The vs an/an + clauses

Question

Here's the situation - I meet a friend and I tell her about yesterday

Hey John!
Hi Sarah!
How was yesterday's trip?
It was great. Karl took me to the country side to show me his new house. It reminded me of the/a house I rented in Oxford.
....
a house I rented in Oxford. - in this case, one of the houses I rented in Oxford?
the house I rented in Oxford. - in this case, I rented only one house in Oxford?

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Russkiy BearHere's the situation - I meet a friend and I tell her about yesterdayHey John!Hi Sarah!How was yesterday's trip?It was great. Karl took me to the country side to show me his new house. It reminded me of the/a house I rented in Oxford.....a house I rented in Oxford. - in this case, one of the houses I rented in Oxford?the house I rented in Oxford. - in this case, I rented only one house in Oxford?

Yes.

By the way, countryside is one word.

Russkiy Bear · Answer

So, in this situation, everything I tell her is new information such as Karl's house, a house or houses I rented in Oxford. This phrase the house I rented in Oxford works cos I specify which one and since it was the only one I can use the, right?

If so, then I've got a follow up question.

I'm telling Sarah about my new collegue and she knows nothing about her.

-How was your day John?
-The boss hired a new woman. We work together now.
-How's she?
-She's a real professional. Her name is Amanda. She's got a/the son who is a doctor.
....

In this case I can't say the son who is a doctor no matter how many sons she has because it'd be wrong from what I've learnt.

The correct way would be She's got a who is a doctor. It looks like the case with houses in Oxford. We've got a relative clause too. However the same principle doesn't work. I'd love to understand why.

The vs an/an + clauses

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