A man / the man

Question

On walking to school, I saw a man who was asking people for money.  On walking to school, I saw the man who was asking people for money.  Which one is more correct? Best regards.

Fadysandy · Accepted Answer

Can you help me,please?

Grammarfreak · Answer

Is this homework? You should try it first next time.
On walking to school - this is not good English. With the context of the sentence, there are couple of ways to say the same thing idiomatically.
1) On my way to school, I saw a man....
2) While walking to school, I saw a man...

CalifJim · Answer

fadysandyWhich one is more correct?

Neither. Both can be correct. Both can be wrong. It depends how you use them. Here's an example.

Someone warns you about this man who asks for money, saying, "I saw a man on the way to school who was asking for money", and you haven't seen him, so you say, "I haven't seen him. Maybe I'll see him some day". (You don't know which man you are being told about because you have never seen him, so in speaking to you about it, a man is used.)

Then one day you do see him, so, speaking to the one who told you about that man, you say, "I saw the man who was asking people for money". ("the" shows that you know which man you're talking about and that the person you're talking to will know which man you're talking about.)

In general, a man is a man that has not been mentioned before in the conversation, and the man is the man whose identity is already known, having been mentioned before in the conversation.

CJ

Fadysandy · Answer

Thanks for help.
Very specific and illustrated answer.

A man / the man

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