REPLY: 2:221/360.0 67690214   
   MSGID: 2:5023/24.4222 676aae50   
   CHRS: CP866 2   
   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, n   
   wspapers/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. :-)   
      
      
   ... Error #010: Illegal error. Do not get this error   
   --- GoldED+/W32-MSVC 1.1.5   
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