Subj : Wall
To   : Alexander Koryagin
From : Ardith Hinton
Date : Thu Jan 16 2025 20:26:19

Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to Gleb Hlebov:

AK>  Just look in the Longman dictionary - it says
AK>  bluntly- 'wall is a countable noun.

          Okay.  I seldom refer to it, unless my Free Dictionary cites it... but although I have some concerns about whether this is a British or American source nowadays I understand why you may find it helpful.  I can usually determine from how a word is defined whether it's countable, uncountable, or both.

          Your original question pertained to an example in which you saw "solid wall" used without an article.  It's not quite enough to set off the alarm bells in my head, and I do find it growing on me... but judging by the responses I see here I'd probably tend to follow my mother's advice:  "If in doubt, don't."  :-Q


AK>  The Great Chinese wall is "wall" or "a wall" if
AK>  I approach to it?
                /since "approach" means "come near to", this "to" is unnecessary

           According to my dictionaries "if" = a preposition used in conditional sentences or clauses, in which case the verb tenses may not be quite what you're accustomed to seeing elsewhere.  I'd call this object the Great Wall of China... but I understand what you mean.  I reckon what matters here is that there may be other large walls (such as Hadrian's Wall & the Berlin Wall) which are important from a historical & geographical standpoint to many people & where I'd say "the" in the absence of a possessive noun because nothing else fits the description.

           Now, as for the verb tenses:
                If I were to win the lottery (which I don't expect to) I might
                visit any number of other places.  If I won the lottery (and I
                believe there's a good chance I'd have unlimited funds because
                math isn't my forte) I'd buy an old castle & add a pipe organ.

           If I were travelling in China, I'd ask the locals what they call this thing.  If you were to approach it you could do the same.  But I understand only a few words in Chinese & I'm not sure whether or not they use articles....  :-))




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

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