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I have a question.

I know 'a number of ' means 'a lot', and 'the number of' means 'the quantity of'.

so.. I say, 'a number of apples.' and then, I want to repeat the phrase 'a number of apples' wherein the apples are the same apples.

Then should I say 'a number of the apples' or "the number of the apples.'

I mean, when repeating the same thing, definite article is used, like an apple-> the apple.

should I put 'the' in front of 'apples'? or should I change 'a' to 'the'?

Thanks in advance

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    This would be easier to answer this if you could write some whole example sentences, rather than bits and pieces, with details about the parts you are not clear about.
    – user3169
    Jan 21, 2015 at 2:58
  • A number of doesn't mean a lot of. It means several, various, a few, or some. The question is not clear at all.
    – Khan
    Jan 21, 2015 at 4:39
  • a number of the apples -I first thought you are giving some number (-say 3832) to the box of apples!*
    – Maulik V
    Jan 21, 2015 at 5:27

2 Answers 2

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A number of apples means an indefinite quantity of apples, roughly equivalent to quite a few apples or several apples.

I have a number of apples in this bag.

The number of apples, however, means a definite quantity of apples: the exact number of apples under discussion.

The number of apples in this bag is seven.

In both, the article (a or the) refers to number, not to apples; but while a-number-of acts is a multiword quantifier which acts as a determiner on apples, the-number is a standalone noun phrase which is modified by the preposition phrase of apples.

Consequently, you cannot treat the two expressions as 'co-referential' like bare a and the, which can be used as determiners of the same entity at different stages of a discourse, because only one of them is used as a determiner. Thus, although these two pairs of statements work well enough:

I have an apple in this bag. okThe apple is a Red Delicious.
   and
I have seven apples in this bag. okThe seven apples are all Red Delicious.

... this pair of statements is impossible:

I have a number of apples in this bag. ∗The number of apples are all Red Delicious.

If you want to do something like this, you have to use some other expression instead of a number of:

I have several apples in this bag. okThe several apples are all Red Delicious.

∗ marks an utterance as ungrammatical

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If you're using 'a number of apples' to mean 'a certain quantity of apples', then you can later refer to them as those apples. For example

Jane: There were a number of apples on the table this morning.
Charlie: I didn't see any apples.
Jane: I guess someone must have come along and taken those apples.

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  • This does not answer the question: "Then should I say 'a number of the apples' or "the number of the apples.'" Also see the questions' title.
    – user6951
    Jan 21, 2015 at 3:32
  • @δοῦλος You don't say either. Either would sound either awkward or confusing.
    – A.Ellett
    Jan 21, 2015 at 3:33

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