Konnichiwa, Casiopea. :D
Thanks very much for your helpful comments.
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Originally Posted by Casiopea Another way of saying "The number you (have) dialed is wrong" is "You have dailed the wrong number".
"The number" refers to a specific number, as tdol said, the number you are calling. There is only one number registered with the location you are calling and that number is different (i.e. chigau) from the one you want to call.
the number is wrong ~ the wrong number |
I see.
But isn't this also true?: "The haircut you have is nice" is "You have
a nice haircut."
On the other hand, your point about "only one number registered with the location" seems to make sense.
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Originally Posted by Casiopea Another example
Sam: Please lend me a pencil.
Max: What kind of pencil? I have several kinds.
Sam: A nice one. (Meaning, any one pencil in your case)
or
Sam: (pointing) The nice one there. (pointing = specific)
or
Sam: The green one. ('green' = specific) |
I see.
But isn't this also true?: (
pointing) You have a nice haircut. (pointing = specific)
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Originally Posted by Casiopea Teacher: Did you bring your workbooks?
Student: Yes. Here it is.
Teacher: That's the wrong workbook.
the workbook (I asked you to buy) is wrong ~ the wrong workbook.
"I asked you to buy" modifies "workbook" and makes "workbook" specific and so "The" is added. |
Again, isn't this also true?:
the haircut (you have) is nice" ~
a nice haircut.
BUT!
I might have found a great clue here.
You says what modifies "workbook" here is "I asked you to buy," not "(the workbook) you bought."
It seems to me that, like my "hypothesis," you are indicating that what is making "the wrong workbook" so specific to require the definite article is "the workbook I asked you to buy," i.e. "the right book."
In other words, the book you bought is wrong as the book I asked you to buy.
That is, you bought a workbook which belongs to the wrong category specified by the right workbook I asked you to buy.
So "the" of "the wrong workbook" means not "the specific workbook," but "a workbook that belongs to the category specified by the right workbook."
Am I off the mark?
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Originally Posted by Casiopea Pat: There's Miki!
Sam: No. That's not her.
Pat: Yes, it is!
Sam: That's the wrong person. 
the person (we are looking for) is wrong ~ the wrong person
"we are looking for" makes "person" specific, and so "The" is added. |
In your last line here, are you saying that what makes "the wrong person" so specific as to require the definite article is the fact that we are looking for a specific person?
If so, that is exactly what I tried to say about the "workbook" example above.
Am I imagining up a wrong, unnecessarily complicated theory?
Oh, should I say THE WRONG, unnecessarily complicated theory? :o