By an/the/- evil man, Prince John

[Tanya Carousel]

Hello. Could you tell me, please, which article (or its absence) must be here and why?
Robin Hood's money and land were stolen by an/ the/- evil man, Prince John.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Cagey]

Please tell us which you would use, Tanya Carousel.

Then people will know what you already know, and what still needs to be explained.

 

[Tanya Carousel]

Please tell us which you would use, Tanya Carousel.

Then people will know what you already know, and what still needs to be explained.

I suppose there would be "a" because this evil man is mentioned for the first time. But I am not sure.

 

[Cagey]

Yes, this is a good sentence to introduce Prince John, especially if you are going on to say more about him and why he was evil.

Robin Hood's money and land were stolen by an evil man, Prince John.​

​

It would be possible to use 'the' even if this is the first time you mention him, and you still have to describe him.

Robin Hood's money and land were stolen by the evil man, Prince John.​

Without more context, I prefer 'an', but if I saw the rest of the paragraph I might prefer 'the'.

You do need either 'an' or 'the'. You can't omit the article altogether.

 

[Tanya Carousel]

Yes, this is a good sentence to introduce Prince John, especially if you are going on to say more about him and why he was evil.

Robin Hood's money and land were stolen by an evil man, Prince John.​

​

It would be possible to use 'the' even if this is the first time you mention him, and you still have to describe him.

Robin Hood's money and land were stolen by the evil man, Prince John.​

Without more context, I prefer 'an', but if I saw the rest of the paragraph I might prefer 'the'.

You do need either 'an' or 'the'. You can't omit the article altogether.

Thank you!