Subj : Wall
To   : Alexander Koryagin
From : Gleb Hlebov
Date : Tue Dec 24 2024 16:51:20

Hi Alexander,

Mon 23 Dec 2024 at 08:24, you wrote to me:

 AK>>> Just look in the Longman dictionary - it says bluntly -
 AK>>> wall is a countable noun.
 GH>> Here we go again. "Pie" or "Cake" are countable nouns as well,
 GH>> but we're also free to say
 GH>> "I want Cherry Pie", or,
 GH>> "For Gods' sake, how can you not love Cake?"
 AK> Well, let's treat "wall" as "cake". Although, if we again look into
 AK> Longman dictionary we'll see that it says bluntly that pie /paɪ/ noun
 AK> [uncountable and countable]  ;)

Do you own a paper copy? I can't open the website at the moment.

Again, as you may surmise, using articles is tricky. It's kind of a "fuzzy" subject for those with different language backgrounds. I believe even French and Deutsch have some differences in this regard with English, let alone Russian (or even some more "exotic" ones).

I'd say that you rely too much on dictionaries and try to over-formalise your approach to language learning, while in real life, in fiction, newspapers/magazines, talk shows etc., it may at times look a bit different.

In our case I'd say it's an "object vs. substance" thing.
Here are some instances from a website I find suitable:

"Brick" as substance/material:

     "Drilling into brick is a key DIY skill, needed for all kinds of home
      improvement projects." ...

     "You'll require a masonry drill bit for drilling into brick." ...

     "If you're drilling into a softer brick and don't need to
      make too deep a hole, you may..." -- wait... it's no longer the same
      substance here, neither a flaw in the brickwork but a "different
      kind of brick material".

     "Hold your drill straight and level when drilling into brick(1) - some
      drills come with spirit levels built-in. Starting slowly, drill into
      the brick(2), pushing the drill towards the wall." -- okay, (1) is a
     "brick as generalised material"; (2) is the "stuff" that you're now
      interacting with physically.

I hope it makes sense (no big deal if it doesn't though).

 AK> The Great Chinese wall is "wall" or "a wall" if I approach to it?

It can only be referred to as THE Wall, given its singular and unique nature (the same as the Moon, the Earth's only natural satellite). No other options here. :-)


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