Suffer from (a) heavy amnesia

Question

Hello,Could you please tell me whether the article "a" is needed in this sentence."After the accident the man suffered from (a) heavy amnesia"Is there any differene between AmE and BrE?Thank you

Paul Evdokimov · Accepted Answer

'Amnesia' is a mass noun, so do not put the indefinite article before it, or before the modifier preceding it.

Hotmale · Answer

Thanks. But "dinner" doesn't take the article either, unless the noun is modified, e.g. We had a delicious dinner.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Hotmale Thanks. But "dinner" doesn't take the article either, unless the noun is modified, e.g. We had a delicious dinner.

In that sentence, dinner is not a mass noun, but refers to a kind of meal..

We had dinner = We ate.
Let's go to dinner. = Let's go eat.

"heavy amnesia" is not natural
He had severe amnesia.

Amnesia is a long-term condition, and it is always a mass noun.
Other short-term illnesses are not.
He had the flu.
He had a cold / fever.
He had a headache / stomachache / earache.
He had a heart attack / seizure

Compare with long-term conditions
He had amnesia / tuberculosis / aphasia / dementia /smallpox / polio.

Suffer from (a) heavy amnesia

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