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"Language" vs " A language"



 
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ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
Expression: 'He soon retired...' | "Look for" vs "Look up"
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"Language" vs " A language" #1 (permalink) Mon Dec 18, 2006 6:37 am   "Language" vs " A language"
 

In his interview Michael Swan wrote:
...learning to communicate well in a foreign language.


Jamie (K) wrote:
This novel seems to be written in very beautiful language.


Could you please tell me the difference between language and a language?

Tom
Tom
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Joined: 30 May 2006
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"Language" vs " A language" #2 (permalink) Mon Dec 18, 2006 9:17 am   "Language" vs " A language"
 

Hi Tom,

The articles both 'a' and 'the' are a nghtmare, aren't they? So here we go with another example. In the two sentences 'a' refers to one separate and distinct foreign language. The absence of 'a' refers to the particular way something is written, the style, the expression and so on. Look at these:

Shakespeare used language in a way that nobody had ever used it before.

All children are advised to learn a language other than their own.

A
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Expression: 'He soon retired...' | "Look for" vs "Look up"
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