a man or the man - help!

Question

We were told to go to the square and look for a man with a red hat. So we headed to the square. But once there,

a) hard as we tried, we could not find a man with a red hat.

b) hard as we tried, we could not find the man with a red hat.

Is either article correct in this context? Does "a man" have the sense of "we could not find any man with a red hat" and "the man" the sense of "the man who has just been mentioned"?

Thanks!

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

AnonymousIs either article correct in this context?

Yes.

AnonymousDoes "a man" have the sense of "we could not find any man with a red hat"

Yes.

Anonymousnd "the man" the sense of "the man who has just been mentioned"?

Yes.

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks!

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousWe were told to go to the square and look for a man with a red hat.

There is nothing here that claims the existence of any man at all with a red hat. There might not be a man with a red hat. It may be impossible to find such a man.

Anonymous hard as we tried, we could not find the man with a red hat.

The use of 'the' makes "the man with a red hat" a reference to a real entity in the real world. But no man was found. Consequently, In my opinion, "the" is impossible.

If the story had started out with a definite claim that there was indeed a man with a red hat somewhere in the square where you looked, I would find "the" acceptable even if you didn't find "the man".

AnonymousDoes ... "the man" [have] the sense of "the man who has just been mentioned"?

Yes. It can. Nevertheless, I'm not convinced that this is a very strong argument for the use of "the".

CJ

a man or the man - help!

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