MSGID: 2:221/6.0 65716e10   
   REPLY: 2:5023/24.4222 656f0fee   
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   Hi, Gleb Hlebov!   
   I read your message from 05.12.2023 12:56   
      
    AK>> Well, a pie can be cut into portions, but anyway it should   
    AK>> theoretically remained a pie. IMPOV. ;)   
      
    GH> Sometimes it may not work this way. E. g. talking about food, you   
    GH> can hear something along the lines of:   
      
    GH> "...Nutella has become out comfort food, we like it with banana or   
    GH> pretzels."   
      
   Nutella is like ice-cream, it is understandable.   
   out ?-> our   
   banana ?-> bananas   
      
    GH> Many types of food (besides pie, cake, ice cream, candy etc.) can   
    GH> be referred to as uncountable when served in slices, even if you   
    GH> still think of it as "countable".   
      
    GH> On the other hand, mentioned as a dish, like a menu item you may   
    GH> order in a cafe or restaurant, it should be referred to as   
    GH> countable:   
    GH> "...They got a cherry pie there that'll kill ya!"   
    GH> So, again, it's complicated.   
      
   I think that the matter is simpler. When they say in the dictionary that pie   
   is both countable and uncountable in use they just mean that you _can_ put an   
   indefinite article before "pie", or you are free not to put it. The same   
   situation with steak:   
      
   "I had steak and kidney pie with chips"   
   but probably is also correct   
   "I had a steak and (a) kidney pie with chips"   
      
   I also suspect that the more the speech is informal the less articles it   
   contains. ;-)   
      
   Bye, Gleb!   
   Alexander Koryagin   
   english_tutor 2023   
      
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