I'm just confused sometimes as to which one to use between "the number of people" and "a number of people". What's the difference?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Gotcha! Well, "a number of people" means a random amount of people. Unless the amount is specified to be small in size, "a number of people" means a notable amount of people. It's similar to meaning "a few people" or "quite a few people." "The number of people" means something specific and is usually in reference to a certain amount of people. Like here, they're talking about the amount of people they can reach. Ex: A number of people stopped by and asked when the shop will open. => a random amount of random people. = The number of people who stopped by to ask when the shop is opening was quite big. => the specific number of people who stopped by. Ex: There were a number of people at the shop. => quite a few people Ex: The number of people who have commented on my outfit is fairly large. => the amount of people
