Tell me please which article I have to use in the following context: the indefinite or definite article.
Why didn't you go to school yesterday? I want to know an/the actual answer.
I have heard native English speakers use an in similar contexts. Do native English speakers use an in similar cotexts because answer is somehow modified by actual?
Best Answer
An actual answer is a reply that answer the question instead of going around it. The actual answer is the correct reply.
Let's say a politician was bribed. I ask him "were you bribed?". If he says "my finances are none of your concern", that is not an answer to the question. If he says "No", that is an actual answer to the question, but a wrong one (a lie). If he says "Yes", that is the actual answer to the question (the truth).