Alexsnapper

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If someone (a farmer, for example) has several sons, which would be grammatically correct to refer to one of them as "a son of a farmer" of "the son of a farmer". I know that "a farmer's son" would probably be the best, but I'm interested in the above construction.

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[+3] - McGentrix - 02/15/2017[quote="alexsnapper"] If someone (a farmer, for example) has several sons, which would be grammatically correct to refer to one of them as "a son of a farmer" of "the son...

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@alexsnapper,

alexsnapper wrote:

If someone (a farmer, for example) has several sons, which would be grammatically correct to refer to one of them as "a son of a farmer" of "the son of a farmer". I know that "a farmer's son" would probably be the best, but I'm interested in the above construction.

"What? You need advice on how to fertilize 40 acres? Well, I'm the son of a farmer so let me tell you a story."

"What do you mean I can't park here? I'm just a farmer's son, I don't know what I'm doing!"

It's all in the context surrounding what you want to say.

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The farmer's son could also be used to indicate the farmer had only one son.

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@McGentrix,

Thanx, McGentrix. No surrounding context, unfortunately. Just biographical.
"Alfred Nobel, the great Swedish inventor, a son of a bankrupt..." My question still stands: would it be grammatically morecorrect to say "the son of a bankrupt" than "a son of a bankrupt", even if he had a brother or brothers?

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