 Re: Is "a" needed here?
There is a small number of words describing persons that are very close to us or we are with most of the time. The tendency for such words, not only in English but in other languages too, is to be used without any article at all. Mother and father, as well as grandpa, grandma and some more, belong to this group. You just learn when to use them without an article. Please note that when we speak of other people's mothers, fathers etc. this 'rule' does not apply.
Many words in English can be both countable and uncountable, depending on how and in what context they're used. In "Life is difficult" life is an uncountable noun: we speak of life in general, not an instance of a person or animal being alive. A life, on the other hand, is the life of one person or animal. Thus, we can say: "A war that took millions of lives", but we cannot say: "*Lives are difficult". Love is another word similarly used: "Love is a wonderful feeling" (uncountable); "A love that will never die" (countable). |