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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

The red bed

Teachers,

Please pretend that the red bed is getting mentioned for the first time in the sentences below.

I entered the apartment. There was no furniture. Nothing. Only a red bed in corner of the living room suggested someone slept here.

I entered the apartment. There was no furniture. Nothing. Only the red bed in corner of the living room suggested someone slept here.

I think that enough information is giving right off the bet to use the definite article. What bed? It was the red bed that stood in the corner of the living room. So I think "the" is better. "A" is correct I think, but not as good.
  

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18 Answers
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I would naturally, without thinking, use "a" not "the."
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Thank you. Would "the" be correct in that context?
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Anonymous Would "the" be correct in that context?
Yes, it is grammatically correct.

If there was something significant in the narrative about a red bed, then a native speaker would use "the."
But you ruled that out in your premise.
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AnonymousI entered the apartment. There was no furniture. Nothing. Only the red bed in corner of the living room suggested someone slept here.
That's fine. This emphasizes that there was only one red bed in the corner of the living that suggested someone slept in the apartment and, as it's normal to find beds and other such things in residential units,
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AlpheccaStarsYes, it is grammatically correct.If there was something significant in the narrative about a red bed, then a native speaker would use "the." But you ruled that out in your premise.
I am sorry, but I am so confused. You say it's grammatically correct in this context, but then you say it's not?

And the other answerer says either is correct.
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Anonymous but then you say it's not?
I am sorry if my answer that I would use "a red bed" Implied in any way that "the red bed" is incorrect.
I had two choices, and each one is grammatically correct. My first natural choice as a native speaker would be "a red bed."...

I go into an apartment. Nobody's there. What do I see? A blue chair, a
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Oh, I see. Okay. Thank you, AlpheccaStars.
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There's a subtle difference between the two sentences. The first one, "a," suggests that you entered the apt. and just glanced around, seeing nothing of interest - just the bed in a corner, the odd color of it not even being noticed by you - and you soon left. The second, "the," suggests that you entered the apt. and lingered, the bed in particular, with its odd color, catching your interest - y
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Anonymous The second, "the," suggests that you entered the apt. and lingered, the bed in particular, with its odd color, catching your interest
That is what I meant in my previous answer.
If there was something significant in the narrative about a red bed, then a native speaker would use "the."
But you ruled that out in your premise.
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AnonymousOnly a red bed in corner of the living room suggested someone slept here.
Only the red bed in corner of the living room suggested someone slept here.
You could use either one (a or the) in this sentence -- the difference is tiny.
If the sentence casually referred to the red bed, I would us
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