ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: The girl in a / the red T-shirt.

CalifJim — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:02:10 GMT

To identify her, she's the girl in the ..., the girl with the ...
Looking for someone unknown, you look for a girl in a ..., a girl with a ...

CJ

Re: The girl in a / the red T-shirt.

Grammar Geek — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:28:46 GMT

If there is a specific girl, identifiable by the shirt or hat she is wearing, then use "the girl in that red shirt" or "the girl in the huge hat with flowers." Either "the" or "that" (presuming you can point to it) will work.

(If you don't know who you are looking for - you are meeting someone you haven't met before in person - you could say "I'm looking for a girl who is wearing a red t-shirt.")

The girl in a / the red T-shirt.

Pastsimple — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:18:14 GMT

Hi,

imagine you're walking down the street with your friend. Suddenly, you notice a girl in a red T-shirt. You want to tell your friend something about her. Are you going to identify her as: "The girl in a red T-shirt" or "The girl in the red T-shirt" ? To be honest, I have the suspicion that either might be possible.

And... what if you omit the colour?

Other examples:

"The girl with a / the mobile", "The girl in a / the hat"...

Thanks in advance.