Subj : Re: Wall
To   : Alexander Koryagin
From : Gleb Hlebov
Date : Tue Dec 17 2024 10:54:57

Hi Alexander,

13.12.2024 11:56:02, Alexander Koryagin
<Alexander.Koryagin@p0.f360.n221.z2.fidonet.org> wrote:

 AK> He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway.
 AK> Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink
 AK> instantly back into solid wall.  --------------
 AK> Why is "solid wall" without "a" article? It is a countable noun,
 AK> isn't it?

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.


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