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Thread: May I have pizza and lemon tea?

  1. #1
    Winwin2011 is offline Member
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    Default May I have pizza and lemon tea?

    We cannot use singular countable nouns without a/an/the/my etc.

    A kid was at the fast food restaurant with his mon. He asked 'Mom, may I have pizza and lemon tea?' His mon said ' No, you are sick, Pizza is not good for your health'

    'Pizza' can be a countable or uncountable noun. However, is 'pizza' a countable or uncountable noun in the above context. If it is a countable noun in the above sentence, is it necessary to use an article or determiners before 'pizza'?

    Thanks for your help.

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    Bennevis is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: May I have pizza and lemon tea?

    Saying "May I have pizza and lemon tea?" implies you might want to get just a slice of pizza and a cup of lemon tea.

    compare -> "May I have a pizza and a lemon tea?" (a (personal) pie and a bottle)

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    Gillnetter is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: May I have pizza and lemon tea?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bennevis View Post
    Saying "May I have pizza and lemon tea?" implies you might want to get just a slice of pizza and a cup of lemon tea.

    compare -> "May I have a pizza and a lemon tea?" (a (personal) pie and a bottle)
    I don't understand how you got that meaning. "May I have pizza", doesn't put any limit on the amount of pizza, it merely states that the person wants pizza. When you added the "a" it did limit the pizza to one but there is no indication that it had to be a personal pizza (I assume by "personal" you mean a small pizza). The same holds true for lemon tea. Consider this - "May I have steak for dinner?" There is no indication of the amount, size, or type of steak - there is merely a request for steak.

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    Bennevis is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: May I have pizza and lemon tea?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gillnetter View Post
    I don't understand how you got that meaning. "May I have pizza", doesn't put any limit on the amount of pizza, it merely states that the person wants pizza. When you added the "a" it did limit the pizza to one but there is no indication that it had to be a personal pizza (I assume by "personal" you mean a small pizza). The same holds true for lemon tea. Consider this - "May I have steak for dinner?" There is no indication of the amount, size, or type of steak - there is merely a request for steak.
    Yes, I meant the same thing. Just didn't express it properly.

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    Default Re: May I have pizza and lemon tea?

    Quote Originally Posted by Winwin2011 View Post
    We cannot use singular countable nouns without a/an/the/my etc.

    A kid was at the fast food restaurant with his mon. He asked 'Mom, may I have pizza and lemon tea?' His mon said ' No, you are sick, Pizza is not good for your health'

    'Pizza' can be a countable or uncountable noun. However, is 'pizza' a countable or uncountable noun in the above context. If it is a countable noun in the above sentence, is it necessary to use an article or determiners before 'pizza'?

    Thanks for your help.
    In your sentence, pizza is uncountable.
    Winwin2011 likes this.

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