Why is "solid wall" without "a" article? It is a countable noun, isn't it?
He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway.
Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink
instantly back into solid wall.
--------------
Why is "solid wall" without "a" article? It is a countable noun,
isn't it?
He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway.
Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall. --------------
Why is "solid wall" without "a" article? It is a countable noun,
isn't it?
In the following phrases we can see the same "absence" of
articles:
Okay, things don't just disappear into thin air.
I prefer to stand on solid ground.
Okay, things don't just disappear into thin air.Poor examples IMHO.
I prefer to stand on solid ground.
Just look in the Longman dictionary - it says bluntly - wall is a countable noun.
air is not
ground is not.
Hi Alexander,
13.12.2024 11:56:02, Alexander Koryagin <Alexander.Koryagin@p0.f360.n221.z2.fidonet.org> wrote:
I can tell that in this case it "kind of" isn't. It's "solid wall" as an
idea (or type) of vertical surface, not one separate wall, neither one
of four wall in a room or something, you know what I mean? I'd suggest
you have a peek at context.reverso.net and look around for examples and
ideas of how words or expressions are used in written English (I find
this site very handy).
In the following phrases we can see the same "absence" of articles:
Okay, things don't just disappear into thin air.
I prefer to stand on solid ground.
--
"A closed mouth gathers no foot."
--- InterSquish NNTP Server/FTN Gate
* Origin: www.wfido.ru (2:5023/24.4222)
Okay, things don't just disappear into thin air.
I prefer to stand on solid ground.
Poor examples IMHO.
Could be. But you get the idea, don't you?
Just look in the Longman dictionary - it says bluntly -
wall is a countable noun.
Here we go again. "Pie" or "Cake" are countable nouns as well,
but we're also free to say
"I want Cherry Pie", or,
"For Gods' sake, how can you not love Cake?"
Just look in the Longman dictionary - it says bluntly -
wall is a countable noun.
Here we go again. "Pie" or "Cake" are countable nouns as well,Well, let's treat "wall" as "cake". Although, if we again look into Longman dictionary we'll see that it says bluntly that pie /paɪ/ noun [uncountable and countable] ;)
but we're also free to say
"I want Cherry Pie", or,
"For Gods' sake, how can you not love Cake?"
The Great Chinese wall is "wall" or "a wall" if I approach to it?
Again, as you may surmise, using articles is tricky.
I'd say that you rely too much on dictionaries and try
to over-formalise your approach to language learning
in real life, in fiction, newspapers/magazines, talk
shows etc., it may at times look a bit different.
In our case I'd say it's an "object vs. substance" thing.
Here are some instances from a website I find suitable:
"Brick" as substance/material:
"Drilling into brick is a key DIY skill, needed for
all kinds of home improvement projects."
The Great Chinese wall is "wall" or "a wall" if I approach
to it?
It can only be referred to as THE Wall, given its singular and
unique nature (the same as the Moon, the Earth's only natural
satellite). No other options here. :-)
Again, as you may surmise, using articles is tricky.Yes, I`ve noticed over the years that my Russian correspondents
tend to have difficulty with articles in English. Based on what
little I understand of the Russian language I figure I`d have a
very similar problem there.... :-)
I probably own more dictionaries & refer to them more often than
a lot of other people do. I`d like to think I help my readers use
them more efficiently
... but you may not have been here long enough to notice I say on occasion "Did you continue reading as far as definition #12,
where I found the answer?" :-))
If you want to see & hear native speakers saying "would of never"
in our local news or some advertiser telling you the XYZ Company
is best qualified to update your windows because they are "real perfessionals" it certainly does. I don`t rely on these sources
for examples of good English usage...
In our case I`d say it`s an "object vs. substance" thing.(which any dictionary I`d give house room to will probably tell
you)
If you know how how to find material such as the above, I`m most
grateful. :-)
... to you I`d say something more like "You`ve never heard of
Hadrian`s Wall?" :-Q
I think I haven't until just now, but Hadrian is/was a proper noun
(thus no articles needed)? Anyway, given its present condition,
shouldn't it be more aptly termed "The leftovers of Hadrian's Wall"?
I think I haven't until just now, but Hadrian is/was a proper nounThere's a lot of the Wall left standing, and some being restored: www.mickledore.co.uk/blog/walking-hadrians-wall-guide
(thus no articles needed)? Anyway, given its present condition,
shouldn't it be more aptly termed "The leftovers of Hadrian's
Wall"?
Just look in the Longman dictionary - it says
bluntly- 'wall is a countable noun.
The Great Chinese wall is "wall" or "a wall" if/since "approach" means "come near to", this "to" is unnecessary
I approach to it?
If I were travelling in China, I'd ask the locals what they call this thing. If you were to approach it you could do the same.
But I understand only a few words in Chinese & I'm not sure whether or
not they use articles.... :-))
it may not be as bad for us English tutees as for you
English speakers who, for whatever reason, would want to
start learning Russian just to make a terrifying discovery
of nearly 70 various inflection forms (AFAIK) they'd have
to learn, or memorize.
is it correct to assume that a countable noun may be allowed
to exist in the story without an article attached to it? Or,
on the other hand, a "strictly" uncountable noun may be used
with the indef. article in a number of cases? It seems one
can't tell by simply looking it up in a dictionary.
Would of never... Well, I've had my share of those, and Could-
of-been's too, reading various posts on forums/boards back in
the day. I even remember asking somewhere, "I wonder if this
could be a contemporary acceptable form of writing it?" :-)
As with that XYZ company, maybe they're just good average IT
professionals, not perfectionists? That is, if you mean
"Windows" the OS, I assume, not windows in the house. (Are
those even "updatable"?)
I've been listening to a great song earlier today, and it's
titled "Shoulda": "I shoulda let go... bla-bla... etc." (It's
British BTW).
"...give house room to" is not about "a room in the house",
but "room" as in "Make room!", right?
... to you I`d say something more like "You`ve never heard
of Hadrian`s Wall?" :-Q
I think I haven't until just now, but Hadrian is/was a
proper noun (thus no articles needed)?
"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by
age eighteen." -- Albert Einstein
Would of never... Well, I've had my share of those, and
Could- of-been's too, reading various posts on
forums/boards back in the day. I even remember asking
somewhere, "I wonder if this could be a contemporary
acceptable form of writing it?" :-)
The FREE DICTIONARY regards "would of" as a misspelling of
"would've" ... according to an entry dated 2024... and that's
my take on it. It is fairly common among kids in grade eight,
but most people seem to know better later on. In grade eight I
made notes re what I thought I had heard in French class. :-Q
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