Question

1. People always imagine the future to have machines that are magically helpful.

2. People always imagine the future to have "the" machines that are magically helpful.
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Are both okay? Do we have to use 'the' or not in this sentence? What is the difference between the two sentences in meaning?

Answer 1

There's no real difference in meaning between the two sentences, but you don't need "the" -- it's an extra word you can skip!