A or the

Question

I have found this sentence in a book by

Marse Henry

"I learn he has left a wife and three or four children."

Why does he use "A WIFE" here? It feels like it wasn't the wife of that guy but any wife...... Isn't it better to usa "THE" here?

What do you think?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

It is fine and common as is.  It is new information about the fellow (and also, we don't know how many wives he had).

Ticce · Answer

Mister MicawberIt is fine and common as is. It is new information about the fellow (and also, we don't know how many wives he had).

Well, if we switch - WIFE to PRESIDENT would it also be

I learn he has left a PRESIDENT??? I don't think so. But it would also be new information about the fellow. It means that this point is not decisive here.

Then the last point remains i.e. that he had several wives. This is unlikely though.
_____________________

Here it is another example

He had gone to Earth Man's home, also, where he found the wife and two sons of the man.

Why not use A WIFE HERE?

Mister Micawber · Answer

So if you have all the answers, why ask?  'He has left a president' is ridiculous. but 'We have lost a president' when one is assassinated is not.

Ticce · Answer

Mister MicawberSo if you have all the answers, why ask? 'He has left a president' is ridiculous. but 'We have lost a president' when one is assassinated is not.

I don't have answers I have only options. The problem is that in my first language we have not any articles as such, this is why it is very confusing for me.

Again, I am losing the logical thread here with the example about PRESIDENT

1) The president has been assassinated.
2) Another one hasn't been elected yet
3) So, officially there is still only one president

Why then do we switch THE to A here?

Mister Micawber · Answer

You don't have to; it is simply an option.  The speaker is thinking of other presidents, other wives.

Frostwhite · Answer

Hi!

I'm with Mr. M here.
I'm not really good at analyzing sentences but my instinct tells me that he is right.

Ticce) The president has been assassinated.
2) Another one hasn't been elected yet
3) So, officially there is still only one president

To me, there is no more president. He no longer exists on this planet.

(I could be wrong)

Ticce · Answer

Mister MicawberYou don't have to; it is simply an option. The speaker is thinking of other presidents, other wives.

)) A great explanation! Thanks!

I think I am as crummy a student as you are a teacher!

CalifJim · Answer

TicceI have found this sentence in a book by Marse Henry"I learn he has left a wife and three or four children."Why does he use "A WIFE" here? It feels like it wasn't the wife of that guy but any wife.. Isn't it better to usa "THE" here? What do you think?

This is an interesting observation, but not the viewpoint we take as native speakers of English. There are two meanings of "a". It doesn't always mean "any". It can mean "any" or "a certain". In this case, we hear "a" as "a certain".

"He left a wife and children" immediately suggests "He died".

Consider this comparison. It may help. (But no guarantees!)

-- What do you have on the table?
-- I have a pen and a pencil on the table.

-- Suppose I take the pen. What have I left on the table?
-- You have left a pencil on the table. There is still a pencil on the table.
(The list of things still on the table: a pencil.)

-- Did he have a family?
-- Yes. He has a wife and a child.
-- Suppose he dies. Who has he "left" (Who is there who is still alive)?
-- He has left a wife and a child. There are still a wife and a child in the family.
(The list of people still in the family: a wife, a child.)

CJ

Mister Micawber · Answer

Thanks, CJ. That spreads it out on the table. We might also note that we couldn't use 'the' in the orginal anyway (we'd have to use 'his'), so it is not a simple matter of definite vs indefinite.

Crummy teacher? At this salary, they can't hire Matthew Morrison.

CalifJim · Answer

Mister MicawberCrummy teacher?

Indeed I do believe the poster inadvertently insulted you!

Mister MicawberMatthew Morrison

I am so ignorant. I'll have to Google this one.

Mister Micawbernot a simple matter of definite vs indefinite.

Dunno. Somehow, in the back of my mind, there's a little rule of thumb I may have read a thousand years ago about using the indefinite when listing things, i.e., when "taking inventory". My imagination, perhaps. And anyway, the rule is probably as often broken as any of the others, and with good reason, so ...

CJ

PS. If he left his wife, I'd say he abandoned her. Such a cad.

Edit: OK. Got it. I guess I don't follow very closely who gets the Tony, Grammy, or Golden Globe Awards.

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