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Piano book Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

A salad / a pizza

I want a salad for lunch. Or I want a pizza for lunch.

Looking at those two sentences, please i would like to know why it's possible to use "a" before salad and pizza, given the fact that they are both uncountable nouns. Please would like to know the rules governing such possibilities. Thanks.

  

Top answer

piano book would like to know why it's possible to use "a" before salad and pizza Many nouns can be used both ways, countable or uncountable. 'salad' and 'pizza' are "unbounded"; it's like all the salad (or pizza) in the world or any amount of these things, thought of as certain kinds of stuff. 'a salad' and 'a pizza' are "bounded"; these designate a certain amount of this stuff separated off from all of it and made into an object of some sort.

  • piano book would like to know why it's possible to use "a" before salad and pizza Many nouns can be used both ways, countable or uncountable.
  • 'salad' and 'pizza' are "unbounded"; it's like all the salad (or pizza) in the world or any amount of these things, thought of as certain kinds of stuff.
  • 'a salad' and 'a pizza' are "bounded"; these designate a certain amount of this stuff separated off from all of it and made into an object of some sort.
  • There is no rule.
  • You just need to observe how such things work in English by reading and listening and then imitating.
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1 Answers
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piano bookwould like to know why it's possible to use "a" before salad and pizza

Many nouns can be used both ways, countable or uncountable.

'salad' and 'pizza' are "unbounded"; it's like all the salad (or pizza) in the world or any amount of these things, thought of as certain kinds of stuff.

'a salad' and 'a pizza' are "bounded"; these designa

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