Which person did you see in the room?
1. I saw a man who was in the room.
2. I saw the man who was in the room.
[Based on your explanation, #2 is a correct answer. What about #1? Is this answer possible? There were five people and and I saw a/one man who was in the room. Is this answer correct?]
#1 is marginally OK, but simply saying, "I saw a man in the room" is all you need.
Thank you for your help. Then you mean both of the following answers are possible, don't you? And 'in the room' modifies 'a man' or 'the man'. Is that right? By the way, which answer is commonly used?
1. I saw a man in the room.
2. I saw the man in the room.
Yes, you're right. Either one is fine, depending on whether the man is one among many or is alone in the room.
Either one works, depending on the circumstances.
Yes, based on the provided information, both answers can be considered correct, but they have slightly different meanings.
Answer #1: "I saw a man who was in the room."
In this answer, the person states that they saw "a man," implying that there were multiple people in the room, and they saw one of the men among them. This suggests that there were other individuals present besides the man they saw.
Answer #2: "I saw the man who was in the room."
In this answer, the person specifically mentions "the man," indicating that there was only one particular man in the room whom they saw. This implies that there were no other men in the room, but possibly other non-male individuals.
So, depending on the context and the number of people in the room, both answers can be correct, but they convey slightly different information.