The or an to be used

Question

The elephant is a mammal

An elephant is a mammal

Which is the correct statement on above?

Answer 1

Hi Muhammed,

Technically, both the and an are grammatically correct in this case.

You would use an if you were referring to elephants in general in the singular tense of the noun.

You would use the when referring to more specific characteristics of an elephant in terms of examining the elephant as an animal itself in greater depth for a specific study so to speak.