normal person. Or if there's an abnormal mind already mentioned before that part of the sentence, he's probably referring to someone's brain.

Hope this helps.

[YuriTokoro]

I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores. The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person.

Originally Posted by Chess

Hmm, actually, the first and second is grammatically correct, and it's in a singular form, the fourth one is correct in plural form, but the third one is incorrect.

When you say, "The abnormal mind is quick to detect." It appears to me that you are referring to a certain specific person who has that brain because the word "The" is in a demonstrative form.

Hi, Chess. Thank you!

Can “The abnormal mind” mean a certain specific people? I mean more than one person?
I believe that “the abnormal mind”, “many curious natures” and “not a few veteran bores” are the same people. Is this right?

Thank you!