# Multiple state parks have closed



## kansi

*Multiple* state parks have closed after reaching capacity on Saturday.

State Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection officials said the following parks are now closed to new visitors:


Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford
Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme
Scantic River State Park, Powder Hollow in Enfield
Silver Sands State Park in Milford
Any parks that close on Saturday are expected to reopen to new visitors on Sunday.

Multiple State Parks Close After Reaching Capacity

Is the word maltiple usually redundant or just a word
to emphasize the fact that there are more
than one something or more than one something are done?

I mean the underlined sentence can be replaced with the sentence below, without changing its meaning?
●State parks have closed after reaching capacity on Saturday.


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## bennymix

●State parks have closed after reaching capacity on Saturday. 

Your new sentence is true if only 2 parks are closed.    So you've slightly altered the meaning.


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## owlman5

kansi said:


> Is the word maltiple multiple usually redundant or just a word
> to emphasize the fact that there are more
> than one something or more than one something are done?


It is another way to say _several _or perhaps _many: Multiple state parks have closed after reaching capacity Saturday = Several state parks have closed after reaching capacity Saturday._



kansi said:


> I mean the underlined sentence can be replaced with the sentence below, without changing its meaning?
> ●State parks have closed after reaching capacity on Saturday.


No.


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## kansi

bennymix said:


> ●State parks have closed after reaching capacity on Saturday.
> 
> Your new sentence is true if only 2 parks are closed.    So you've slightly altered the meaning.


I see.So this says that the parks that are now closed are maltiple:they can be some, many or the majority of the parks in the state but that's not the point of this sentence or being talked about by this sentence.

On the other hand, the original sentence gives an vague idea of the number of the parks that are now closed (, as well as ,needless to say, that they are maltiple).

Is this the (very slight) difference between the two sentences?


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## bennymix

Note you are misspelling 'multiple' on multiple occasions!    I think you understand my point, which is the same as owl's in his post #3.


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## kansi

owlman5 said:


> No


I see. While the original sentence gives a vague idea to the number of the parks that are closed now, the made up sentence just says that they are more
than 1:it can be a few, many or 90% of it but this sentence doesn't tell about it or it's not the purpose of the sentence.

This is the (slight) difference between them?



bennymix said:


> Note you are misspelling 'multiple' on multiple occasions!    I think you understand my point, which is the same as owl's in his post #3.


Sorry that's multiple, not m*a*ltiple.I understand that thank you!


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## owlman5

kansi said:


> This is the (slight) difference between them?


Yes. _Multiple _or _several _emphasize the idea that more than one state park has closed. _State parks have closed _isn't as clear or emphatic. People use those adjectives for a reason.


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## kansi

owlman5 said:


> Yes. _Multiple _or _several _emphasize the idea that more than one state park has closed. _State parks have closed _isn't as clear or emphatic. People use those adjectives for a reason.


I see..
Or I can choose to say "states parks are closed." when
I heard they are closed but I don't have any idea of the number of it.


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## owlman5

kansi said:


> Or I can choose to say "The states state parks are closed." when
> I heard they are closed but I don't have any idea of the number of it.


Yes, you can.


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## kansi

owlman5 said:


> Yes, you can.


I need to use "the" because otherwise I would sound like talking about any states parks in any state?Here it's about Connecticut. So it's the state parks.


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## owlman5

kansi said:


> I need to use "the" because otherwise I would sound like talking about any states parks in any state?


Yes. The definite article is normal because you are distinguishing between state parks and other kinds of parks.


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## kentix

kansi said:


> Or I can choose to say "states parks are closed." when
> I heard they are closed but I don't have any idea of the number of it.


In that case you should say "some".

_I heard that some state parks are closed._

"I heard that state parks are closed" would imply all of them.


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## kansi

kentix said:


> "I heard that state parks are closed" would imply all of them.


Doesn't "the state parks are closed." also imply that some are closed, as well as many are closed?
I mean, we can't know which is exactly the case of it from the single sentence though.

Or you mean the sentence might mean different meanings but "all are closed." the most strongly implys it among the possible meanings?


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## kentix

The state parks = the entire group of things included in the category "state parks".

If you say "the state parks are closed", it includes everything in that category.


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## kansi

kentix said:


> The state parks = the entire group of things included in the category "state parks".
> 
> If you say "the state parks are closed", it includes everything in that category


Is this still true that if I say "the state parks are closed", this sentence is true if only 2 parks in reality are closed.

This is true but it implys all the state's parks are closed unless further information is given?

[Edited to remove topic drift.  DonnyB - moderator]



bennymix said:


> Note you are misspelling 'multiple' on multiple occasions!    I think you understand my point, which is the same as owl's in his post #3.


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## kentix

kansi said:


> Is this still true that if I say "the state parks are closed", this sentence is true if only 2 parks in reality are closed.


Like I said, in that case you have to say "Some state parks are closed."


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## kansi

kentix said:


> Like I said, in that case you have to say "Some state parks are closed."


Hmm, I see.It seems a little different from what he says.


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## heypresto

Right.


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## Roxxxannne

kansi said:


> I need to use "the" because otherwise I would sound like talking about any states parks in any state?Here it's about Connecticut. So it's the state parks.


As kentix correctly said in #24, 'The state parks are closed' includes everything in the category of 'state park.'  
I add here that context is important (as you know  ).

The context of the OP is Connecticut; the sentence comes from the website of WVIT, a television station in Connecticut that is owned and operated by NBC (the station calls itself NBC Connecticut).  So the category, in the particular context of the OP, is actually 'state parks in Connecticut.' If this particular website said 'the state parks are closed' it would mean 'all the state parks in Connecticut are closed,' not 'all the state parks in any state.'

If the news on NBC Connecticut were about state parks in Connecticut and Rhode Island, the sentence would be "multiple state parks in Connecticut and Rhode Island are closed."


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## Andygc

Multiple state parks have closed = many state parks have closed = several state parks have closed.

State parks have closed - we have no idea if that is a few, many or all, but it must be more than one.

The state parks have closed = all state parks have closed.

It's not complicated.


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## kansi

Andygc said:


> Multiple state parks have closed = many state parks have closed = several state parks have closed.
> 
> State parks have closed - we have no idea if that is a few, many or all, but it must be more than one.
> 
> The state parks have closed = all state parks have closed.


I understand it all, thanks to you guys.


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## kansi

Roxxxannne said:


> The context of the OP is Connecticut; the sentence comes from the website of WVIT, a television station in Connecticut that is owned and operated by NBC (the station calls itself NBC Connecticut). So the category, in the particular context of the OP, is actually 'state parks in Connecticut.' If this particular website said 'the state parks are closed' it would mean 'all the state parks in Connecticut are closed,' not 'all the state parks in any state.'


I understand that..Thank you!
It comes to my mind that there are three similar ways to say.
Let's set the context Connecticut state again.
❶state parks are closed.= all the state parks are closed.❓
❷the state parks are closed.= all the state parks are closed.✅
❸multiple state parks are closed.=many or several parks are closed.✅


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## kansi

Roxxxannne said:


> Reread andygc's comment #20 for the answer what 'state parks have closed' means.


I see! it's clear now and it seems like that noun "state" in "State parks are closed." mean like (a) *state-owned, *which I guess is different from *the* state-owned.


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## Hermione Golightly

It would be the same if the word 'state' was not used.
'English parks were closed during lock-down'.


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## Roxxxannne

I'm not sure what you mean but
'State-owned parks are closed' is another, longer way of saying 'state parks are closed.'
'The state-owned parks are closed' is another, longer way of saying 'the state parks are closed.'

Bear in mind that state parks are located within towns or cities but are maintained by the state that they're in, not by the city or town that they're in.


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## kansi

Roxxxannne said:


> I'm not sure what you mean but
> 'State-owned parks are closed' is another, longer way of saying 'state parks are closed.'
> 'The state-owned parks are closed' is another, longer way of saying 'the state parks are closed.'


This is exactly what I meant in that thread. So
the word "state-owened" and the word "the state-owned" are bit different and feels the sense of all of something from "the state-owned", which I don't (or shouldn't) feel from "state-owned"...Am I doing correct?


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## Roxxxannne

Yes.


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## kansi

Roxxxannne said:


> Yes.


I see..I guess I have learned a new, little but important thing here.Thank you very much.



Hermione Golightly said:


> It would be the same if the word 'state' was not used.
> 'English parks were closed during lock-down'.


From what I have learned, English parks were closed..means more than one parks that are
categorized as an English park are closed and we don't know if it's some or many yet.


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## Hermione Golightly

We might assume that it means all of them. It would probably say if it was not, but since it is a headline it isn't clear. 'Many', 'some', and 'a few' are not long words, but headlines are designed to attract attention.


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## kansi

Hermione Golightly said:


> We might assume that it means all of them. It would probably say if it was not, but since it is a headline it isn't clear. 'Many', 'some', and 'a few' are not long words, but headlines are designed to attract attention.


You mean,
when it's a headline, you assume it means all of them and,
when it's in the middle of sentences, you wouldn't
assume so and assume as I said?


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## Myridon

In headlines, "the" is frequently omitted.  The headline "State Parks Close After Reaching Capacity" would be assumed by many to be the sentence "The state parks have closed after reaching capacity." instead of the sentence "State parks have closed after reaching capacity.  A qualifier is very helpful there to make it clear that it isn't an omitted "the."  "Multiple" a more attention-grabbing than "some."


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## kansi

Myridon said:


> In headlines, "the" is frequently omitted.  The headline "State Parks Close After Reaching Capacity" would be assumed by many to be the sentence "The state parks have closed after reaching capacity." instead of the sentence "State parks have closed after reaching capacity.  A qualifier is very helpful there to make it clear that it isn't an omitted "the."  "Multiple" a more attention-grabbing than "some."


I see.If it's a headline, people would assume "the" state parks have closed but if it's in the middle of sentences, people would think it like #25?


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## Roxxxannne

EDITED
I think it depends on the situation.  In some circumstances, leaving out 'the' in a headline could easily mean all state parks; for instance,"State Parks To Get New Signage."  
But it would be so surprising for _all _state parks in a particular state to close because of capacity issues that I am sure 'all 'would be in the headline. For instance, that news story was about four or five parks closing out of a total of more than 100 state parks in Connecticut.


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## kansi

Roxxxannne said:


> I think it depends on the situation. In some circumstances, leaving out 'the' in a headline could easily mean all state parks; for instance,"State Parks To Get New Signage."


I see..in this situation, people assume there should be the definite article before "state parks".


Roxxxannne said:


> But it would be so surprising for _all _state parks in a particular state to close because of capacity issues that I am sure 'all 'would be in the headline. For instance, that news story was about four or five parks closing out of a total of more than 100 state parks in Connecticut.


But in this situation people wouldn't assume the definite article before "state parks" in the headline.If it means really all the state parks are closed, "all" should be added before "state parks".


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## Roxxxannne

> I think it depends on the situation. In some circumstances, leaving out 'the' in a headline could easily mean all state parks; for instance,"State Parks To Get New Signage."


I see..in this situation, people assume there should be the definite article before "state parks".

Yes.
------


> But it would be so surprising for _all _state parks in a particular state to close because of capacity issues that I am sure 'all 'would be in the headline. For instance, that news story was about four or five parks closing out of a total of more than 100 state parks in Connecticut.





> But in this situation people wouldn't assume the definite article before "state parks" in the headline.If it means really all the state parks are closed, "all" should be added before "state parks".



Not quite.  I think some people _might _assume 'all state parks' but it would be so surprising and even shocking for the state of Connecticut to suddenly close more than 100 state parks that the person who wrote the headline would write "all state parks" to get people's attention.
(Closing all the parks would mean deploying state police and putting up barricades and signs; it would not be a simple matter, and it would affect a lot of people.)
Once again, context is important.  
Andygc's comment #20 is a good guide to follow for usage.


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## kansi

Roxxxannne said:


> I see..in this situation, people assume there should be the definite article before "state parks".
> 
> Yes.
> ------
> 
> 
> 
> Not quite.  I think some people _might _assume 'all state parks' but it would be so surprising and even shocking for the state of Connecticut to suddenly close more than 100 state parks that the person who wrote the headline would write "all state parks" to get people's attention.
> (Closing all the parks would mean deploying state police and putting up barricades and signs; it would not be a simple matter, and it would affect a lot of people.)
> Once again, context is important.
> Andygc's comment #20 is a good guide to follow for usage.


I see it's like,
people assuming the definite article and the context also tells it meams all

vs

some people assuming the definite article although the context is odd if it means all or people not assuming tke definite article because of the odd context.


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## Roxxxannne

I don't understand what you mean.   
The usual usage is explained in #20.
But in a hypothetical, extremely unusual situation in which all the state parks in Connecticut were closed, the headline would say "All State Parks Have Been Closed ... " to make sure that everyone read the article and understood clearly.


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## kansi

Roxxxannne said:


> I don't understand what you mean.
> The usual usage is explained in #20.
> But in a hypothetical, extremely unusual situation in which all the state parks in Connecticut were closed, the headline would say "All State Parks Have Been Closed ... " to make sure that everyone read the article and understood clearly.


Sorry I mean in the example of "state parks are closed" as a headline, it's usually odd if the context all the state garks are closed" is true so although some people might assume so, generally people wouldn't assume so and think that the definite article is omitted before "state".

But if the context is different like the first context you said (State Parks To Get New Signage), people would assume all the state parks have got new signage and think the define article is omitted before "state".


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## Roxxxannne

If I understand you correctly, the answer to your first paragraph in #36 is no.
Remember that people reading a headline don't already know the news.  Suppose I wake up in the morning and don't turn on the radio.  I make my breakfast and look at a news site while I eat.  When I see 'State Parks Have Been Closed,' following the distinctions in #20 above, I think to myself that I "have no idea if that is a few, many or all, but it must be more than one."   I don't think "Oh, they left out the definite article.  It should be 'The State Parks Have Been Closed' because that is the same thing as, according to #20, 'all state parks have closed' and I bet they closed all the parks." 

Closing all the state parks is so unusual and so hard to imagine that people would be unlikely to think of that as a possibility if the headline were State Parks Have Been Closed, even though theoretically the phrase could mean that. 

The answer to your second paragraph is yes. People would probably not think "Oh, the headline omitted the definite article: it should be The State Parks To Get New Signage" because ordinary people don't copy-edit what they read.  But they could well think that the headline was referring to all state parks.


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## kansi

Roxxxannne said:


> It should be 'The State Parks Have Been Closed' because that is the same thing as, according to #20, 'all state parks have closed' and I bet they closed all the parks."


Ah I misunderstood something.
When "The state parks have been closed." is a headline, I thought it should be written as "State Parks Have Been Closed.", but it's actually written as "*The *State Parks Have Been Closed*."?*

Edited (because I misunderstood another thing.)
When you see "State Parks Have been Closed", you would think you have no idea if that is a few, many or all, but it must be more than one and it's so unusual if it means *all* the state parks have been closed in such a context.


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## heypresto

Note Roxxxannne's _complete _comment:  "When I see 'State Parks Have Been Closed,' . . . I *don't think* "Oh, they left out the definite article. It should be 'The State Parks Have Been Closed' . . . "


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## kansi

heypresto said:


> Note Roxxxannne's _complete _comment:  "When I see 'State Parks Have Been Closed,' . . . I *don't think* "Oh, they left out the definite article. It should be 'The State Parks Have Been Closed' . . . "


I see I misunderstood something. Thank you.


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