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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Indefinite article

He dined in an eating-house in George's Street where he felt himself safe from the society o Dublin's gilded youth and where there was a certain plain honesty in the bill of fare.

Why is there n indefinite article? I thought honesty was uncountable.
  

Top answer

Anonymous I thought honesty was uncountable. "Honesty noun, plural honesties. 1.

— Anonymous

  • Anonymous I thought honesty was uncountable.
  • "Honesty noun, plural honesties.
  • 1.
  • the quality or fact of being honest ; uprightness andfairness.
  • 2.
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6 Answers
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Anonymous I thought honesty was uncountable.
"Honesty
noun, plural honesties.

1.
the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness andfairness.

2.
truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness.

3.
freedom from deceit or fraud." (Diction
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AnonymousWhy is there an indefinite article?
If we use an indefinite article before a noun that is normally uncountable, we often suggest 'a kind/type of ...'.
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Does this work?

"there was a kind of certain plain honesty in the...."
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AnonymousDoes this work?"there was a kind of certain plain honesty in the...."
No, that won't work.
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Certain used in this way implies that the speaker has something specific in mind, though they aren't stating it. It can be used to modify kind so that the whole thing means a specific type. Kind of, by itself, is more vague. It's contradictory to say A vague type of specific thing.
You can say
A plain honesty.
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