Why (b) cannot be the answer to this question?

Question

A: Will I see you at the theater tonight?
(a) Actually, I gave my ticket to a colleague.
(b) Yes, that theater is on Queen Street.

I thought both (a) and (b) are the right answer.
Why is (b) the wrong answer?
Please answer, thanks.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Hi Mingdi!
Welcome to EnglishForward.

( b) is perfect, grammatically speaking. But it does not clearly answer the question.
A clear answer would be:
Yes, you will. That theater is on Queen Street.

( a) answers the question indirectly. If I gave my ticket away, I will not be at the theater.

CalifJim · Answer

mingdiWhy is (b) the wrong answer?

Nothing in the question indicates that the speaker needs to be informed about the location of the theater.

CJ

Mingdi · Answer

Hi, AlpheccaStars! Thank you for your answer.
But I cannot understand.. I thought "yes" is enough.
Then should "you will" be included in the answer? why??

Blue Jay · Answer

The point is that (b) contains information that is irrelevant to the question. That makes it an unsatisfactory answer. (a) does answer the question.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

mingdiThen should "you will" be included in the answer? why??

The sentence about the location of the theater is a non-sequitur. So you need something more than "Yes" to make your answer clear.

A: Will I see you at the theater tonight?
These are good direct answers:
Yes. I'll be there. (Best)
Yes, you will. (Good)
Yes, the movie starts at 8:00. (This is OK, but a little bit odd. )
Yes. (This is OK, but the person who asks the question expects a little more information.)

What is the question for this answer?
Yes, that theater is on Queen Street.

( a) Do you know the Majestic Theater?
( b) Do you have theater tickets for tonight?
( c) Do you know any interesting places to visit near here?

Why (b) cannot be the answer to this question?

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