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DorisPao Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

A victim

Hi everyone,

Imagine: a person is being accused of a crime. Claiming to be innocent, she says:

I am the victim of a conspiracy.
I am a victim of a conspiracy.

"The" = pretty straightforward: she believes she is the only victim of a conspiracy.
"A" = she believes there are other victims of the same conspiracy.

What do you think about the indefinite article? What if she doesn't really know if there are others? It seems more natural to me to say "I am a victim..." whether she is the only one or there are others, but I want to check with the native speakers.

Thanks!
  

Top answer

You've got it right. "the" - the victim suspects she is the only one. "a" - she knows there are others or is not sure that she is the only one.

— Michael Chambers Teaching English

  • You've got it right.
  • "the" - the victim suspects she is the only one.
  • "a" - she knows there are others or is not sure that she is the only one.
  • Kind regards, Michael
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37 Answers
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You've got it right. "the" - the victim suspects she is the only one. "a" - she knows there are others or is not sure that she is the only one. Kind regards, Michael
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Hi

I'd say there's not a lot of difference. By using 'the' you are perhaps suggesting that there is something special about the conspiracy or about your involvement in it ...

- I get up, make breakfast, feed the chickens. I'm a farmer's wife

- I get up, make breakfast, feed the chickens. I'm the farmer's wife

Both of these seem natural and it's hard to see a
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I am with M. Chambers and the author's original interpretation. There might be a slight shift of emphasis when you go from the indefinite article to the definite article ("a victim of a crime" vs. "the victim of a crime" - you can use either one without any significant change in meaning; "a" could just mean "some victim" in such a case). But, frankly, if the woman said, "I am the
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dave_anon- I get up, make breakfast, feed the chickens. I'm a farmer's wife- I get up, make breakfast, feed the chickens. I'm the farmer's wifeBoth of these seem natural and it's hard to see a difference. In the second, very slightly, you are saying that you play a special role. I think that's all
Well, no. I am sorry, but you're wrong. Your examples are diffe
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Hi

...and if I'm the creature from outer space, does that mean I believe that there could only be one; or am I gesturing to one that I mentioned before; or am I just using 'the' in the way that people sometimes do, to emphasise what they're saying? That is the question

Or must I say, that's a question?

Dave
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... in fact, just no.

- I lived with Harry, the farmer, for forty years. After he died, I married Giles, the hedge fund accountant. But I still feed the chickens every morning. I'm still the farmer's wife

This does not mean that she is still Harry's wife. It means that, despite marrying a hedge fund accountant, she still sees herself as playing the role of a farmer's wife
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This is my take on this (US usage) - this is from a more practical point of view:

In the US, either one could be said, and the meaning would generally be understood the same way, that is: she did not commit a crime, she was set up by conspirators.

The difference between the two, if any, is in nuance and tone.

A woman is quirky, possibly with psychological problems.
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That's right. And it could equally be true of the man. The 'the' is neither referential nor particular

Dave
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AnonymousA woman is quirky, possibly with psychological problems. Such a woman would be more likely to blurt out: "I'm the victim of a conspiracy!"A woman is well-educated and level-headed. Such a woman would be more likely to calmly say: "I'm a victim of a conspiracy."
Umm . . . I suppose that I can buy the "nuance/tone" thing, but these examples are just hog
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I agree with this point that the feeling of the victim may lead him or her to say "the" victim in the heat of the moment. I can imagine saying or feeling this myself. I think what's happening here is that the victim is meaning - I am the victim in this situation, the victim of this crime. Later, they may reflect or learn that there are other similar victims.

On the farmer's wife example,
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