Is this true that one shouldn't use indefinite articles

Question

Is this true that one shouldn't use indefinite articles, 'a' and 'an', with abstract nouns because they aren't countable? But definite article, 'the', could be used with any kind of a noun. Please let me know. Thanks.

Der · Accepted Answer

In a way it`s true.

We can use a\an with singular countable nouns: a beach, a student...

But there are many cases when the same noun can be both: countable and uncountable with a difference in meaning.

E.g.: There is a spare room.(count) - You can`t sit here. There isn`t room.(uncount).

We don`t use the when we are thinking of smth as a general idea. For instance we use such words as: prison, hospital, school, university, church.

- without the, when we are thinking of what these places are used for(its general idea)

E.g.: He is in prison for robbery.
- with the, when we are thinking of these places as particular buildings
E.g.: The workmen went to the prison to repair the roof.

Jackson6612 · Answer

Thanks, Der, and welcome to the forums.

Kooyeen · Answer

I think you can sometimes use uncountable abstract nouns with the indefinite article, when you mean to say "a kind of".

Example taken from the COCA (Corpus of Contemporary American English):
Betsy Bennett's delicately colored paintings are remarkable for the way they reveal a beauty that is otherwise concealed from the eye in her ordinary, workaday subjects.

(= a kind of beauty)

You might also be interested in this paragraph:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncountable_noun#Multiple_senses_for_one_noun

Is this true that one shouldn't use indefinite articles

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