When listening to a statement, a plan, a defense, an attempt to persuade, I am often taken with the idea of changing a sentence that includes the word "the" to the word "a".
Many people in the US are naturally drawn to whatever is exciting, outstanding in some say. I guess it is a natural psychological tendency. It is difficult to state a superlative without using the article "the". Which book is your favorite? Which team will win? Which artist did you like THE most?
I am impressed with the more relaxed, less argumentative feeling that comes along with change in the little words. Which book did you like? Which team will do well? Which artist did you like? Having played with this sort of change, I have learned that it doesn't take much to invite broader, more open thinking. If I add plurals, as in Which artists did you like?, I open the door to different sorts of liking: dramatic, original, memorable, etc.
We practice being "right" with good reason. We want to be a source of useful, solid information. When I ask what book is your favorite, you are asked to scrutinize your reactions and tease which author, athlete, date, subject, food REALLY is your favorite? You have to unlease your careful comparer and weigh carefully. So you can't answer until you have carefully weighed your reactions to "Oppenheimer" and to "Barbie".
